By Any Other Name

by Barricades Arise

With the kind of determination that comes from a spontaneous decision, Pontmercy cuts his hair and leaves home to transform his life, his name, and himself. Courfeyrac takes him under his wing and introduces him to some young men who understand what he's going through. But no community borne from struggle is without cracks beneath its surface. (Trans!Amis. All of them.)

2. Scenes 3 & 4

Note: No single viewpoint expressed in this fic necessarily reflects my own. This fic is political and involves a lot of dialogue happening within the trans community, and I think within many trans individuals as well.

So here are scenes 3 and 4. Marijuana usage in this chapter.

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SCENE 3

[ All tables and chairs surge forward to create the back room of the Café Musain. The sounds of chatter and clinking cups suggest a vivid world beyond its comfortably aged walls. Enjolras, Combeferre, Feuilly, Prouvaire, Bahorel, Joly, Bossuet, and Grantaire are all present, sprawled about in various states of attention. Combeferre observes his watch, which Enjolras occasionally leans over to look at. ]

ENJOLRAS
What's delaying him?

COMBEFERRE
It's probably the same thing that usually delays him. He'll be here soon.

ENJOLRAS
He couldn't have sent a text telling us he would be late?

[ Combeferre's phone dings. He looks at it. ]

ENJOLRAS
Is it him?

COMBEFERRE
He'll be here soon.

ENJOLRAS
Alright. [ Pause. ] We'll wait for him.

COMBEFERRE
Good idea.

ENJOLRAS
Could I see the agenda again? [ Combeferre passes it to him. ] I'm starting to rethink the rally on the 8th. The forecast says it's going to storm all night. We should reschedule.

COMBEFERRE
We could move it to the next weekend.

ENJOLRAS
We'll put it to a vote as soon as Courfeyrac gets here. Why isn't he here? He still needs to report back on his meeting with the engineering students.

COMBEFERRE
He'll be here soon. He got distracted by, in his words, "a priceless, precious baby boy."

ENJOLRAS [ wincing: ]
Is that what he's calling his partners, now? [ He shakes his head to himself. ] Let's get started without him.

COMBEFERRE
You said we would wait.

ENJOLRAS
...Yes. You're absolutely right. We'll wait.

COMBEFERRE
How is the correspondence with your parents going?

[ Enjolras, holding back words, shrugs noncommittally. ]

COMBEFERRE
That well?

ENJOLRAS
Define "parents." France? The French Republic? It's going great, except for all of the socioeconomic problems looming over so many of her citizens.

COMBEFERRE
The other parents- the physical ones.

ENJOLRAS
Hmm. [ Pause. ] What about your mother?

COMBEFERRE [ taking the hint: ]
She hasn't said anything, but it would be absurd to think she hasn't started to notice the changes. My range has dropped half an octave already.

ENJOLRAS
Do you think she knows?

COMBEFERRE
She'll figure it out when she's ready to figure it out.

[ Bossuet, engaged in fervent conversation with Joly, laughs aloud. He turns and calls out to Enjolras and Combeferre: ]

BOSSUET
Hey guys, what do you call a Tolkien Elven-king early in his transition?

COMBEFERRE
I don't know, what do you call him?

BOSSUET
A three-ring binder!

[ Combeferre cracks an amused smile. Enjolras raises an eyebrow, not familiar enough with the reference. ]

ENJOLRAS
A three-ring…

COMBEFERRE [ helpfully: ]
It's a reference to-

ENJOLRAS
Tolkien, yes.

[ He turns to Prouvaire. Prouvaire is the most visibly gender-nonconforming of those present, and he is transitioned in every possible sense. ]

ENJOLRAS
Did you bring back that binder?

PROUVAIRE
What kind of binder?

ENJOLRAS
Three-ring. For paper.

PROUVAIRE
Oh, yes. [ Calling across the room: ] Grantaire, do you have that binder Enjolras gave me?

ENJOLRAS [ an unconscious reaction: ]
Wait, you gave it to him ?

