A Dyke Like Me

First panel of "A Dyke Like Me." Text in the first panel reads, "When I told my mom I was getting top surgery, one of her many questions was what my partner thought of it." Image shows me on the phone, with a speech bubble coming from the phone that says, “I mean, aren’t lesbians supposed to LIKE boobs??”

 

 

This is a comic I created shortly after I had top surgery in December 2022. It appears in Issue 004 of Trans_Muted, a journal hell-bent on elevating gender non-normative work.

Full 1-page comic title "A Dyke Like Me." Text in the first panel reads, "When I told my mom I was getting top surgery, one of her many questions was what my partner thought of it." Image shows me on the phone, with a speech bubble coming from the phone that says, “I mean, aren’t lesbians supposed to LIKE boobs??” Second panel contains the text “I told her we’d talked about it, and that she understood that I needed this” above an image of my partner and I in the car. My partner asks, “you ready?” And I reply “so ready.” Third panel contains the text “My mom paused. ‘But what if something… happens between you two?’” Above an image of my partner hugging me in a sugary prep room, saying “you’re going to do great.” Fourth panel is an image of me on a surgical bed with my eyes closed. A speech bubble coming from off panel says, “count down from 10…” A caption below the image reads, “She didn’t elaborate, but I knew what she meant:” Fifth panel just contains the text “Would anybody else love me after I did this?” Sixth panel is an image of my scarred chest, with one hand gently touching the left scar. Captions read, “I assured her that yes, there were plenty of people out there who would love a dyke like me.”