It is in the patriarchy’s best interest that women remain silent. As long as women don’t organize and discuss our experiences, we remain uninformed about the universality of the issues we face. My uterus is flawed. With the lack of medical clarity around what exactly is wrong with my reproductive cycle, we’ll just call it […]
I didn’t want to have to justify existing while female. I didn’t want to hear the comments saying I asked for it or I somehow deserved it. I didn’t want to have to tell them what I was wearing and have that outfit torn apart, like it was my fault. TW: Sexual abuse and rape […]
My silence only perpetuated the stigma. In 2001, my life from the outside looked pretty great. I was 21, my marriage seemed happy, my husband was in graduate school, and though money was tight, we had a nice apartment and two healthy kids, a 3-year-old son and baby daughter. But it took everything I had […]
I like not having to strive for anything regarding my body other than basic maintenance in the hopes of keeping it running a little longer. I like the freedom to ignore even that. When it’s only us in the room, only fat women, someone might quietly say, like a guilty confession: “I’m trying really hard […]
The Eye was so much more than a passive watcher. It was a pervasive social force with a destructive aim. But I wouldn’t fully understand this until, finally, I experienced life without it. The Eye started following me at puberty. It watched me from building sites and vehicles and outside pubs. Until seven months ago, its […]
My Facebook friends are Bobby’s biggest fans. He won’t always care about what my friends think, but I am happy to collect the good thoughts before he rejects adult opinions. I am an unapologetic Facebook mama. I post pictures and stories about my 7-year-old son Bobby on a regular basis even though various studies suggest […]
There will never ever be a better time to pursue what you love. Take risks. Get hurt. Be extraordinary. This spring, I have the incredible good fortune of teaching as a guest artist at my old high school. Teenagers have improved considerably since I was one, and the students in my classes are spectacular. Not […]
Just treat us with respect, be open to learning from mistakes, and apologize when you make them. And, you know, don’t ask about our genitals. Nothing ruins a fabulous day for me more than entitlement. I’m talking about the expectations placed on me as a transgender person that are never placed on my cisgender counterparts. […]
