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At 32, cartoonist Julia Kaye lives in Los Angeles, where she works for Disney TVA. But, much more than just that, she is also a brave transgender woman who, like most people who have gone through gender transition, had to face her fears and the prejudice of others in order to become who she is today. Julia’s experiences and gender transition are illustrated within her 3-panel comics that she frequently shares with her followers on her social media platforms.

Published on the cartoonist's Instagram, the said illustrations are a way to show and highlight the problems faced by those going through gender transition. However, it’s not only that—Kaye’s comics also serve as support for those who might be in a similar situation too. 

Today we’d like to feature 50 of the newer comics; however, the rest of them can be found collected in book format in "Super Late Bloomer: My Life In Transition," which Julia released.

More info: Instagram | twitter.com

#1

Cartoonist Illustrates Her Gender Transition So That People “Know They're Not Alone” (New Pics)

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Sky Render
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

So much this. It doesn't matter why, just that it's what you want.

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Bored Panda reached out to Kaye.

“As for how autobio comics came into my life and what inspired the 2 series:

Honestly, I've never been any good at keeping a traditional written journal and comics have always been a huge part of my life. So when I started my gender transition, it just made a weird sort of sense to turn to making journal comics to help me navigate the constant barrage of highs and lows in my life. Making them each day became art therapy for me—my sketchbook was a place I could be fully honest with myself about how I felt, something I used to greatly struggle with."

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Cartoonist Illustrates Her Gender Transition So That People “Know They're Not Alone” (New Pics)

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Sky Render
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Kids always take this sort of thing better. When a parent doesn't want their kids to know you're transgender, it's because of the parent, not because of the kids.

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"Originally, I never had any intent to share them with anybody but my closest friends, to hopefully help them understand what I was going through. But as time went on, I realized that by sharing them with the public, I could possibly help other people who are trans hopefully feel seen and thus feel less isolated in their own experiences, as well as help cis allies better understand the sort of things we go through. That first series eventually became collected in the book 'Super Late Bloomer: My Life In Transition.'"

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Cartoonist Illustrates Her Gender Transition So That People “Know They're Not Alone” (New Pics)

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Kittygirl
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2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yes! You know who you are! (Edited cause it sounded sarcastic, it’s not.)

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#5

Cartoonist Illustrates Her Gender Transition So That People “Know They're Not Alone” (New Pics)

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Sky Render
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That is the worst! I try to remind myself that society defaults to masculine pronouns for basically everything, but come on.

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"A couple of years later, when I was 3 years into my transition, I realized the landscape of my life was radically different than it used to be. I found myself feeling the pull to go back and make a second series to help navigate what my life had become. This time, to help show that life keeps moving on past that fraught, anxiety-ridden first year of transition and settles down. To show that as your gender dysphoria lessens, you have so much more capacity to truly live your life as yourself. It's a side of transition that isn't talked about enough. So I started making daily comics for 6 months, for better or worse, no matter what. Eventually, the second series was collected and published earlier this past year as 'My Life In Transition: A Super Late Bloomer Collection.'"

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Cartoonist Illustrates Her Gender Transition So That People “Know They're Not Alone” (New Pics)

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crazy_cat_notAlady
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

hey, truth monster, cant comment on ur post...but I think I understand what u r asking there. each of us has unique and different meaning making systems. it need not mean that life is planned. but sometimes, assigning meaning to events does help us move forward. much like what Viktor Frankl said in Man's Search for Meaning.

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Cartoonist Illustrates Her Gender Transition So That People “Know They're Not Alone” (New Pics)

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Sky Render
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

After 30 years of denying all emotions, I welcome those moments when I can't help but feel all the things. And yes, the boobs do rule.

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Cartoonist Illustrates Her Gender Transition So That People “Know They're Not Alone” (New Pics)

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Sky Render
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Bloody hell I can relate to that one... I don't think I could ever have even come back from where I hid from myself without my fiance there to help me...

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Cartoonist Illustrates Her Gender Transition So That People “Know They're Not Alone” (New Pics)

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Sky Render
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Ran into this with my own older brother and his wife. They'd rather deny their transphobia than confront it, and have basically thrown me entirely from their lives. Why do so many decide that they would rather hate than love?

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Cartoonist Illustrates Her Gender Transition So That People “Know They're Not Alone” (New Pics)

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#17

Cartoonist Illustrates Her Gender Transition So That People “Know They're Not Alone” (New Pics)

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Dark Pearl
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Heather, being trans doesn't mean your sexuality is defined by what sex you were BORN as.

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#18

Cartoonist Illustrates Her Gender Transition So That People “Know They're Not Alone” (New Pics)

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L.j. Bus
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2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

How many surgeries does it take? I thought it was just the two obvious areas 😅🙈 (genuinely curious)

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Cartoonist Illustrates Her Gender Transition So That People “Know They're Not Alone” (New Pics)

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Sky Render
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Definitely looking forward to that! I miss being able to wear my hair back. Though hairbands are nice...

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Cartoonist Illustrates Her Gender Transition So That People “Know They're Not Alone” (New Pics)

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Steffen Rehm
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I fell attacked. But yeah, i know more then i would accept to know, of this type of men.

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Cartoonist Illustrates Her Gender Transition So That People “Know They're Not Alone” (New Pics)

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Sky Render
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Disrespecting the dead is not cool. And yet it happens to transgender people more than anyone else.

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Cartoonist Illustrates Her Gender Transition So That People “Know They're Not Alone” (New Pics)

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Casey
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I've lived this. I'm living it now. I met The Love Of My Life 5½ years ago. The only problem was that I'm not The Love Of His Life.

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Carmen Sandiego
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And if you feel like you can't, just remember that there are people who support you and can help!

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L.j. Bus
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2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It takes real courage to move forward on your own to follow your own inner journey like that or how do I put it. Sometimes love really isn’t enough

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Cartoonist Illustrates Her Gender Transition So That People “Know They're Not Alone” (New Pics)

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Note: this post originally had 50 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.