One thing I wanted Murphy's Manor NOT to be was a boys-only comic strip. The model I chose for a main female character was Mary Reiff, At the time the men's and women's gay communities in Toledo were highly segregated, The men insisted their events and organizations were open to all, but weren't very welcoming or comfortable for women, And the women insisted on "their own space." Mary was one of the few who functioned in both worlds, and I admired her for it.
I recall she got flack from both sides of the gender divide for her efforts. Some men called her a "fag hag" and some women gave her flack for treating with men at all. I wish I'd done more with this predicament. It would've been a great source of cartoon material.
You'll see over the next 1000 strips that I did make extensive use of Mayor Meg with Andrew Paszko, her aide. The pair of them, die-hard political junkies became favorite characters, and provided a reason to address political issues.
We haven't met Andrew yet, have we?
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