PROUVAIRE
Yes.

ENJOLRAS
...Of course, he has every right to see it. I only wish you would have let me know.

PROUVAIRE [ not too gravely: ]
Sorry.

[ Grantaire, having pulled the binder from his bag, holds it up in the air. As he does so, some of the loose papers slip out from the bottom, scattering across his table. ]

GRANTAIRE [chipperly:]
Ah, my bad.

[ He starts to gather the papers up, but Enjolras has already rushed over to do it himself with absurd speed. Grantaire hands Enjolras the few papers that he has picked up. Enjolras's eyes scan the documents, and his brows furrow. ]

ENJOLRAS
Did you mark these, or did Prouvaire?

GRANTAIRE
You wanted critiques on your manifesto, yeah?

ENJOLRAS
So you marked these.

GRANTAIRE
I had some valuable insights.

[ Enjolras holds up one of the pages. ]

ENJOLRAS
This one just has "Get Good" written all over it in orange highlighter.

[ Bahorel snorts. Enjolras's lips pull together tightly. ]

GRANTAIRE [ biting his lip: ]
Yeah, well. I probably shouldn't've hit that last blunt before I got started on it, but the past is past. Forgive me?

ENJOLRAS
Grantaire- [ He stops himself with a sigh. After putting the pages back into the binder, he returns to the center table with Combeferre. ] Where is Courfeyrac?

[ The door opens. There is an instinctual tension that dissolves the moment it is clear that the new arrival is Courfeyrac. Pontmercy is close behind him, with a much better-looking haircut than before. ]

ENJOLRAS
You brought your new lover?

FEUILLY [ piping up from his seat: ]
That's no lover; that's a Pontmercy.

ENJOLRAS
A what?

COURFEYRAC
Hello, everyone. I brought a new friend. This is Pontmercy. [ He puts a hand on Pontmercy's shoulder, gently nudging him forward. ] He doesn't have a first name yet; we're working on it. And he's not out, so be careful if you talk about him outside of this space.

COMBEFERRE
So this is the "precious baby boy."

COURFEYRAC
The most! Say hi, Pontmercy.

PONTMERCY [ cautiously: ]
Good afternoon.

ALL
Welcome; hello; hi, Pontmercy; etc.

COURFEYRAC
Let's get you formally introduced. [ He gestures to a table. ] Over here we have Joly, and of course you know Bossuet.

JOLY
This is the one you've been telling me about, Boss?

BOSSUET
Yep.

JOLY [ to Pontmercy: ]
You're taller than I would have thought.

PONTMERCY
Thank you?

COURFEYRAC
And next to Joly, that's Grantaire.

[ Grantaire bends forward over the table to shake Pontmercy's hand. ]

GRANTAIRE
You play pool?

PONTMERCY
Not really.

GRANTAIRE
Darts?

PONTMERCY
I don't like sharp things.

GRANTAIRE
Hmm.

PONTMERCY
And my aim's no good. It's dangerous.

GRANTAIRE
It is a dangerous game. You know I met a man who almost lost his house to a game of darts? That's the real danger. He was in with some, ah, loan sharks, I think it was...

[ Grantaire stares ahead, lost in his story. Courfeyrac gestures to the opposing table and takes Pontmercy over to it. Grantaire continues to tell his story, though only Bossuet and Joly listen. ]

COURFEYRAC
It's okay; he always does this. Here we have Prouvaire.

PROUVAIRE
Charmed. Call me Jehan.

PONTMERCY
Jehan? That's an uncommon one. Where does that come from?

PROUVAIRE
I picked it out when I was young. My parents had more say than I did, so legally I'm Jean, but Jehan is more antique. It's poetic.

PONTMERCY
Wait, how young?

PROUVAIRE
I began socially transitioning at...hmm...eight? And then medically in my early teens.

PONTMERCY
You can do that? Wow.

[ Courfeyrac gestures to Bahorel, sitting next to Prouvaire. Before Courfeyrac can introduce Bahorel, he smacks his hand down on Pontmercy's shoulder and shakes his hand firmly. ]

BAHOREL
Call me Bahorel.

