Thank you so much to Evan for sharing his personal perspective with all of us here at OJST, it is a real joy to be let into such a vulnerable, beautiful place in your experiences.
You can find the awesome Evan and his work here! Be sure to drop him a word of thanks and support if you like this personal comic!
Erika’s back up and moving, so we’re back to making the comic this week! It’s… exciting? I’m not sure that the right word, but I’ll go with it – it’s exciting to get back into our routine and schedule. These past few months have been bonkers, so it’ll be really satisfying to get boring and back into the familiar daily grind.
Hey, only 2 weeks left on our Kickstarter! Better get on that if you’ve been waiting – there aren’t gonna be any more rewards (there’s only so much we can do!), so pinch em up before they disappear ;D
Real talk tho – It’s been incredible, the support so far. Erika and I wake up each day just feeling so loved and supported by the response so far. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
↓ Comic Transcript
Evan Sabo draws in a cartoony style with blue hues. His skin tone is a very light blue with aqua hair, black square-rimmed glasses, and a rounded, soft body.
In a flashback, Evan sits on a couch playing on his phone at a gathering while people chat in the background. He has small hoop piercings in his earns, shoulder-length hair, and wears a t-shirt and jeans.
Narration: When I first came out as trans, I didn't expect to hear my name said out loud anytime soon.
Narration: It was a shock the first time it happened.
"Hey Evan check this out!" A voice calls from off-panel, causing Evan's eyes to bug out in surprise.
"Wha??" Evan turns in surprise to the back of the room, looking for his friend and pointing at himself. "You mean me?"
Present-day Evan has his hair cut into an undercut, with the top locks pulled back into a mini-ponytail. Residing on a cloud, he muses, "Thinking back on it, that was a moment of Gender Euphoria."
"What's that?" Asks his companion, who is a person with dark blue skin, square glasses, and a cloud of black, curly hair surrounding their face.
"It's a state of happiness and contentment with one's own gender and body!" Replies Evan.
"Oh cool!" Says their friend.
Page 2
Storm clouds roll in overhead and begin raining on our two protagonists.
"Euphoria sounds cool, but all I've ever heard of is dysphoria." The friend asks, while shielding their head from the rain with their hands. "What's that about?"
"It's a feeling opposite euphoria!" Explains Evan, also raising his hands up to shelter himself from the rain. "It isn't always intense, but it's feeling off or weird about your body."
The friend flinches as the wind picks up, asking, "What can be done about dysphoria?"
"There's lots of ways to deal with it." Evan struggles to explain as he wrestles to open his umbrella. "Some trans people physically transition with hormones or surgery, but some don't. There's no one correct way!"
Now both under the umbrella, the friend asks, "Do I have to transition to feel gender euphoria, then?"
"Not at all!" Evan reassures them. "There's plenty you can do to affirm your gender, surgery and hormones aside."
Page 3
Narration: It helps to think about feelings about gender as a spectrum too:
A scale shows a smiley face labeled "EUPHORIA" on the far left and then a number of marks leading to a distressed face labeled "DYSPHORIA" on the far right.
Narration: Most people usually fall somewhere in the middle, not one side or the other.
Evan's companion looks a their reflection which is wildly wavy and wobbly.
Narration: Dysphoria feels like looking into funhouse mirrors. Your reflection's skewed in every direction you look. A common feeling is apathy. But when you find yourself, you'll know it!
Suddenly, the friend's reflection pulls into focus, showing what they would look like if they had a shorter, asymmetrical haircut and wore a dark beret with a differently-styled t-shirt.
"Aha!" Says the friend to their own reflection. "Here I am!"
Page 4
"I think I found myself," The friend says, sitting beside Evan on a bench. "but I'm worried others won't see it."
"It's hard, but try to remember that you're the best expert on YOU. Do what makes YOU happy." Evan reassures them.
A montage of other people fills up the page.
"Lifting weights makes me feel great!" Says one.
"Expressing myself with makeup is wonderful!" Adds another.
Somebody in a sharp outfit chimes in, "Wearing clothes that suit me feels so good."
"I like changing my style to match how I feel." Responds somebody in a short, airy dress.
Page 5
"Finding gender euphoria can be a process!" Evan continues. "Feeling good about yourself doesn't happen overnight. Even physical transition is gradual and happens slowly."
In a flashback, we see a long-haired Evan in a dress and cardigan looking devastated as they're surrounded by a sea of faceless people.
