Narrative Messages Part 1

However, Dave falls in love with Jenny just the way she is and is content to continue to date her. It is only because Stephanie blackmails Brad that he agrees to keep the nature of Stephanie's and Jenny's sexual identities secret. The two boys' attitudes represent the polar opposites that males have toward transsexuals. One finds them disgusting; the other, alluring. Jenny is supported by Stephanie, but she is loved by Dave. She comes to learn that some will reject and abhor her, whereas others will accept and adore her. This story shows that what matters is how one sees oneself. A shemale can accept either view that society, as represented by these teenage boys, has of transsexuals. Jenny decides to see herself as her sister and her date see her, rather than as Brad views her. How one sees oneself is just as much a matter of choice as one's sexual preference, if not one's sexuality. A boy may be born a girl, but she must also choose to embrace her feminine identity, as Jenny does. Otherwise, she'll be doomed to an existence similar to Diane's was, before she met Eric. She will be and remain "at risk."

This story also suggests that homophobia, chauvinism, sexism, and other such attitudes are also choices that people make. Although society may have taught that transsexuals and shemales, like homosexuals, are inferior, subhuman monsters, one need not believe this allegation. After one reaches the age of reason, he or she is free to reject such notions or to retain them. Brad decides to remain a hate-filled, sexist, homophobic, chauvinistic person; Dave chooses to embrace love, justice, and fairness. Where his brother remains a tormenter and a tyrant, Dave becomes a truly heroic, open-minded person. In every case-Stephanie's and Jenny's, Brad's and Dave's-attitude, belief, emotion, thought, and behavior are matters of choice to be decided once and for all time and to be expressed in everything one says and does each moment of his or her life.

In "End of the Line," an anonymous shemale is caught masturbating.