Nate sat at his desk and looked down at the half-completed diary entry in the notebook in front of him. He was awash with emotions and frustrations that were eating away at him. He had everything he needed and most of the things he wanted, and still, he felt mentally sapped, drained of joy almost every day. Nate came from a wealthy family, went to a great school, and now had a good job and apartment. His parents had helped him get everything set up, and he knew that if he ever needed financial help, they’d be there for him.

“Well, they’d be there for most needs financially, at least,” Nate thought to himself. “I know they wouldn’t help me become who I'm supposed to be, though.”

Nate was a closeted transgender person who lived in a society where transitioning was not only frowned upon; it was nearly impossible to do. Few medications and treatments were available, and even fewer legitimate doctors and support structures to allow people to transition. All Nate wanted was to see himself as he was supposed to be, cast off the mask he wore every day, and be her. To be Hannah. He picked up his pen and continued to write:

I put on an act each and every day. I long for a chance to look how I want to look, wear what I want to wear, and act how I want to act. I wish I had been born a girl. I look like a man. I talk like a man. And I act like a man. I do what those around me expect me to do. I wish I could just come out of this shell, at the very least open up to another person like me. I need something, any sort of release or means to express these feelings and vent this frustration and sadness. I’d give or do almost anything to be able to see myself become the woman I know I am inside.

Nate suddenly stopped writing as an idea struck him.

“An android,” he whispered, almost too quietly to hear. “I could get an android.”

Androids were an integral part of Nate’s society and often worked as laborers and servants and carried out many jobs that most people didn’t want to do. They were generally looked down upon and not seen as human or worth maintaining. Most people …