As Chii-chan puts it, they were born a boy, grew up as a boy, entered adulthood as a man, and then they became a bride! Chii is a transwoman in Japan and this autobiographical essay was born from a series of postings on her twitter and blog, detailing her transition and it’s a sweet, and enormously informative, comic about her life.
Sometimes when I read a LGTBQ+ work I will think to myself, “ah, this is something even someone who isn’t very familiar with the queer community can read” or other times “there is no way a non-queer will get all of these jokes!” The Bride was a Boy is a comic that can easily be read by both groups of people, Chii goes enormously out of her way not only to explain why she transitioned (how she learned about the existence of trans people, how she experimented with labels and feelings, etc) and also how she transitioned. As a cis, American reader I certainly didn’t know all of the ins and outs for how the legal system in Japan allows people to transition and I am always open to hearing more stories from trans voices so this was both a fascinating and informational read.
I was actually surprised to see Chii citing the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition, which is published by the American Psychiatric Association) rather than a Japanese publication to discuss what Gender Dysphoria is and it should be noted that a few things are different in the Japanese LGTBQ+ community versus the American one (for instance, male pronouns are used for Chii’s childhood while in the US female pronouns would be used due to differing ideologies about how to describe and understand a trans person before they are aware of their identity/undergo any changes in their life).
I don’t consider any of this to be a negative however, especially since discussing the differences in views between two different LGTBQ+ cultures is getting into the weeds of queer ideology and will probably harmlessly fly over the heads of anyone who isn’t looking out for these details (also, as a general PSA, if you are ever unsure of what pronouns to use with a person, at any point in their lives, it is perfectly acceptable to simply ask them!). And the amount of extra, explanatory detail that Chii does provide about the world around her is one reason why I think this story could be easily read by a variety of audiences. If you don’t understand a term or an idea then the explanation is right there in the text!
While I was surprised to see Chii citing originally English-language texts, I wasn’t surprised however at how much reading Chii seems to have done on the broad subject of transitioning. Some folks may be confused when Chii is reading articles online and thinking to herself, “but this isn’t how I feel at all!” but that actually matches up with stories that I’ve heard from many transfolks. Like many other identities out there, there is no single way to be trans and that’s why the concept of an Own Voices story like this one is so valuable, it helps both people who are questioning and trans allies to better understand the myriad experiences of others.
It’s also rare to see a trans person have such a happy transition process, which is another reason why this book is both valuable and great! Just about every trans person I personally know has at least one story of a close friend or family member who couldn’t accept that they weren’t cisgender, and while Chii may very well be leaving out any unpleasant incidents, her family and her boyfriend are completely supportive of her and love her all the same. Chii does appear to be relatively closeted — in one instance not all of her friends at her wedding are aware that she was assigned male at birth and Chii is worried that her young nephews might blurt this fact out — but I (like probably all queer folks) can’t really argue with someone about not being fully out to everyone in their life since there are so many reasons why a person may not be.
Overall I thoroughly loved The Bride was a Boy and I think it makes an interesting contrast to Seven Seas’ other popular autobio comic, My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness. If you enjoyed that series but need something a little more light-hearted for a chance of pace afterward, or if you’re in the mood for any kind of happy LGTBQ+ material, then this should definitely be your next read.