George M. Johnson
George M. Johnson is an author, journalist, and activist whose debut memoir All Boys Aren’t Blue, published in 2020, became a celebrated and widely taught coming-of-age story about growing up Black and queer in New Jersey. Born in Plainfield, New Jersey, Johnson grew up in a close-knit family whose love and protection gave them the resilience to navigate a world that was often hostile to their identity. After earning a degree in public health from Towson University, Johnson worked in HIV/AIDS activism and advocacy before finding their voice as a writer.
Their journalism and cultural commentary have appeared in publications including Teen Vogue, Them, BuzzFeed, The Root, and NBC News, among others. Writing with energy and directness about race, queerness, and Black joy, Johnson built a substantial readership before the publication of their first book.
All Boys Aren’t Blue is a memoir-in-essays that covers Johnson’s childhood and adolescence — family, friendship, sexual identity, and the experience of assault — with a frank and tender voice aimed at young adult readers. The book is notable for its insistence on affirming Black queer identity rather than treating it primarily through the lens of trauma or victimhood. It has been widely praised by educators and librarians for its value to LGBTQ youth, and it has also been one of the most frequently challenged and banned books in American schools in recent years, a distinction Johnson has addressed publicly in numerous forums.
Johnson continues to write, speak, and advocate on issues of race, gender, and sexuality, and is a prominent voice in discussions about book censorship and the rights of LGBTQ youth to see themselves represented in literature. Their work stands as both a personal testimony and a political intervention.
