Today’s entry in the “education through entertainment” series is a two-fer: manga series Our Dreams at Dusk (Shimanami Tasogare) and IS – The Gender that Is Neither Male nor Female (IS – Otoko demo Onna demo Nai Sei).

Our Dreams at Dusk follows a found family of people who feel like outcasts for being gay, trans, or asexual, while IS tells the stories of people born intersex.

“Education” does not just refer to facts and figures, but also to increased understanding, which is precisely where these two series excel. I stumbled across IS some time in the 2000s, back when the acronym for non-heteronormative folks was still just four letters: LGBT; I had never even heard of the term “intersex” prior to reading IS. While the 17 volume (!!) series is a bit light on facts, it focuses on people, specifically the challenges the intersex characters and their family and friends face because they do not fall under the binary of male and female. Similarly Our Dreams at Dusk covers the turmoils and stigmas attached to the rest of the LGBTQIA spectrum (I wrote a comprehensive review of that series here).

These two series provide a more accurate and sympathetic view into gender dysphoria than I’ve seen almost anywhere else, both in the world of manga and beyond. Given the bigotry that the LGBTQIA+ community continues to face, even in the most “progressive” of places, I believe a better understanding of the non-heteronormative experience is among some of the most important education a person can receive today.

Unfortunately most LGBTQIA “representation” in manga/anime is exploitative (e.g. yaoi, futanari, etc), so I’m always heartened to encounter realistic and sympathetic portrayals of sexual minorities. Have you ever encountered a comic or work of animation that expanded your horizons regarding sexual minorities or other marginalized populations?