This issue focuses on mental health, so I decided to do an explainer comic about Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD), which (as the comic says) is characterized by intense emotional pain due to failure or feeling rejected.

This isn’t exclusive to queer and trans people by any means, but can be exacerbated by circumstances where the sufferer can expect a disproportionate level of rejection. For example, a trans person might be rejected by their family, tossed out on the street, and be unable to find housing because the landlords don’t want to rent to a trans person. The fact that the fear of rejection is atypically extreme doesn’t always mean it doesn’t have a basis in reality!

But other brain stuff can cause or worsen RSD, like Major Depressive Disorder or ADHD, where a mood regulation imbalance makes negative experiences far more intense.

You can read the full comic on page 6 of the digital edition here: https://www.outfrontmagazine.com/may-2024-queering-mental-health/

Cheers,

Dylan