I specifically asked for this person’s opinion and checked it against my own sources and knowledge. We talked for several hours about identity. We compared and contrasted each other perspectives. In the end, I realized I didn’t know enough about body-dysphoria.
So I did more research and revised my story.
In the original story, my character decided to not transition and still have sexual relationships in a female body. In the revised story… that didn’t change. What changed was his feelings and reasons for doing so.
My story got better, not worse with my reader’s feedback. The story was more interesting because the was explanation deeper and more accurate.
My character isn’t trans, he’s a character who happens to be trans. But that fact profoundly affects everything about him. And you get to learn what his experience is. And because it’s his experience, I don’t have to get everything “right”. I just needed to not miss a very important aspect of body-dysphoria.
That’s how this is supposed to work. You want to see what you’re missing and make an informed decision.
I specifically asked for this person’s opinion and checked it against my own sources and knowledge. We talked for several hours about identity. We compared and contrasted each other perspectives. In the end, I realized I didn’t know enough about body-dysphoria.
So I did more research and revised my story.
In the original story, my character decided to not transition and still have sexual relationships in a female body. In the revised story… that didn’t change. What changed was his feelings and reasons for doing so.
My story got better, not worse with my reader’s feedback. The story was more interesting because the was explanation deeper and more accurate.
My character isn’t trans, he’s a character who happens to be trans. But that fact profoundly affects everything about him. And you get to learn what his experience is. And because it’s his experience, I don’t have to get everything “right”. I just needed to not miss a very important aspect of body-dysphoria.
That’s how this is supposed to work. You want to see what you’re missing and make an informed decision.