PONTMERCY [ anxious, but pleasantly: ]
Hi, Bahorel.

BAHOREL
And right there, that's my man Feuilly.

COURFEYRAC
Oh, he's met Feuilly.

PONTMERCY
Hello again.

FEUILLY
Hey.

[ Courfeyrac takes Pontmercy to the center table. ]

COURFEYRAC
Next, we have Dr. Combeferre.

COMBEFERRE
Not a doctor yet. Welcome to Les Amis de l'ABC. Please be sure to write your name on the sign-in sheet.

[ He points to a sheet on the table. Pontmercy begins to mark his name down, but gets stuck before the pen even touches the paper. ]

COMBEFERRE
Just your last name is fine.

[ Pontmercy nods and writes his name down. When he looks up, he locks eyes with Enjolras, who has been quietly studying him. ]

COURFEYRAC
Last but not least, here's our leader: Enjolras.

PONTMERCY
Hello.

ENJOLRAS
You're the first new member we've had in a long time.

PONTMERCY
Oh?

ENJOLRAS
I suppose Courfeyrac has told you about the kind of organization that we are?

PONTMERCY
You're a support group, right? For...you know.

ENJOLRAS
For trans men.

PONTMERCY
Right.

ENJOLRAS
That's true. We started out solely as a support group. However, we are also a political organization. If you look in our pamphlet, you'll find our mission statement and a general outline of our beliefs.

[ Combeferre holds a pamphlet out to Pontmercy, who takes it and looks it over curiously. ]

PONTMERCY
Wow, you...have a lot of grievances. Look, I'm sorry, but I don't know much about politics.

ENJOLRAS
Then you're here for the support group? [ Pontmercy nods. ] That's alright; if Courfeyrac brought you here, I'm sure this place is right for you. What do you need help with? Your transition plan?

PONTMERCY
My what?

ENJOLRAS
Your transition plan.

COMBEFERRE
Les Amis de l'ABC has a list of resources and connections compiled regarding coming out, social transition, legal name and gender marker changes, hormone replacement therapy, top and bottom surgery, and other resources. While no one individual's transition looks the same, and you may not wish to go through all of the steps-

PONTMERCY
Uh, um, w-wait, no. [ Pause. ] I don't know if I want to go through any of the steps.

ENJOLRAS
What do you mean?

PONTMERCY
I don't know that I want to- that I'm really… [ He clears his throat uncomfortably. ] I just want to change my name and maybe hang out for a while. To figure things out.

ENJOLRAS [ dismissively: ]
...I see.

PONTMERCY
Sorry.

COURFEYRAC
Don't be sorry. Come on, take a seat.

[ Courfeyrac sits down. Pontmercy looks around, only to realize that there isn't another seat available. ]

COURFEYRAC
Oh, yeah. We're too used to there being nine of us.

COMBEFERRE
What about Gavroche?

COURFEYRAC
Ah, he always sits on the table when he shows up. Does anyone know where to find another chair?

FEUILLY [ standing up: ]
I'll get one.

PONTMERCY
Thank you.

FEUILLY
No problem, man.

ENJOLRAS
Wait. [ He stands up. ] He can take my seat. I was about to get things started, anyway.

[ Feuilly sits back down. Enjolras gestures Pontmercy over to his seat, and Pontmercy cautiously comes over, feeling the tangible amount of confusion and suspicion in Enjolras's gaze. Silence for a few moments after he sits. Grantaire's story is finally coming to a close. ]

GRANTAIRE
...And all that over a game of darts.

