Great piece--and that sounds like a wonderful, positive change. Congrats!

I was actually shocked to find out that they weren't even introduced until the early 1980s. I thought they came into being with McDonalds itself!

I'm amazed at how much I ate during that time. I could pile a whole plate chock full of food and finish it off! When my metabolism very suddenly got much slower it came as a shock. I didn't change my eating habits and gained a lot of weight very quickly. Those are the things they never tell you about.

I think perhaps some of it may be that people may see themselves in your fiancee. After all, if disabilities can happen to other formerly-able bodied people, it can happen to them, too! Most able-bodied folks assume that this would be the end of the world for them, since they have no idea of how they'd deal, and an important piece of their self-image revolves around doing stuff able-bodied people do.

It's still very, very interesting that her situation is seen as more tragic or sad. It's easier, somehow, for us to stick women into the "tragic/pitiable" slot (even when it's clearly not deserved), and expect men to be tougher--or, in some cases, invisible.

I really liked this piece, thanks for writing it!

These are wonderful and deeply moving, truly. I'm so glad these voices can still be heard. I'm going over to the site now.

I'm glad you like the drawings!

I actually went back and looked at all my new ID again after you posted this. It still feels amazing. And thank you very much for your kind wishes!

You're right in some ways, I think--and part of what feels good is just that ability to take some control over my body. I also like to think that everyone is in some sort of transition from what they were to who they will be, all the time.

I lived with the discomfort for a very long time before I realized what, exactly, it was. When I figured it out, it was like someone took away a huge weight that I hadn't even known existed! However, there is so much more awareness and understanding of transgender people these days than even a few years ago that I think it'll be increasingly easy for people to understand themselves and their options in the future.

I love this piece. Writer's block is an absolute killer for me, my first book took me SIX YEARS to finish to my satisfaction. I envy you this setting for writing, it sounds just perfect. How did you find out about it?

I'm sorry I didn't respond more quickly... I hope I didn't come off as curt or anything above! I did want to say that it means a lot to me, and shows an awful lot about you, that you're willing to try and face this sort of thing and try and understand why you feel the way you feel. That is, frankly, awesome.

And thank you for reading my stuff, too... I'm really glad it helps.

Thank you for reading!

I'm really glad you like the cartoons! I'm horrible at art but I love making cartoons. I'm also not one for taking things too seriously, at least not all of the time. :)