Panel 1
(A suspicious-looking young white man in a sweater, arms crossed, is listening to a magical fairy, who is speaking earnestly to him while hovering in the air on her two small wings. The Fairy is dark-skinned, has her head shaved except for a little poof of hair on top, has no arms below the elbows, and has two little feathered wings.)
Fairy: When you’re not the “societal default” – white, straight, male, cis, etc. – it’s like a thousand little weights!
Panel 2
(Sweater-dude looks angry, and has lifted his arms in the air to make a point.)
Sweater-Dude: You minorities always make a big deal out of nothing… I’m sure it’s not hard to handle!
Panel 3
(The Fairy, a wild grin on her face, casts a spell – we know because a caption says “casting cool magic spell” – and a big cloud of magic smoke appears where Sweater-Dude was.)
Fairy: Okay, let’s see!
Panels 4-13
(These panels form a giant circle. They can be read starting with any panel.)
Panel 4
(A man with an eyepatch puts his hands on his face in a gesture of astonishment.)
Man: You identify as the sex you were assigned at birth? Whoa! So what does your junk look like?
Panel 5
(A fat woman with cat’s eye glasses and a striped crop top is giving instructions with a cheerful, helpful demeanor.)
Woman: If you’d just stop undereating, you could be fat. You can do it!
Panel 6
(An irritated looking woman with curly hair, arms akimbo, is asking a question.)
Woman: ¡Habla español! Esto es América!
Panel 7
(An older woman with a punk haircut makes a shrugging “what can we do?” gesture.)
Woman: Sure, nearly all the Senators and CEOs are women. But how is that sexist against men?
Panel 8
(A young person with tattoos looks anxious as they speak.)
Woman: Have you tried being queer? Really, really tried? I only ask because I want you to be happy!
Panel 9
(An older woman looks up from a TV Guide, looking puzzled.)
Woman: Why would anyone watch a TV show about young people?
Panel 10
(A cheerful man wearing a yarmulke is giving helpful advice. His hands are flapping in the air around his face.)
Man: Couldn’t you just try making stimming gestures? You don’t want to seem weird!
Panel 11
(A woman holds her hand over her mouth in a gesture of dismay and astonishment.)
Woman: You like sex? That must be so hard.
Panel 12
(A man in a wheelchair spreads out his hands to indicate being impressed.)
Man: You walk everywhere? Wow! I could never live like that!
Panel 13
(A young Black woman looks at the viewer with a friendly “just asking questions” expression.)
Woman: Why do white people talk with that accent? And can I touch your hair?
Panel 14
(This panel is surrounded by the circle formed by panels 4-13. It shows Sweater-Dude, wide-eyed and panicked, hands on the sides of his face.)
Sweater-Dude: What’s happening?
Panel 15
(This panel, occupying the bottom third of the comic, shows the Fairy speaking directly to the viewer. In the background, we can see Sweater-Dude, with the giant circle formed by panels 4-13 on his back. Sweater-Dude is trembling with the effort of holding up so much weight.)
Fairy: If you have to lift this weight every day of your entire life…
Plus the weight of historical inequalities, plus the weight of institutional oppression…
It can all add up to a crushing load!
If that weight looks petty to you … Maybe that’s because it’s not on your back.
