Reality vs Imagination, Trans Kids Edition
October 6th, 2023 Barry Posted in LGBT cartoons | No Comments »
TRANSCRIPT OF CARTOON
This cartoon contains ten panels; the left half of the cartoon is a three-by-three grid, containing nine panels, while the right half is a single large panel.
A big caption above the left half of the cartoon says, in large friendly lettering:
HOW TRANSITIONING HAPPENS FOR KIDS
PANEL 1
A young man is speaking directly to the reader. He has hair that’s carefully combed on top and buzz-cut on the sides, a short beard, and is wearing a reddish tank top and a black leather wrist band. He’s smiling and friendly. Let’s call him “Bob,” because why not.
BOB: The process isn’t always the same, but here’s how it went for me.
PANEL 2
In the foreground, we can see a child with hair in a ponytail. The kid is sitting across a table from two people (presumably Bob’s parents), who both look stunned.
BOB (in a caption): When I was ten, I finally told mom and dad I’m a boy. They were, um… surprised.
PANEL 3
Bob is again speaking directly to the reader, smiling, hands on hips.
BOB: But eventually they got me an appointment with a trans-friendly therapist.
PANEL 4
Bob raises one hand in a classic “cartoon explaining hands” motion.
BOB: After months of sessions with the therapist, my parents agreed to the next step…
PANEL 5
A shot of kid Bob, in a short boy’s haircut, wearing an Elmo t-shirt, jeans shorts, and red high-top sneakers, grinning and glowing with pride, with his chest puffed out.
BOB (in a caption): A new name, new clothes and a new haircut!
PANEL 6
A hand is sticking into the panel, holding up a letter. The letter says “Dear Doc, YUP! HE TRANS! yrs, Therapist”
BOB (in a caption): Armed with letters from two therapists, we contacted a gender clinic…
PANEL 7
Bob – narrator Bob now, not kid Bob – is sort of emerging from a calendar, leaning his head on one arm. He looks a bit sad.
BOB: But there was a waiting list… I lived as myself over a year before I got in.
PANEL 8
A hand is holding a prescription bottle, although it looks a bit more complicated than most pill bottles do, with an oversize cap, and we can see it has a big stopper. (This is because it contains injectable liquid, not pills.) We can see that the bottle is labeled “Leuprolide.”
PANEL 9
We’re now seeing Bob from head to toe, as if the camera is backing away. He’s continuing to talk, but each successive word balloon has slightly smaller lettering, as if it’s fading into the distance.
BOB: That was only the start! It was years before I began hormones.
BOB: So next I…
BOB: And then…
PANEL 10
This is a huge panel, taking up the entire right half of the cartoon. A small girl, with her hair in pigtails and holding a teddy in one hand, is in what’s obviously a medical office of some kind, standing in front of the counter and talking to the person behind the counter. Her eyes are wide.
The woman behind the counter is leaning forward, almost over the counter, and looks rather predatory. She’s wearing blue scrubs over a black shirt.
A big caption at the bottom of the panel says “HOW THEY IMAGINE IT HAPPENS.”
LITTLE GIRL: My teacher says I’m a tomboy.
WOMAN BEHIND COUNTER: That means you’re a boy! We’ll start you on hormones right now!
