Photo: 20Nasium26 / CC BY-SA 4.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
Alison Bechdel was born on September 10, 1960 in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, United States and is credited as a cartoonist, comics artist and comics writer. As of 2026, Alison Bechdel is 65 years old. Schooling on record includes Oberlin College. Recorded honors include Guggenheim Fellowship (2012), MacArthur Fellows Program, Lambda Literary Award and 5 more. Credited works include Fun Home and Are You My Mother?.
My Take
Alison Bechdel is, to me, one of the most quietly consequential cartoonists alive. Long before the mainstream caught up, Dykes to Watch Out For chronicled lives the culture preferred to ignore, and Fun Home then proved the graphic memoir could stand among literature's best, even winning a Tony as a stage musical. A MacArthur Fellow and Eisner Hall of Famer, she's decorated for good reason. But what moves me most is the Bechdel Test, a deceptively simple idea that reshaped how we critique representation. Few artists turn personal honesty into a tool the whole world borrows. I admire her enormously.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Alison Bechdel
- Name (Japanese)
- アリソン・ベクデル
- Reading
- ありそん・べくでる
- Born
- September 10, 1960 (age 65)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Virgo / Rat
- Origin
- Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, United States
- Occupation
- cartoonist / comics artist / comics writer
2. Background
- University
- Oberlin College
Awards & achievements
- 2012 Guggenheim Fellowship
- MacArthur Fellows Program
- Lambda Literary Award
- 2007 Judy Grahn Award
- 2007 Stonewall Book Award
- 2012 Bill Whitehead Award
- 2012 Inkpot Award
- 2020 Will Eisner Hall of Fame
3. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notable work | Fun Home | — | |
| Notable work | Are You My Mother? | — |
4. Links
- Official sitehttps://dykestowatchoutfor.com/
- Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/alisonbechdel/
- Xhttps://x.com/AlisonBechdel
- Wikipedia (English)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alison%20Bechdel
- Wikidatahttps://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q435032
5. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-20
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.
Frequently asked questions
When was Alison Bechdel born?
Born September 10, 1960 (age 65).
Where is Alison Bechdel from?
Alison Bechdel is from Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, United States.
What does Alison Bechdel do?
Alison Bechdel works as cartoonist, comics artist, comics writer.
What is Alison Bechdel known for?
Notable works include Fun Home, Are You My Mother?.
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