plastic soul

ID begins. A cartoony comic that is primarily black and white. The first panel shows a pie graph with five sections. Each section has a drawing of a different person in it. Two of the sections are highlighted in orange, and the people in those sections are sad. The text reads: as of March 2024, 38% of American trans youth live in a place where our basic healthcare is illegal. That’s 23 of 50 U.S. states. Millions of people are being forcibly detransitioned by the government. Statistic from the LGBT Movement Advancement Project, March 7th, 2024.

Panel two. A drawing of the author, shirtless, wiping his face with a towel over a sink. He has body hair and top surgery scars. The text reads: It’s been a year since the clinic where I received care was forcibly shuttered by the far-right state government. If I had been a few years younger, I would never have been able to access the care that allowed me to blossom. The grief and fear is constant.

Panel three is split into two panels. On the left, a hand holds a smartphone on which an article is displayed. The article is titled: U.S. International Refugee Crisis: 130-260k Trans People Have Already Fled”. The right panel shows a laptop on which an article is displayed. This article is titled: Some Trans Kids Are Being Forced To Flee America For Their Safety. The comic text reads: This is a crisis.

Panel four shows a map of U.S. states. 23 of them, all of which are in the South and Midwest, are colored orange, and in these states, gender-affirming care for minors is illegal. This map is via the LGBT Movement Advancement Project. The text reads: As a holdover from preserving slavery, each state essentially operates as a country and gets to make its own laws. If Texas was a country, it would be the world’s 38th most populous. This month, Texas tried to demand the names and addresses of its trans kids.

Panel five. A drawing of Joey, the author, a man with short hair, wearing a sweater and an N95 mask. His arms are crossed and he looks upset. The text reads: After moving north, when I talk about human rights horrors in red states, I always get the same responses. Two text bubbles read: Why don’t they just move? And: Everyone in red states should just die. Additional comic text reads: As if we don’t live everywhere.

Panel six. A fat woman with short, curly hair wears a backpack and holds a suitcase while holding the hand of her child, whose hair is held back in curly poofs. The child is also wearing a backpack, out of which peeks a teddy bear. The text reads: Regardless of ability to move (although “safe” states are increasingly expensive and inaccessible), you’re literally talking about internally displaced political refugees.

Panel seven. A drawing of a fat person with a mohawk, glasses, a vest, and necklace. They use a cane and are smiling. The text reads: To be clear, none of these bans are based in reality. The 2022 U.S. Trans Survey, with 92,000 respondents, found that 98% of respondents were significantly happier due to hormonal replacement therapy. Via ustranssurvey.org. Released just last week, a study from Perth, Australia found that only 1% of their pediatric gender clinic patients went on to reidentify with their birth sex. Via Cavve et al, JAMA Pediatrics, March 4th, 2024.

Panel eight. A drawing of Joey wearing glasses, an N95 mask, and a professional button-up shirt. He carries a laptop. An arrow points to him and is labeled “straight up adult”. The text reads: And it’s not just about trans teens. This manufactured outrage has planned to ban adult care from the beginning. Some states have begun proposing laws to ban care up to age 26, which would cut me off after 6.5 years on hormones. An article headline by Erin Reed is pasted at the bottom of the panel. The headline reads: Ohio, Michigan Republicans In Released Audio: Endgame Is To Ban Trans Care For Everyone.