Acceptance
It is important to be frank not only with other people but with oneself too. No matter how gifted, kind-hearted, and brave James is, he is just a human, thus he tries to avoid troubles and other situations that could make him feel uncomfortable. He can live in the man’s body but it is not what he wants. As soon as he accepts himself, he feels better. It is like to be enslaved and then liberated. James accepts the truth and starts acting. In this case, sex reassignment surgery is an act of trust and acceptance. He knows himself and knows what he wants from a life. This is only one – though extremely complicated – way to happiness.
Freedom of choice
It is not a coincidence that Jennifer writes so much about Grace. These two have a long and beautiful history together. The love they have for each other and their children is both inspiring and touching. Notwithstanding her regret and a certain sense of betrayal, Grace accepts her husband’s wish for changes and starts supporting him like she always does. It is freedom of choice that can’t be taken away from another person. Grace can’t forbid James to have sex reassignment surgery whilst he can’t make her support him. This kind of respect for each other helps them to cope with hardship.
Escaping
Grace and James’ other friends are shaken by James’ coming out. Some of them couldn’t even imagine that this man – their close friend – used to have troubles with his gender and sex. When James starts taking medications, it feels like he is trying to escape from them. It is believed that such a drastic change can catalyze many others, so there is a big chance that their friendship is going to be ruined. Some of them start blaming Jennifer for stealing James from them, but it is a mistake. Jennifer has every positive trait that James used to have, she has his history too. Sex reassignment surgery is not about escape, it is about finding a way back to oneself.
