In all stories, both written and oral, there are things that happen just because the story needs them to happen to move on. Sometimes these are events that help the story advance towards the climax; other times there are intense and deep subjects that shape the story's setting but are never discussed.

In transformation fiction, specifically those stories in which only a limited group is transformed, there is a vital core issue that's almost never addressed: What rights does a transformed person have? This issue is strongly implicit in any of numerous Tales From the Blind Pig stories, but only rarely (if at all) is it ever directly examined. When Luke Allen proposed the LTF universe, Quentin Long wrote an opinion piece, ostensibly penned by his LTF character, which argued for 'transformed rights' in a sarcastic manner.

But truthfully, what does the law have to say about this? It says nothing. Physical transformation into other forms is a topic not even thought of by the people that make the law. However, in the US the word 'human' is not used in any law. Instead the words 'people', 'person' and 'persons' are used to refer to the entities to which the law applies. Common sense would indicate that the transformed are still 'people', but then 'common sense' and 'the laws of the United States' are phrases which do not always go smoothly together.

While it's clear that the law need not be changed at all for it to remain applicable to a transformed person, at the same time it is equally clear that even the most basic of freedoms and rights could conceivably be stripped from a transformed person. Accordingly, TSAT has asked two people to explain and explore the two sides of this issue -- on the 'pro' side, ShadowWolf; and on the 'con' side, the Right Reverend Nehemiah Gish.