London-based author Gayathiri Kamalakanthan's young adult novel-in-verse, Bad Queer, is partly inspired by their experience as a sex educator in schools and their own identity as queer and non-binary. The book, illustrated by Chi Nwosu, follows protagonist Surya's journey of self-acceptance and exploration of their identity through poetry and illustration. Kamalakanthan worked closely with Nwosu to incorporate cultural symbols from Tamil culture into the illustrations, reflecting Nwosu's own experience as a Black, non-binary, queer Nigerian American artist. The book is set in a school environment where Surya finds a safe space to explore their identity through theatre and friendships.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-07,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Surya feels like a bad queer.
asserted
Surya → feel → queer
When an ice cream man misgenders them, they stay silent.
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they → misgender → them
"I pray for a sharper tongue," they think when a classmate harasses them for not looking like either a boy or a girl.
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classmate → pray → boy
Surya is the protagonist of Bad Queer, a young adult novel-in-verse written by London-based Gayathiri Kamalakanthan and illustrated by Chicago artist Chi Nwosu.
asserted
Surya → write → Nwosu
Coming into their final year at school, Surya has come out to their parents, who are queer and non-binary, and their close friend Maha, but not to everyone.
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who → come → everyone
They're also yet to have their first romantic relationship.
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They → have → relationship
"I would really like to like someone.
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I → like → someone
But I know I can't force it," they reflect.
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they → know → it
Throughout Bad Queer, Nwosu's line drawings help develop Surya's journey of self-acceptance.
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drawings → help → acceptance
Sometimes the illustrations capture a detail from the text, like Surya's hands writing in their journal or the tiles in a family game of Scrabble.
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hands → capture → Scrabble
Elsewhere, they take us into Surya's internal emotions, like a flurry of stars and swirls that surround the text as Surya practices deep breathing in a bathroom stall.
"I think poetry and illustration are a beautiful match because they're both asking the reader to interpret and really be part of co-creating the story," Kamalakanthan says of the book's unusual format.
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Kamalakanthan → take → format
Nwosu, a Black, non-binary, queer Nigerian American artist and designer, relates to how Surya feels connected to their ancestors and how they're searching for representation of their queer and non-binary self in Tamil culture.
"
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they → relate → culture
I find myself looking towards Igbo history in a similar way," Nwosu says.
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Nwosu → find → way
I want to know where are the others?
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others → want → ?
How did folks treat people who were different or had a different orientation towards the world?
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who → treat → world
"[Surya's story] reflected my own experience as someone who didn't fit neatly into a binary."
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who → reflect → binary
One aspect of the project Nwosu particularly enjoyed was learning about Tamil symbolism and incorporating it respectfully into their work.
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Nwosu → enjoy → work
"A lot of my own art incorporates cultural and spiritual symbols as a way to learn, remember and honour my Igbo culture and the histories of global solidarity and queer solidarity," they say.
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they → incorporate → solidarity
Finding themselves on stage
Surya's life changes when, on a whim, they audition for their school's youth theatre.
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they → find → theatre
"It's as if this one audition is a mini protest
against all the times I've said nothing" they think.
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they → say → nothing
The group, led by the enthusiastic Mr Ali, proves a safe space for Surya to explore and embrace their identity.
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Surya → lead → identity
In this new environment, Surya soon befriends Akhil, who proudly wears a "GAY AF" badge and Sade, who gives Surya a worry stone to soothe their pre-audition anxiety.
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who → befriend → anxiety
Kamalakanthan says their own experiences working in the theatre, including writing a play, Period Parrrty, were "foundational" for them.
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experiences → say → them
"I gained confidence to really step into the intersection of my Tamilness and genderqueerness," they say.
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they → gain → Tamilness
"There's something about theatre being a communal act.
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theatre → be → ?
You're not just writing in a room by yourself.
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You → write → yourself
You're in rehearsal rooms, trading mood boards, figuring out a shared vision with a director and cast, and that collective imagining really opened up my confidence.
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imagining → trade → confidence
"
'I wanted him to get things wrong and keep trying'
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things → want → ?
As Surya's relationship with Blessing develops, they gain the confidence to live as their true self.
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they → develop → self
While Blessing is kind and empathetic, it's also a journey for him to embrace being in a queer relationship.
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him → embrace → relationship
"Because of the binary world we live in, [Blessing] has a difficult time understanding Surya's transness," Kamalakanthan says.
"
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Kamalakanthan → live → transness
I wanted him to get things wrong and keep trying and not shy away from doing his own thinking and research about what he doesn't understand yet."
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he → want → what
Kamalakanthan says the arc of the relationship was inspired by their previous work as a sex and relationships educator.
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arc → say → educator
"I noticed students were often more fluent in naming sexual harm than articulating consent and the type of touch they might be comfortable with," they say.
uncertain
they → notice → touch
"I wanted characters in Bad Queer to model those exact conversations: fumbling, hesitant and laughing nervously through the words … and importantly working out their boundaries before any touch happens.
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touch → want → boundaries
There's so much in books and TV about sexual violence, which is of course an important topic to understand.
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which → be → course
But I also wanted to write consensual, caring relationships.
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I → want → relationships
We need templates for those conversations too.
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We → need → conversations
"
'Stories that I really longed for as a young person'
Kamalakanthan and Nwosu hope Bad Queer strikes a chord with young people coming to terms with their gender identity and sexual orientation.
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Queer → long → identity
"As a young person, I felt like I didn't quite have the words to describe the feeling of queerness that I had inside," Nwosu says.
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Nwosu → feel → that
…and 8 more, not listed.