If Not Now, Then Never
February 11th, 2025 Barry Posted in LGBT cartoons | No Comments »
Check out the timelapse video of this cartoon being drawn!
TRANSCRIPT OF CARTOON
This cartoon has four panels. They mostly focus on two members of Congress. The first is a bald middle-aged man, usually wearing a collared shirt with a necktie. The second is a middle-aged woman, dressed mostly in skirt suits.
PANEL 1
The man, looking very intense, is waving a piece of paper that says “BILL” in large letters. The woman has her arms crossed and looks thoughtful. The Capitol Building can be seen behind them.
MAN: We must ban trans from participation in sports!
WOMAN (thought): If I give in on sports, it’ll be easier to resist future anti-trans bills.
PANEL 2
The same two, in different outfits, are now chatting in a hallway, with him standing in a doorway to an office.
MAN: Now that we’ve banned trans people from sports, we have to do bathrooms. Bathrooms are like locker rooms, so it’s really the same issue.
WOMAN (thought): I should give in on this too – people are sensitive about bathrooms.
PANEL 3
The two are in different outfits, standing in front of a fancy desk.
MAN: We need to ban changing gender on birth certificates and driver’s licenses to enforce our bathroom and sports bans, right?
WOMAN (thought): That does make sense…
PANEL 4
The woman is on a city sidewalk, talking to three angry-looking constituents. On of the constituents is holding up a newspaper, with a large headline saying “47th TRANS BAN BILL PASSES.”
WOMAN: I’m sorry. There was nothing I could have done to resist.
CHICKEN FAT WATCH
“Chicken fat” is long-dormant cartoonists’ vernacular for unimportant details we sneak into the drawings.
PANEL 1 – Woodstock from “Peanuts” is standing on top of the Capitol dome.
PANEL 2 – There’s a portrait on the wall of Commander T’Ana from “Star Trek: Lower Decks.”
Lower on the same wall, there’s a little recessed alcove. Standing in the alcove is a mouse wearing a collared shirt and tie, holding his morning coffee and contemplating the world.
PANEL 4 – The name of the newspaper is “Daily Opiate.” The subheadline says “Trans People Now Banned From Public Parks and Eating Ice Cream.” The story is accompanied by a photo of a Klansman giving a thumbs up. A different story at the bottom has the headline “Cartoonist Unsure of What to Fill Space With.”
