Cartoon: Trans Bills

trans-bills-590

Thanks to Grace, who was super helpful in writing this cartoon, and also suggested the word avalanche in panel 3. :-)

TRANSCRIPT OF CARTOON

This cartoon features two characters: A woman in a striped skirt and a black sleeveless shirt, and a stereotypical businessman carrying a little briefcase.

Panel 1
WOMAN: I’m ready to be true to myself and transition… I’m a woman!
MAN: (Handing her a small piece of paper) Okay! Here you are!

Panel 2
WOMAN: What’s this?
MAN: It’s a bill for changing your name and gender on your birth certificate.
WOMAN: That’s not so bad.

Panel 3
The man isn’t shown in this panel, but from his direction, a flood of little bills shoots at the woman. The man’s dialog fills so much space in this panel that it looks like the woman is in danger of being buried under it.
MAN: And a bill for surgery. And a bill for a legal name change. And a bill for hormone treatment. And a bill for a new passport. And an electrolysis bill. And the bill for updating your social security info. And a bill for yet another surgery, which you’ll need to take months off from work to recover from. And bills for a new wardrobe. And voice lessons. And…
WOMAN: Eep!

Panel 4 (last panel)
The woman looks shellshocked as she holds a huge armload of bills. The man holds out yet another slip of paper to her.
WOMAN: I didn’t realize my true self was so deeply in debt…
MAN: Oh, look a note from your boss! It turns out that firing people for being trans is still legal.

Tiny “kicker” panel inset in panel 4
MAN: And did you know about the wage gap?
WOMAN: Please stop talking.

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4 Responses to Cartoon: Trans Bills

  1. 1
    Hugh says:

    What is a legal name change, aside from changing the name on your birth certificate? I always thought they were the same thing.

  2. 2
    rimonim says:

    Thanks for this, Ampersand. I’m currently dealing with this anew in regard to insurance coverage of surgery. I’m planning a hysterectomy at my doctor’s recommendation. There may be an elevated cancer risk associated with long-term testosterone therapy; I say “may be” because there is little research on the subject. Marginalized population=little research; little research=no insurance coverage. They also denied to cover my chest surgery because of a policy against covering “sex change procedures, or reversals of such procedures.” But I’m almost more annoyed about this one, perhaps because it came as a surprise. Physical health concerns (as opposed to every-bit-as-valid mental health concerns) are my reason for getting this surgery. I figured if your doctor says you need surgery, your insurance will cover it, right? Wrong.

    Hugh–In the US (no idea about other countries), one has to get a court-ordered name change in order to change the name on all other documents, including birth certificate, official forms of ID, Social Security record, etc. (It’s possible this isn’t the case in every US state; I know it is in my state and several others.) This involves appearing before a judge, stating you are not trying to commit fraud, and publishing a notice of the name change. It cost me $175, if memory serves, not counting changing any other documents. I’ve heard other folks say theirs’ cost up to $300.

  3. 3
    Ampersand says:

    Thanks, Rimonim. That really sucks about your insurance. :-(

  4. 4
    Ruchama says:

    One of my friends was married to a man who was in the army, and he was killed in Iraq when their daughter was just a few months old. About three years later, my friend got remarried, and her new husband adopted her daughter. She’s said that, of the entire adoption process, the part that was by far the most hassle and took the most time and energy and arguing with bureaucrats was getting her daughter’s last name changed on her Social Security record.