Social Justice Warrior

[Avenger Assembled]

Fall 2018 

 

"Ashley, what is Monica?" 

The question made Ashley George look up from the algebra homework that she had disgustedly realized she had to do earlier that week, turning across the room to face her ward, her protectee, her 'sister.' She caught the frown on Jaycee's face that meant this was a serious question; one that she'd no doubt been thinking of for some time. "What do you mean?" she asked, even though she knew perfectly well what she meant. 

 

"You know..." Jaycee tangled her fingers nervously in her hair and said, "A...boy or a girl? Like with Janus too, Ah don't really know what they're supposed to be." 

 

Ashley had considered how to answer this question carefully. "Do you need to know?" she tried. "You know the Spirit of Liberty picked Monica, and you know the school put Janus and Monica where they are. It's not really our business what they are." 

 

"Ah guess not...not like Ah'm gonna catch 'em in the showers or anything." It was actually Ashley and Judy who used separate facilities from the rest of the girls, most of the time. "But why are they like that?" 

 

Aghhh "Jaycee...gender is, uh, based on culture. You know, like language, food, music - so people from different cultures are going to express their gender in different ways." She thought of the new Lady Liberty and went on, gesturing with her pencil, "And with some people, it's more like their bodies and souls don't match. And since there's no operation to change the soul, better to change the body, right?" 

 

"Ah guess," said Jaycee, her cheeks coloring slightly. "Ah guess Ah just...Ah mean, Ah'm not stupid, Ah've heard of transgender people and stuff, Ah just never thought Ah'd actually meet one, not after-well, you probably heard about that." She clicked her pen, on and off, nervously. "Ah never found out what happened to that boy, and Momma said it wasn't our place to go asking, not with Daddy's campaign." 

 

"The student from your old school," said Ashley diplomatically. She'd heard about that too - there'd been enough of a security kerfluffle at the private school in Oklahoma City that the Secret Service had been briefed right at the start of the Presidential campaign. Just in case - after all, the Cahills had carefully not been involved. "I can...probably find that out, if you'd like," she offered quietly. 

 

"...Ah'd like that," said Jaycee, equally quietly. "Thanks, Ashley."