I’m really sorry to hear all that happened to you, Kura. What changes would you like platforms and communities to consider in supporting LGBTQ creators?

Stop fetishizing us. Consider our stories for more than just pride events. Stop caring about LGBTQ characters more than LGBTQ creators.

You mentioned fetishization and wanting creators to be held up not just LGBTQ characters. What issues do you think there still are in telling stories as an LGBTQ person?

Queer stories and characters are expected to have a higher standard of quality than comics without queer themes. Unless it can be fetishized or made into ‘struggle porn’ There’s no room for bad stories, no room for mid-tier stories. Everything has to be exceptional, everything has to have reason, everything has to have a message or a goal. I hate this. I hate that queer stories just can’t exist.

Even though you’ve had a difficult time as a creator, what are some of the positive experiences you’ve had online?

Realizing the impact my comic had. Realizing how many people needed to read the stories I write, needed to see the characters I made. My comments section has people thanking me for including specific LGBTQ+ characters in my story, for thinking of them, for adding someone like them in my story. They felt like they had been seen, like someone finally cared. I didn’t know how much people needed the story I wanted to tell, because I was always told before to not include such things because it would exclude people and drive people away. I didn’t know there was a space I could exist in, or that there was a demand for the characters and the stories I had to tell through them. I really didn’t know that I was capable of creating something that someone NEEDED.

A lot of this interview has been about a battle for acceptance and being able to find your voice. Do you think you’ve been able to find that?

I feel like I finally have a place where I am allowed to exist. Where I can tell the stories I want. Where I don’t have to constantly fight who I am so I can possibly get the rare chance of getting the privilege of being considered. Despite the backlash and difficulty it brings it feels like I have a purpose. That I am good.