Julia Kaye (born June 15, 1988) is an American artist, illustrator, and voice actress. Kaye currently works as a storyboard artist and revisionist at

Disney Television Animation Disney Television Animation (DTVA), formerly known as Walt Disney Pictures Television Animation Group and Walt Disney Television Animation, is the television animation production arm of Disney Branded Television, a sub-division of the Disney G ...

, and is the creator of the

webcomic Webcomics (also known as online comics or Internet comics) are comics published on a website or mobile app. While many are published exclusively on the web, others are also published in magazines, newspapers, or comic books. Webcomics can be co ...

''Up and Out''. She has also done work for ''

Maxim Maxim or Maksim may refer to: Entertainment * ''Maxim'' (magazine), an international men's magazine ** ''Maxim'' (Australia), the Australian edition ** ''Maxim'' (India), the Indian edition *Maxim Radio, ''Maxim'' magazine's radio channel on Sir ...

'', ''

Cosmopolitan Cosmopolitan may refer to: Food and drink * Cosmopolitan (cocktail), also known as a "Cosmo" History * Rootless cosmopolitan, a Soviet derogatory epithet during Joseph Stalin's anti-Semitic campaign of 1949–1953 Hotels and resorts * Cosmopoli ...

'',

BuzzFeed BuzzFeed, Inc. is an American Internet media, news and entertainment company with a focus on digital media. Based in New York City, BuzzFeed was founded in 2006 by Jonah Peretti and John S. Johnson III to focus on tracking viral content. Ken ...

GoComics GoComics is a website launched in 2005 by the digital entertainment provider Uclick. It was originally created as a distribution portal for comic strips on mobile phones, but in 2006, the site was redesigned and expanded to include online strips ...

, College Humor, along with other graphic design work. She provided the voice of Snapdragon in the animated series ''

High Guardian Spice ''High Guardian Spice'' is an American animated Streaming television, streaming television series created by Raye Rodriguez, who formerly worked for ''Danger & Eggs'' as a character designer. The series is produced by Crunchyroll Studios (formerly ...

''.

Personal life

Kaye is

transgender A transgender (often abbreviated as trans) person is someone whose gender identity or gender expression does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth. Many transgender people experience dysphoria, which they seek to alleviate through tr ...

and was raised in

San Jose, California San Jose, officially San José (; ; ), is a major city in the U.S. state of California that is the cultural, financial, and political center of Silicon Valley and largest city in Northern California by both population and area. With a 2020 popul ...

, and is currently based in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. She is Jewish.

Recognition

Julia Kaye was nominated for Outstanding Collection by IGNATZ in 2018 for ''Up and Out''.

Works

''Up and Out''

''Up and Out'' was started in May 2013, but it wasn't until October 2016 that her comic series began to focus on experiences specific to her transition. She originally intended for her autobiographical comics to remain unreleased, but she saw her online following for gag comic strips as a chance to raise awareness about the experience of

individuals. Her comics also aim to provide content for transgender individuals and others questioning their gender identity to connect with. The comics share her major milestones as a trans woman, while also documenting her moments of insecurity and self-doubt. The three-panel comics cover a variety of topics, such as the experience of being misgendered and undergoing

hormone replacement therapy Hormone replacement therapy (HRT), also known as menopausal hormone therapy or postmenopausal hormone therapy, is a form of hormone therapy used to treat symptoms associated with female menopause. These symptoms can include hot flashes, vaginal ...

, while utilizing a range of tones from comedic to serious. Kaye's comic is updated every Thursday on her website and various social media accounts that include

Tumblr Tumblr (stylized as tumblr; pronounced "tumbler") is an American microblogging and social networking website founded by David Karp in 2007 and currently owned by Automattic. The service allows users to post multimedia and other content to a sho ...

Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...

, and

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

. She originally started posting the comic on her Twitter in July 2016. The comic was first posted on Instagram in October 2016.

''Super Late Bloomer: My Early Days in Transition''

alt= Image of book cover of ''Super Late Bloomer: My Early Days in Transition'' Kaye's first collection of comics was released on May 1, 2018.Comics Book Review: Super Late Bloomer: My Early Days in Transition
". ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of B ...

''. March 19, 2018. The comics tell her story through her first year on

and her social, physical, and mental changes during that time. ''

'' called it "blunt yet precise; straightforward but nuanced; simple but beautiful. ... Kaye skillfully and effectively relates the daily indignities borne by trans women and the triumphs and quiet joys as well. Her tenacity in this hopeful story will be resonant for readers going through personal transitions of many kinds."

''My Life in Transition: A Super Late Bloomer Collection''

Kaye's second collection of comics was released on February 1, 2021. They follow Julia's life now three years into her transition journey.

Television Credits

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kaye, Julia 1988 births Living people 21st-century American Jews 21st-century American LGBT people American illustrators American storyboard artists American webcomic creators American women artists American women illustrators Jewish American artists Jewish American writers LGBT comics creators Transgender women artists Transgender women writers Transgender Jews Artists from Los Angeles Artists from San Jose, California American transgender artists American transgender writers Walt Disney Animation Studios people Place of birth missing (living people) American women memoirists