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Jennifer Diane Reitz (born December 30, 1959) is an American writer, webcomic author, and game designer.[4] She is known for the website Happy Puppy, which she opened with her partners, Stephen P. Lepisto and Sandra Woodruff,[5] and with whom she created the video game Boppin'.[6] Reitz has also done game work for Interplay.[7]
On February 14, 1995, Reitz and her partners launched the game website Happy Puppy where they posted game demos.[8] For a period of time, the website was the most visited game website on the Internet and had about 2.5 million downloads per month during 1996,[9] the same year Happy Puppy was acquired by Attitude Network.[5] The website later went offline in 2006. Reitz writes game reviews and co-founded a family company, Accursed Toys.[10][11]
Reitz is a trans woman[12] and the founder of the site Transsexuality (transsexual.org), a site with general information on transsexualism that hosts the COGIATI (COmbined Gender Identity And Transsexuality Inventory) test.[13] The test has been criticized for relying on stereotypical views of gender; it assumes, for example, that a lack of interest in mathematics is a feminine trait.[14]
Jennifer Diane Reitz was born on December 30, 1959, in Baker City, Oregon.[3] Her father, Leonard Reitz, was a cartographer for the USGS, with much of his work being surrounded in secrecy. Her mother, Margaret, was about 15 years older than Leonard. Due to Leonard's job, Jennifer's family moved often, recounting that they did not stay anywhere longer than six months. Although at first they stayed in different apartments, they ended up living in trailer parks. The relationship with her parents was on the whole cold, though her mother used to be warmer until Jennifer turned 10. This emotional distance turned into hostility after Jennifer began to realize her gender dysphoria at an early age, as she had been born male but felt female. She felt alienated from boys, as they were more interested in violence and athletic pursuits.
Jennifer excelled through her school years, especially at science, which along with science fiction served as escapism. In addition, she developed a passion for dancing, singing, and playing with stuffed animals. Those traditionally feminine interests soon created conflict with her peers and family. Although Margaret was usually tolerant, Leonard showed extreme hostility and constantly threw away Jennifer's toys, so she resorted to playing in secret. This, coupled with years of verbal and physical harassment in school, caused Jennifer to interiorize the heteronormativity around her. This however changed at age 15, when Jennifer watched Bambi and quickly developed an obsession with it, watching it multiple times. She identified with the young Bambi, as in her view the film showed a character that, despite being male, looked and acted female in every way. This compelled her to take her gender identity more seriously, until, at age 17, she confessed her feelings to her art teacher, who violently rejected her. She returned to hiding her identity.[3]
Jennifer later enrolled in college to study biochemistry. Although she was about to settle down with a woman (while still under a male identity), Jennifer was becoming increasingly depressed. This culminated in a suicide attempt in May 30, 1981, using a combination of sleeping pills and a carbon dioxide mask. After praying to different gods, she underwent a mystical experience that resulted in an epiphany about her identity. Her relationship with the woman ended soon after.[3]
Jennifer later sought hormonal treatment, but it became increasingly difficult to maintain her job as she went further into the transition. This led to her becoming homeless, but she was eventually able to secure employment and settle through the help of her friends and family, though the latter did so begrudgingly, resulting in her father attempting to murder her. One year later, after a course of hormones, Jennifer underwent gender transition surgery in 1982, and legally adopted the name and identity that she has used since then.[3]
She then cohabited with Sandra, her girlfriend at the time. As years passed on, Eldenath and Stephen (a friend from high school) joined in, forming a polyamorous marriage that has lasted to the present day.[3]
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