Trans*/Gender Identity

Grounded during the blizzard. Image used with permission of author.

Let’s Talk About Names: Robyn

The power of my own quest for authenticity may be my greatest lesson to impart as a parent.

by × May 3, 2013 × 2 comments
Painted Desert, Arizona. Image used with permission of author.

Let’s Talk About Names: Natalie

If there’s a single name that feels the least “real,” the most connected to social structures, cis-het-patriarchy and its assumptions, it’s the one I was given at birth.

by × April 5, 2013 × 4 comments
The Women's Building, the first women-owned and -operated community center, in San Francisco. Image used with permission of author

Let’s Talk About Names: Andrea

While we’re demanding that women be treated equitably in this society, we’re saying that it’s up to women — still — to make the “proper” choice, like not taking their husbands’ names, to legitimize feminism.

by × April 2, 2013 × 9 comments
Science Playground at Sugar Sand Park, Boca Raton, FL. Image by Theory, CC license.

Let’s Talk About Names: Mattie

Who am I really, if I change with every person I meet? Maybe we are all events, shaped by circumstance and those around us. All choose your own adventures for our readers’ liking.

by × March 26, 2013 × 2 comments
Image credit: Amin Nasr, CC license.

Changes of heart and our better selves

I’ve been thinking today about the tensions between what should be the basis of collective morality and policy and the messy, complicated, imperfect realities of politics and social interaction.

by × March 16, 2013 × 6 comments
Une leçon clinique à la Salpêtrière, André Brouillet

Body Impolitic

The concept of modesty has been used worldwide to police the lives of women and teach them to be ashamed of their bodies. It also has an effect on trans and intersex people, no matter how they identify.

by × January 25, 2013 × 12 comments
Do men want to be “treated like men?”

Do men want to be “treated like men?”

A few more thoughts on Don Miller’s post about whether women want to be treated equally or like men. Firstly, about what inspired the post…

by × November 3, 2012 × 8 comments
The new I-35W bridge over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis is lit with rainbow colors at the start of LGBT Pride weekend. Image by Tony Webster, CC license

National Coming Out Day

National Coming Out Day is always a bit strained for me. Partially because of my own hangups, and partially because of how “coming out” is framed in a lot of mainstream discussion (both by LGBT people and otherwise), it often feels like there’s a lot of pressure to be very [...]

by × October 11, 2012 × 20 comments
Todd Akin, Jared Wilson, and apologies that aren’t

Todd Akin, Jared Wilson, and apologies that aren’t

Trigger warning: sexual violence, rape apologism, victim blaming, cissexism, anti-choice rhetoric. Content note: Not all people with uteruses are women and not all women have uteruses. Not all rape survivors are women, or adults. I use language that reflects this where I’m not paraphrasing/unpacking the views of people who choose to believe the [...]

by × August 24, 2012 × 6 comments
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