Narration: When I first came out, I felt like no one would love or understand me. It takes time to accept yourself and decide who and how you want to be.
Narration: What I eventually came to realize was that I had a whole new life waiting for me as I came into myself as Evan.
Present-day Evan reflects happily on the memory of him, earlier in his transition, goofing around with his friends. "Even on my bad days," He says with a smile. "it's nice holding onto those moments where I've felt the most like me."
Transcribed November 27, 2024 for https://www.ohjoysextoy.com/gender-euphoria
In a flashback, Evan sits on a couch playing on his phone at a gathering while people chat in the background. He has small hoop piercings in his earns, shoulder-length hair, and wears a t-shirt and jeans.
Narration: When I first came out as trans, I didn't expect to hear my name said out loud anytime soon.
Narration: It was a shock the first time it happened.
"Hey Evan check this out!" A voice calls from off-panel, causing Evan's eyes to bug out in surprise.
"Wha??" Evan turns in surprise to the back of the room, looking for his friend and pointing at himself. "You mean me?"
Present-day Evan has his hair cut into an undercut, with the top locks pulled back into a mini-ponytail. Residing on a cloud, he muses, "Thinking back on it, that was a moment of Gender Euphoria."
"What's that?" Asks his companion, who is a person with dark blue skin, square glasses, and a cloud of black, curly hair surrounding their face.
"It's a state of happiness and contentment with one's own gender and body!" Replies Evan.
"Oh cool!" Says their friend.
Page 2
Storm clouds roll in overhead and begin raining on our two protagonists.
"Euphoria sounds cool, but all I've ever heard of is dysphoria." The friend asks, while shielding their head from the rain with their hands. "What's that about?"
"It's a feeling opposite euphoria!" Explains Evan, also raising his hands up to shelter himself from the rain. "It isn't always intense, but it's feeling off or weird about your body."
The friend flinches as the wind picks up, asking, "What can be done about dysphoria?"
"There's lots of ways to deal with it." Evan struggles to explain as he wrestles to open his umbrella. "Some trans people physically transition with hormones or surgery, but some don't. There's no one correct way!"
Now both under the umbrella, the friend asks, "Do I have to transition to feel gender euphoria, then?"
"Not at all!" Evan reassures them. "There's plenty you can do to affirm your gender, surgery and hormones aside."
Page 3
Narration: It helps to think about feelings about gender as a spectrum too:
A scale shows a smiley face labeled "EUPHORIA" on the far left and then a number of marks leading to a distressed face labeled "DYSPHORIA" on the far right.
Narration: Most people usually fall somewhere in the middle, not one side or the other.
Evan's companion looks a their reflection which is wildly wavy and wobbly.
Narration: Dysphoria feels like looking into funhouse mirrors. Your reflection's skewed in every direction you look. A common feeling is apathy. But when you find yourself, you'll know it!
Suddenly, the friend's reflection pulls into focus, showing what they would look like if they had a shorter, asymmetrical haircut and wore a dark beret with a differently-styled t-shirt.
"Aha!" Says the friend to their own reflection. "Here I am!"
Page 4
"I think I found myself," The friend says, sitting beside Evan on a bench. "but I'm worried others won't see it."
"It's hard, but try to remember that you're the best expert on YOU. Do what makes YOU happy." Evan reassures them.
A montage of other people fills up the page.
"Lifting weights makes me feel great!" Says one.
"Expressing myself with makeup is wonderful!" Adds another.
Somebody in a sharp outfit chimes in, "Wearing clothes that suit me feels so good."
"I like changing my style to match how I feel." Responds somebody in a short, airy dress.
Page 5
"Finding gender euphoria can be a process!" Evan continues. "Feeling good about yourself doesn't happen overnight. Even physical transition is gradual and happens slowly."
In a flashback, we see a long-haired Evan in a dress and cardigan looking devastated as they're surrounded by a sea of faceless people.
Narration: When I first came out, I felt like no one would love or understand me. It takes time to accept yourself and decide who and how you want to be.
Narration: What I eventually came to realize was that I had a whole new life waiting for me as I came into myself as Evan.
Present-day Evan reflects happily on the memory of him, earlier in his transition, goofing around with his friends. "Even on my bad days," He says with a smile. "it's nice holding onto those moments where I've felt the most like me."
Transcribed November 27, 2024 for https://www.ohjoysextoy.com/gender-euphoria