When I started my transition back in 2015, my main reference point was Max from The L Word. Aside from the dodgy mid-‘00s representation, I don’t even want to try and count the times I rewound each episode just to watch Max discover his own transness, and through him, I found the words to express my own.
Transition seemed simple and straightforward on American TV. I imagined that it would be like visiting the doctor for tonsillitis or something like that. Two diagnoses from two separate psychologists later and I was still facing a 12 month wait until my first appointment at the infamous Loughlinstown Hospital (or L-Town, as it’s not-so-affectionately known online).