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Better Than a Dog’s Life: Transgender Homage to ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’

Because who doesn’t like golden oldies Christmas stories?

Emma Holiday
Prism & Pen
7 min readDec 23, 2024

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https://www.pexels.com/@jill-wellington-1638660/

Warning: This story includes thoughts of suicide. If you have any suicidal thoughts like Thomas, please, please speak to someone. There is always someone. You can dial 988, a crisis lifeline available 24 hours, seven days a week.

I first wrote this five years ago. I re-read, revise, and re-publish it every year for Christmas. It makes me smile and I hope it makes you smile as well.

So grab a warm beverage or a glass of wine and enjoy.

It’s supposed to be heart-warming after all!

Better Than a Dog’s Life

https://www.pexels.com/@sasha-pshenkov-92810748/

Thomas stood on the railing of the pedestrian bridge. It was dark. The snow swirled around him.

No one was around. It was quiet except for the gurgling sound of the churning, frigid water. He continued to stare into the swirling darkness below. He felt the outer edge of the railing as he slowly pushed his feet closer to the dark…

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Prism & Pen
Prism & Pen

Published in Prism & Pen

Amplifying LGBTQ voices through the art of storytelling

Emma Holiday
Emma Holiday

Written by Emma Holiday

After decades of denial I finally answered the question “What’s wrong with me?” The answer is “Nothing”. I am transgender and I am OK.

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