“Siamo L’assenza”: Queer Absence, Education, and Regression in the Comics by Percy Bertolini

Although the terms “theory of gender” and “gender ideology” were coined in the mid-1990s, in recent years they have taken on an increasingly central role in global politics, alongside the rise of openly anti-LGBTQIA+ discourse and policies. The terms not only misrepresent queer theory and gender studies but also portray children as endangered and vulnerable to corruption by LGBTQIA+ individuals. Consequently, various forms of censorship and restriction have been adopted with the stated aim of protecting them. In the self-published fanzine series Bambinə mattə (2024–2025) and the comic series Scuola di Butch (2024–2025), Percy Bertolini investigates this phenomenon within the Italian context, bringing to the forefront a figure that challenges the rhetoric of “gender ideology:” the queer child. The artist depicts queer children, the oppression they experience within a cis-heteronormative society, and the possibilities for acceptance and recognition, imagining a school where such subjectivities can be welcomed and affirmed. The article analyzes Bertolini’s works and their representation of queer childhood, education, and images of absence through the lens of antisocial queer theories. Ultimately, the article argues that, through their focus on relationality and collaboration, Bertolini’s work transforms queer negation into a powerful alternative for queer children.