In her debut children’s picture book Molly’s Tuxedo, Vicki Johnson explores how difficult it truly can be to find that perfect outfit for picture day. As the title implies, Molly’s got some big plans to be photographed sporting a dapper tuxedo, but mom wants her in a dress! Molly just wants to show everyone that she looks and feels much better in a tux.

Even amid the pushback, Molly’s Tuxedo is a wonderful story about how being yourself is always in style. With the current influx of legislative attacks against queer and trans kids, Molly’s Tuxedo is a powerful read on the importance of exploring gender expression, especially at a young age. GLAAD sat down with Vicki to chat about growing up queer in the South, and why Molly’s dilemma on picture day is a story that’s important for any kid to hear today.

1. What motivated you to write Molly’s Tuxedo?

Molly is a kindergartener with big plans to wear her brother’s dashing tuxedo for picture day, but her mom has picked out a dress. Molly has a strong sense of self though, and her character arc is all about being true to that, even in the face of initial resistance from her family. This story resonates strongly with me. The inspiration for the story comes from my own experiences growing up gay and gender nonconforming in the very conservative world of the deep South in the 70’s and 80’s. The reason I wrote this when I did was that I had seen a couple of news items in 2019 where young people were being gender policed about their clothes. This continuous need to control kids’ clothing choices (and adults’ clothes, too, let’s be real) really struck a nerve. I just had to write something down to explore those feelings I remember so vividly from my own childhood after so many years. I have a family photo of me from 1972 wearing my brother’s Sears husky suit with a clip-on tie, and I look so happy and confident. Fifty years later, one would like to think the issue is over and settled, but for so many young people today in all parts of the country, it’s still a struggle. I’m grateful that GLAAD in its publishing partnership with Little Bee Books sees the value in exploring these issues and supports my book so that it gets into the hands of the young readers who need it.

2. What advice do you have for queer kids living in the South right now? What would you say to kids trying to figure out their own gender identities?

The South is a vast, diverse, and beautiful place, yet undeniably challenging. And every person’s experience is really different, for sure. Growing up anywhere where you feel your life is scrutinized or minimized, or where there is an active homophobic or transphobic environment around you can feel scary and lonely. I remember those feelings well. You might feel like nobody understands you, and you wonder how can you have a level of happiness others get to have. What I can say is that it gets so much better. You will grow up and own your power to make decisions about your life, your friends, and your community and support systems. You will find your light and you get to shine it wherever and however you want. You get to be who you are however you identify yourself. In the meantime, while you are a young person, and if you are struggling, reach out: to your friends or a safe and supportive adult, a teacher or counselor perhaps. Read, hang out with friends, listen to music, and look for role models to inspire you in media. We need you, and we want you in whatever beautiful way you grow up to be, shining your light.

3. What are your hopes for Molly’s Tuxedo? What kinds of things do you want kids to get out of reading it?

My hopes for Molly’s Tuxedo are that young readers come away knowing it’s okay to listen to their inner compass, to be brave, and to be themselves, even if it means they make different choices than others. I want them to know they are perfect just the way they are. I want them to feel seen and heard and full of love for themselves! I hope adult caregivers understand that children have rich interior lives and they are constantly demonstrating who they are if we listen carefully and allow them the room to show us. I’d love for adults also to come away feeling empowered to change their minds or consider things in a different light when necessary. We all have the capacity to learn and change and flourish.

4. As a queer Southerner myself I know it can be tough sometimes even existing in certain spaces, can you share a bit about how you found/find queer joy even in tougher circumstances, growing up in Georgia?

I grew up and came out decades ago in the South. It was not easy, but it made me who I am, and no matter where I live, I will always be a Southerner. When I was young, I basically took my own advice from above, which meant I spent time with my good friends who cared about me, listened to a lot of music, and read widely: books, newspapers, and magazines – this was before the internet. I found joy in being my authentic self as much as my surroundings would allow, and cultivated my own interests in politics and culture, knowing I would one day be able to make decisions as an adult, go to college, and find a bigger LGBTQ+ community, which I did! Despite the challenges, I have some wonderful memories of growing up, and all the ways that I came into my own. Growing up in the South meant I grew up hearing stories, observing people, and learning our collective histories, both the good and the horrible, in a unique mix of experiences and cadences that will always be a part of me and my writing.

5. Queer representation has come a long way, but we can see that even the previous decade didn’t have the same level of visibility. What icons, books, or movies did you look up to and enjoy growing up even without overt and widespread queer representation?

I grew up in the 70’s and 80’s where there was a wonderful mix of feminism and high camp, mixed in with educational media of all kinds. While there was little to no openly-LGBTQ+ representation, there were lots of shows in which many of us recognized ourselves or that formed the overall imputed-queer canon we collectively reminisce about. I watched Sesame Street and Zoom and Scooby-Doo and all the cartoons. I read comics and all the horse books and biographies when I was really young, and I moved on to “classic” novels, nonfiction, and Ms. magazine in my teens. In middle school, I listened to my Grease album over and over with friends, and we knew every line of the movie! I mean, Olivia Newton-John! There were new depictions of women action heroes hitting the screen and I was a huge fan of Bionic Woman, Wonder Woman, Princess Leia, the original Charlie’s

Angels, Sarah Connor, and Ellen Ripley. I loved MAD magazine and early SNL for humor and political satire which fed my intellect, and I always read the newspaper political cartoons first. Music was probably one of my most important outlets: Joan Jett, Pat Benatar, Blondie, and Heart were some of my favorites on the radio.

Pick up a copy of Molly’s Tuxedo just in time for Pride month, when it hits shelves on June 27, 2023.