This comic is a short story following a trans teenager, Izzy, coming to terms with their identity through meeting a parallel universe version of themself. While this clearly isn’t autobiographical, the story stems from my own general confusion and lack of knowledge about gender as a teenager. I’ve tried to communicate both some of my early, rudimentary concerns- ‘wait, you’re allowed to just be a different gender?‘- and questions that arose later in my transition. What does it even mean to have a ’cis’ or ‘trans’ body? If I could “magically” get a typically cisgender body, would I take that opportunity? What are the implications of that, socially and psychologically? These are questions that can’t really be answered- but I think they’re worth thinking about when it comes to the often challenging experience of considering one’s own gender identity.
As a teenager, media about understanding transgender identity was woefully sparse, aside from dictionary definitions and clinical descriptions. This comic is intended to reach people who may be in a similar situation as I was, who don’t have the language to describe what they’re experiencing, without being condescending or excessively educational. Because of how personal and variable gender identity is, even across the trans community, I don’t want this story to come off as authoritative on ‘the transgender experience’- this is an interpretation of my own experiences, that I hope might be able to at least partially resonate people who are also feeling lost and confused.