ALT 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.

ALT 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.

ALT 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.

ALT 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.

ALT A black and white cartoon comic titled Pandemic Year 4. This is panel 1. A boy with short hair — Joey, the author of the comic — is holding a Christmas wreath and handing it to his boyfriend, a boy with long hair and a beard, who is standing in a window while decorating. The text reads: This year, my boyfriend and I got fresh pine wreaths from the farmer’s market — our fist big Christmas decorations together!

ALT Panel 2. A hand holds pine needles. Cartoon stink clouds radiate off of the pine needles. The text reads: I break pine needles between my fingers and it smells hideous. Pain shoots through my head.

ALT Panel 3. Joey stands in front of a table on which there are various foods. He looks disgusted and is covering his nose and mouth with his hands. The text reads: This is how I have lived since my February 2020 COVID infection. COVID caused brain and nerve damage, making everything smell and taste like rot. The condition is called parosmia, and it has no cure. Eating is a nightmare.

ALT Panel 4. Joey’s boyfriend, a taller boy with long hair and a beard, puts his hand on Joey’s shoulder. They are shown from behind and are both wearing backpacks and winter coats. The text reads: Last week, my boyfriend walked me home from work midday after I had a near-fainting episode. I wear a heart monitor full-time. Doctors say I’m “too young”.

ALT Image ID: a 10-image cartoon comic featuring Joey, a boy with short hair. Joey smiles and gesticulates to the title of the comic which reads: “Accessing gender-affirming care as a minor has allowed me to experience trans joy as a transgender adult!”. The words “trans joy” are in large block letters the color of the trans flag.

ALT A younger Joey wearing a sweater and boxers receives his first T shot from a nurse. The text reads: “I started testosterone 5 days before my 17th birthday after spending the year jumping through a bajillion hurdles. Today, my home state is trying to criminalize my care and specifically shut down the trans specialty clinic that cared for me. Throughout all of this false ‘debate’ about best-practice medicine, I have seen no politicians, reporters, or cis allies talk about trans joy.”

ALT A younger Joey in a hoodie stands at the stove cooking. He is happy, and there are music notes around his head. The text reads: “When I realized that I was trans years earlier, the world became lighter. I suddenly had answers for why I felt the way I did, and I knew that I wasn’t alone. I found myself humming and singing again”.

ALT Joey is posed stretched across the frame. He’s wearing suspenders and plaid pants and throwing up a peace sign. The text reads: “I discovered my fashion sense for the first time. I had never been happy in any clothing, but realizing that I was a boy let me explore and find the clothes that made me feel great”.

ALT The beginning of a 10-image cartoon comic featuring Joey, a boy with short hair. Image 1: Joey, upset, gesticulates towards an open laptop. Text reads: The reality of St. Louis trans kids. Last week, a former (non-medical) employee of Washington University’s Pediatric Transgender Center was featured in a viral article about how the clinic was “rushing” kids into medical care and “mutilating” us. Every single thing she said was a lie, but the media loves it. Footnote reads: I wouldn’t give any more attention to this, but it is immediately endangering the lives of trans people. Missouri has launched a state investigation and is actively attempting to criminalize gender-affirming care based on conspiracy theories.

ALT Image 2: Joey points to a map of the United States where Missouri is singled out, and a map of Missouri where St. Louis is indicated with a star. The text reads: The Transgender Center, located in St. Louis, Missouri, has been the target of hateful attacks from the far-right state legislature for years. It is part of Washington University Hospital, a branch of a prestigious private university.

ALT Image 3: A younger Joey injects his T shot in his leg while someone takes a photo. Text reads: I can tell you that everything in the article is false because I received care at the Transgender Center beginning at 16 years old. My medical transition has brought me nothing but joy. What a gift it is to be trans!

ALT Image 4: A younger Joey sits on a couch and stims with a tangle fidget toy. Text reads: No one is “rushed”. I sat on many waitlists, had to have 6 months of specialized gender therapy and a diagnosis of gender dysphoria before even being referred to the Center, and I was denied as “not ready enough” by an endocrinologist the first time I finally got an appointment. Footnote reads: If you’re curious about what it looks like to be a trans kid, I did another piece on that! Check out tinyurl.com/transkidscomic.