I Waited A Bit Before Making This Strip.

I waited a bit before making this strip.

After the comic talking about what it was like to grow up with a conservative father who routinely listened to and agreed with conservative talk radio, someone spoke to me the words you see in the comic today.

As you could imagine, it was hurtful to hear something so disgusting.

I wanted to make an immediate response to it, but I ultimately decided that I needed to address my emotions only after I had time to process what was said, and how I was feeling.

I am never going to pretend that I am anything less than an incredibly fortunate person.  Something that I’ve told one of my coworkers is that I don’t have everything I want, but I do have everything I need.  As far as I’m concerned, that makes me one of the most fantastically lucky people in the whole of human history.

I’ve been surrounded by wonderful people and have the ability to provide for myself, and I hope that I’ll continue to be so fortunate.

That said, we all have things that get us down.  Right now, our trans brothers, sisters, and enbys are the target of what’s becoming a global movement against our existence.  We fear for our safety, we fear being cast from society, we fear we’ll lose access to life saving medical treatment.

Many of us grew up confused and afraid of our own bodies and emotions, and had families that, while otherwise loving, exhibited ideals and behaviors that said people like us were less than, that people like us were disgusting or broken.

That’s incredibly damaging not just for a child to grow up with, but for anyone regardless of their age.

While the person who said this comment to me apparently disagrees, I want you all to know that your emotions are real, that the pain you feel is valid, and that it is ok to talk about your feelings.

You don’t need to be the world’s least fortunate person to be allowed to talk about your pain. 

You’re allowed to allow yourself to heal.

We should all be here for each other; to listen, to learn, and to love.