Author Archives: Ampersand

Cartoon: G.O.P. Approved History

Welcome back to artist R. E. Ryan! This is the second cartoon he’s done with me; I certainly hope there’ll be more. In 2019, the New York Times published The 1619 Project, an anthology of essays and other works arguing … Continue reading

Posted in Cartooning & comics, Colonialism, Conservative zaniness, right-wingers, etc., Education, Free speech, censorship, copyright law, etc. | 10 Comments  

Cartoon: Some Things Straight People Can Stop Saying

This cartoon is by Becky Hawkins and I. Quite a while ago, I did a cartoon like this about Cis people, and someone on Facebook (someone I knew at Oberlin in the late 80s, who is himself gay) commented “PLEASE … Continue reading

Posted in Cartooning & comics, Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Trans and Queer issues | 8 Comments  

Cartoon: Why We Need Don’t Say Gay Laws

This cartoon was drawn by the wonderful Nadine Scholtes. The unicorns and rainbows were Nadine’s idea, and I love them. From the Associated Press: Top officials at a Florida school district ordered the removal of all books and material containing … Continue reading

Posted in Cartooning & comics, Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Trans and Queer issues | 3 Comments  

Cartoon: Our Loss, Your Gain

This cartoon is by Becky Hawkins and I. The book Diets Don’t Fail, by Jascha Fishburn, says (in its jacket copy): A diet has never failed anyone; however, many people fail diets, again and again every day. This attitude is … Continue reading

Posted in Cartooning & comics, Fat, fat and more fat | Leave a comment  

Cartoon: Women Need To Be More Warm And Approachable

I saw this exchange on Twitter. For context, “David” is an anti-feminist with 7,000 followers, and Andrew Tate is a famous misogynist: David’s sentiment is common among incels and anti-feminists (two groups with significant overlap) – if young women would … Continue reading

Posted in Cartooning & comics, misogyny, Sexism | 4 Comments  

Cartoon: The GOP Tax Policy Cycle!

Bobby Kogen, at the Center for American Progress, writes: Long-term projections show that federal debt as a percentage of the U.S. economy is on a path to grow indefinitely… House Republican leaders have used this fact to call for spending … Continue reading

Posted in Cartooning & comics, Conservative zaniness, right-wingers, etc., Economics and the like | 64 Comments  

Cartoon: Service Animal Blues

Another collaboration with Nadine Scholtes, who has quickly become a fixture. I asked Nadine if there were any topics that she’d particularly like to do a cartoon about, and she surprised me by saying “something about service dogs. Like people … Continue reading

Posted in Cartooning & comics, Disabled Rights & Issues | Comments Off  

Cartoon: Reality vs Imagination, Trans Kids Edition

Recently, the journalist Jesse Singal – who has a well-earned reputation for being anti-trans – made an error that he thought was understandable, but to many people – me included – seemed ridiculous. He came across an interview with a … Continue reading

Posted in Cartooning & comics, Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Trans and Queer issues, Transsexual and Transgender related issues | Comments Off  

Diets Don’t Work Therefore You Must Diet

This cartoon, drawn by Becky Hawkins, is a straightforward adaptation of a Michael Hobbes tweet (with Michael’s kind permission). Michael, for those who don’t know, is a popular podcaster, whose three podcasts (past and present) are You’re Wrong About (a … Continue reading

Posted in Cartooning & comics, Fat, fat and more fat | Comments Off  

Cartoon: Self-Made Billionaire

This feels like a very old-fashioned lefty cartoon to me; it’s super-didactic, reliant on labels, has no real punchline, and it’s less about telling a joke then it is about trying to illustrate a basic principal of lefty economics. Other … Continue reading

Posted in Cartooning & comics, Economics and the like | Comments Off