In the fall of 2005 I left New York and returned to Philadelphia. I left this city a woman and had spent the last two years intensely scrutinizing my transition into manhood. The world, or at least my world, had watched and critiqued every step of my transition. Now I could walk down these streets and no one knew me to be anything other than the man I presented. My world broadened beyond just my self to a location.

Recognizing a place gives me the same feeling of connectedness that recognizing my body does. Michigan is a part of my past and holds a part of me there, but Philadelphia is the first place that ever felt like home. This is a city of comradery, a team I joined right when I needed that support. This city allowed me to settle into a manhood I had spent the last two years building. These buildings are a part of my daily routine, the envelope me and enfold me. They give me a home as much as this male body I now inhabit.

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Many drawings from the Place and Home series have been made into affordable objects. To shop Place and Home click |http://www.cafepress.com/elivandenberg|here.