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| Characters of trans authors Cheyenne and Mallang / Courtesy of Kumkun Books |
By Park Han-sol
Two trans Korean authors, who go by the aliases Cheyenne and Mallang, first came into contact with each other two years ago after Mallang discovered Cheyenne's comics depicting a visual journey of the lives and troubles of transgender people.
Last December, this newly forged friendship materialized into a collaboration of autobiographical cartoons delivering their words of comfort for others who are currently experiencing what they have gone through in the country where the LGBTQ discrimination still remains pervasive.
"I wanted to inform, move and comfort the trans teens who can't easily obtain accurate information about transitioning as well as those who are forced to conceal their gender identity as a closeted individual similar to my past self," author Mallang told The Korea Times in a recent joint interview with Cheyenne.
As the transgender community often suffers from a lack of accurate gender-related information, misconceptions and abusive caricatured media portrayals, the two wanted to make themselves visible in a spirit of solidarity.
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| 'My Name is Cheyenne, and I am Transgender' / Courtesy of Kumkun Books |
In "My Name is Mallang, and I am Transgender," Mallang portrays himself as a fish character with a human-like face, pierced fin and blue-green body. A fish that swims freely in the ocean represents his wish to be liberated from the shackles of biases and social restraints.
In less than 200 pages, the two authors talk about the definitions of transgender, the pains of experiencing gender dysphoria (distress that comes from a mismatch of gender identity and gender assigned at birth) and the detailed steps of medical and legal transitions ― concepts that remain foreign to a majority of the cis-gender population.
The tips they provide extend from possible ways to come out to friends and family, the importance of having a support system and the realities of life after transitioning ― something that is often overlooked by many in the trans community who might expect transitioning to bring magical, instant changes to their lives.
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| 'My Name is Mallang, and I am Transgender' / Courtesy of Kumkun Books |
"But if I went back, I would not have chosen that route. Women are in the minority in the army. They are constantly on the radar, whether they like it or not. And I just couldn't accept that I was being treated that way because I was perceived as a cis-woman," he told The Korea Times.
"In a closed, misogynistic organization like the military, it's hard not only for cis-women, but also for trans men and women to survive."
Some argue that the existence of transgender people and their efforts at "passing" (blending in as cis-gender) as negative phenomena that further strengthen existing gender roles and prejudices. However, the two highlight that passing remains a matter of survival, as they inevitably face less harassment and risk of violence as well as better social opportunities that way.
"People seem to get it backwards; they think the trans community conforms to gender stereotypes simply because they want to. But in many cases, if we don't stick to those images, others do not recognize our identity and we are exposed to greater dangers in everyday life," Cheyenne said.
She adds in her book, "Who would 'decide' to live as transgender, with a fear of severing familial ties, getting kicked out of schools and jobs, spending a significant amount of money for transitioning and losing all your friends just because you like to play with dolls?"
Furthermore, in Korea, it is still often the case for trans women to have to appear "feminine" and trans men to appear "masculine" in order to be granted medical and legal transition. Mallang shows a glimpse of the realities of transitioning when he provides tips on how to talk to doctors.
Throughout the mental health evaluation process, he wrote in the book, "Have your looks, gestures, tones and background to conform to the preconceived gender roles as much as possible. Unfortunately, there are many doctors who still do not recognize people as transgender if they don't."
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| Pages from 'My Name is Cheyenne, and I am Transgender,' explaining how one's gender identity can be different from their assigned gender or body / Courtesy of Kumkun Books |
Although more and more members of trans community are coming out, like the first trans lawyer Park Han-hee and Lim Pu-reun, the first trans politician to run for a lawmaker position in the Justice Party, there have also been a number of untimely deaths this year ― most notably screenwriter Lee Eun-yong, politician-activist Kim Gi-hong and staff sergeant Byun Hee-soo.
Cheyenne and Mallang said that it is important to remember and honor them, and take the opportunity to help give a message of hope and support.
"But at the same time, it's so important that while striving to bring change, if you feel overwhelmed or depressed, you need to immediately start looking out for your happiness and safety," the two said.
"Societal changes cannot come in just one day. Remember: you have to live first."
