‘Gender Queer’ author doubles down on extremely graphic images of sex acts, says it could have been worse

The author of one of America’s most controversial books, Maia Kobabe, defended the sexually explicit graphic images in her memoir “Gender Queer” during an interview with NPR on Wednesday.

“Gender Queer” has caused great controversy among America’s parents to be in public school libraries across the US and has been challenged for its depictions and depictions of oral sex, as well as discussions of masturbation.

The book also discusses Kobabe’s journey of self-discovery toward identifying outside the “gender binary.”

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Maia Kobabe, author of Gender Queer, one of the most banned books in America. (Maia Kebab | YouTube/Screenshot)

Kobabe said during an interview with Claire Murashima on Morning Edition that the author was surprised by the late postponement.

“I prepared myself for it a little bit… I think what surprised me the most was the timing of it — and then also the level of it, and then the longevity of it.”

Murashima pushed Kobabe into some of the most graphic panels in the young adult memoir.

“Gender Queer” is one of the most banned books in America due to its sexually explicit content. (iStock)

“Let me ask you this. Some of the criticism is about how graphic the book is. There are some graphic panels where you’re describing some of your sexual encounters. Have you considered doing less graphic versions of those scenes?”

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Kobabe said, “You know I really didn’t. I drew so much that I had to tell the story I was trying to tell and give the points I was trying to make.”

Kobabe added that the images could have been worse.

Public schools across the country have included books in their libraries that have sparked outrage among parents. (Fox News | iStock)

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“And I honestly think the book is much clearer than it could be,” Kobabe added.

“The topic of gender affects identity… and it affects sexuality,” Kobabe continued. “And it’s hard to fully explain, I think, how a gender identity can affect every aspect of life as an adult without touching at least a little bit on sexuality. And I wanted to at least not feel like walking away from that.”

Fox News’ Gabriel Hays contributed to this report.

Hannah Grossman is an associate editor at Fox News Digital.