Lynn Beisner asks: Why are none of our religious role models involved parents? A friend of mine is one of the leading experts on Gandhi. In a recent conversation, he mentioned offhandedly, “Yeah, Gandhi was a terrible father.” It took a while for what he said to sink in. At first, it was just a […]
If we continue searching for “the one,” when do we ever truly love the one we’re with? A few years ago a friend of mine found her soul mate, or at least she thought that she had. She was in her apartment, feeling a bit sad about being a single graduate student, when she heard […]
Regardless of why so many conservative organizations—such as Fox News—hire attractive women who may be unqualified for their positions, calling them “dumb” makes us bullies, Lynn Beisner says. Several months ago, the chair of the academic department I work in invited me out for coffee. If the invitation itself hadn’t tipped me off that this […]
Ann Romney’s speech at the Republican National Convention left Lynn Beisner more angry than inspired. Here’s why. This morning, I woke with the realization that I don’t like Ann Romney. I know that we were all supposed to be impressed as hell by her speech a couple of nights ago, but she lost me at […]
Does staying in a marriage for your partner’s healthcare benefits mean you’re using your partner? Or are you giving up your soul just to stay healthy? My friend Laurie got married a couple of months ago. I did not send her a present or even a card. In fact, the only thing I gave her […]
Lynn Beisner responds to the scores of commenters who had plenty to say about her recent controversial piece, “I Wish My Mother Had Aborted Me.” A couple weeks ago, I wrote an article called “I Wish My Mother Had Aborted Me.” In it, I explained that anti-choice crusaders have been using the stories of people […]
Lynn Beisner says there is scant evidence in the bible that supports fetal personhood. She breaks down what it does and does not say. I learned a dirty little secret in Bible college: It is easier to prove the existence of unicorns by using the Bible than it is to establish the personhood of a […]
Lynn Beisner explains the difference between the two phrases “The best choice for both my mother and me would have been abortion” and “I wish I had never been born.” If there is one thing that anti-choice activists do that makes me see red, it is when they parade out their poster children: men, women, […]
Lynn Beisner’s mind and body had long been at odds, until a near-death experience forced her to begin treating her body like the beautiful, miraculous machine that it is. A couple of weeks ago I nearly killed myself because I am fat. I don’t mean that I tried to commit suicide; I mean that I […]
The recent Penn State sanctions remind Lynn Beisner of conversations with conservatives and their frequent inability to acknowledge their ancestors’ privilege, she says. I am forever looking for a way to understand conservatives. I want to see past the bluster and seemingly willful ignorance, to see them as hurting human beings and have compassion for […]
Introverts require periodic alone-time in order to function properly, so constant connection to their children is simply not reasonable. Does this make them bad parents? No, says Lynn Beinser, it just makes them human. My friend April planned to be an attachment mother. She planned to co-sleep, wear her baby in a sling, breastfeed on […]
On this Feast Day of Mary Magdalene, Lynn Beisner salutes to all the defiant women of the past, present, and future. Every year on July 22, I celebrate the Feast of Mary Magdalene. For those of you who do not know the story of Magdalene, she was one of the key leaders of the early […]
