CRISTY C. ROAD
The world has Green Day to thank for the artistry of Cristy C. Road. The Cuban-American illustrator and novelist (and member of the queercore/pop-punk band, The Homewreckers) was so obsessed with the punk rock group that rose to prominence in the 1990s, that she adopted her pen name from the song, “Christie Road” and started a fanzine devoted to the group. She launched “GREEN´ZINE” in 1997 and illustrated and published it for 10 years, during which time it evolved to touch on issues of race, gender and eliminating oppression in punk rock and activist communities. Her travails during those years are detailed in Spit and Passion, Road´s latest graphic novel, which also explores coming out and maintaining Cuban roots. She hopes her story can lend power to youth and others in their coming out process. Road came out to her family at 26, and she says it took her that long to “find peace” between her queer and Cuban identities. “Youth are still self-harming, and as culture-makers, it´s our role to carve out space for their anger,” Road says. “Tons of people, young and old, need the strength to make it past the point of systematic self-hate, and [we] queers who are publishing and have found power in our identity can do a lot for the world.” -SJ
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