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Hey there! I figured it was only a matter of time before I got a message like this, so thank you for opening the floor for discussion!I hear you – caricatures of trans women or transfeminine people that limit them to one body/personality type are harmful, as they perpetuate a singular image of an entire group, often in a derisive way. Even well-meaning folks might rely on these stereotypes when they draw transfeminine characters, without realizing the effect they’re having on the general populace’s opinion and understanding of trans people. It’s good to be aware of how frequently an artist is relying on these negative depictions for reference, and to question their intentions when the expression of commonly-vilified features of transfeminine people are used.But! It’s also incredibly important to remember that the LGBTQ+ community is extremely varied, and that there are people of all shapes, sizes, orientations, and expressions that exist within it. Arguing that one depiction of a type of person is ALWAYS bad or ALWAYS harmful is absolutely not the way to go about things. Tall, muscular trans women exist, and deserve to see themselves represented in media as much as the small, slender, and/or cis-passing do. Questioning one’s own perception of gender and presentation is important as well, in these sorts of situations (and in general)! You suggest that the drawing I’d done of Minerva portrays her as “masculine” – what features are you associating with masculinity? The broad shoulders, her height, her musculature? Just as cisgender women can be built in all kinds of different ways, so can transgender women. Furthermore, if the character IS a woman, trans or cis, are not ALL of her features feminine? These attributes are seen as unproblematic when applied to a cisgender Minerva, and are even touted as positive, bold design, but then are suddenly Bad and Unacceptable the moment they’re applied to a transgender version of the same character. It’s important to assess what limits are being placed on transfeminine people with this kind of black and white division of what is “acceptable”, and to remember that trans people are not ever required to “pass” as cisgender for their identity to be legitimate.It is, I think, doubly important to ask yourself if you’re projecting onto other people when faced with representations of your own identity. Are you immediately defensive of certain designs because your own gender been questioned or ridiculed? Do you feel that creating strict perimeters for what is “acceptably” trans will create a safer environment, or weed out the “bad” influences? Have you worked incredibly hard to present a certain way, and feel that less “acceptable” depictions of your identity are undermining your struggle or identity? Because the queer umbrella encompasses so many different presentations of gender and sexuality, it can be difficult to stay open-minded, especially when someone else’s understanding or belief in gender presentation differs wildly from your own. It’s common for marginalized groups to seek comfort in “knowing” their identity and eschewing things that do not fit with their understanding – remember that being something does not mean you know everything about how to be it. An identity as a transfeminine person would not immediately make all of my choices concerning character design correct, nor would identifying as anything else make all of those same designs problematic by default. Identifying as something gives one greater insight into what it is like to being that identity, of course – but it does not give you the power to decide how valid the identity of anyone else in that group is.TLDR it’s wonderful you’re aware of the injustices transfeminine people face when being depicted in media, and that you’re willing to speak up about concerning portrayals. I have no intention of drawing Minerva any differently, however – she is canonically a large, strong, powerful woman. Whether cisgender or transgender, these features are no insult to her womanhood, nor a reflection of how “feminine” she is. To whittle down her design to fit an “acceptable” depiction of what a trans woman is “allowed” to be would be of great insult and harm to the trans community, and I for one will not play into any limiters of gender or expression.