[ Enjolras clears his throat. ]

ENJOLRAS
Welcome, Les Amis de l'ABC. We have a lot to discuss today, and we're a bit delayed, so let's get this done as efficiently as possible. To begin: due to recent weather forecasts, we should consider rescheduling our rally to the next weekend…

[ The lights slowly dim. All exit except Enjolras and Grantaire. The middle table is pulled back, leaving two tables on opposing sides of the stage. ]

END SCENE

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SCENE 4

[ The two tables are independently lit. Enjolras picks up his three-ring binder and opens it. He stands on top of the stage right table. At the stage left table sits Grantaire, with his own copy of the three-ring binder open in front of him. He holds a blunt in one hand and an orange highlighter in the other. ]

ENJOLRAS
Gender dysphoria is defined as discomfort with one's primary or secondary sex characteristics. It can also extend to the discomfort caused when an individual is socially perceived as their birth sex. In either case, gender dysphoria is a biologically rooted medical condition and cannot exist independently of biological discomfort. It is the defining characteristic of the transgender experience- the one thing which gives us commonality.

[ Whenever Grantaire speaks, he writes what he's saying down on his copy of the manifesto. ]

GRANTAIRE [ smirking: ]
Oh, yeah?

ENJOLRAS
Our community is rooted in suffering.

GRANTAIRE
You've suffered so much, haven't you?

ENJOLRAS
We suffer because of our bodies.

GRANTAIRE
Rich…

ENJOLRAS
We suffer because we were not supposed to be born in these forms.

GRANTAIRE
...Skinny…

ENJOLRAS
Because we are miscreated by nature.

GRANTAIRE
...White…

ENJOLRAS
Trapped in the wrong bodies.

GRANTAIRE
...Boy.

ENJOLRAS
The only way to normalize ourselves is through various medical procedures that put our health in jeopardy in order to match our bodies with our minds.

GRANTAIRE
"Normalize?"

[ Though Enjolras begins to respond to Grantaire, he doesn't look at him. ]

ENJOLRAS
Yes.

GRANTAIRE
Some of us don't want to be normal.

ENJOLRAS
Now is not the time to get into intra-community politics. This is about how cisgender society views us and the tactics that we must use in order to earn their respect.

GRANTAIRE
Some of us don't care about earning their respect because we shouldn't have to earn it. We should be able to just exist.

ENJOLRAS
Well, good for you on not caring. Unfortunately, the lives of many transgender people are put at stake when we use arguments that don't try to maintain that respect. If you don't want to be respected, fine, but don't preach to those of us who are trying to make a difference in the most effective way we can under our given circumstances.

GRANTAIRE
What respect are we maintaining? Have people ever respected us?

ENJOLRAS
They will respect us. And people like us.

GRANTAIRE
People like you. You naive, passing, post-transition, beautiful-

ENJOLRAS [ through gritted teeth: ]
You don't know my reality.

GRANTAIRE
I can see it plain as day.

[ Enjolras returns to reading from his manifesto. ]

ENJOLRAS [ simultaneous with the below, growing more frustrated: ]
The great problem facing our community is lack of access to resources, which is rooted in the broader cultural perception about transgender individuals. Transsexuality, like homosexuality, has long been considered a social ill. In order to dispel this myth, we must consider the transgender condition as a biological one, which cannot be helped and is present from the moment of birth, if not from our development in the womb. With this essay, I intend to-

GRANTAIRE [ simultaneous with the above, building faster and louder, marking each phrase down in the manifesto with increasing vigor: ]
Get good. Get. Good. Get good. Get good. Get good, get good, get good. Get. Good. Get good. Get good, get good, get good, get good get good get good get-

ENJOLRAS
Shut up!

[ Enjolras drops the three-ring binder and clutches his hair. Grantaire slowly puts the cap on his highlighter and sets it down. Finally, Enjolras faces Grantaire, who looks up at him with wide eyes. ]

ENJOLRAS [ quietly: ]
I don't have time for this.

GRANTAIRE
Forgive me?

ENJOLRAS
...Grantaire, why are you here?

[ Grantaire stands up, reaching for the light on Enjolras's side of the stage. As his fingers nearly grace it, the light over Enjolras goes dark. Grantaire stumbles, but gets ahold of himself. He re-lights his blunt for one last hit. As he exhales, his light fades to black. ]

END SCENE