Like, obviously transitioning is hard and being trans is hard, in ways Steph will never be able to understand. Maybe being trans just means Maria can’t get off. But the self-protectiveness around sex extends to literally every other area of her life: she won’t check the balance of her checking account unless the ATM refuses to give her money; she fixates on the possibility of having bedbugs for months before she’ll even lift the mattress and look for eggs. She’s been working at the same job she hates for more than half a decade because she’s afraid to look for another one.
