From Flower Maiden to Owl Face: A Transgender Allegory
The lesson Welsh myth teaches about identity
The Collective Unconscious is Carl Jung's best-known contribution to psychology. Symbols particular to human understanding of the Universe are stored there, waiting to be tapped
The Unexpected Peace of Gender-Affirming Surgery
How losing small parts of myself helped me gain vast insight into humanity
On 11 July 2024, I received gender-affirming surgery at Yanhee International Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand.
Although I never wanted to go to Thailand for surgery,
Choosing What You Won't Regret
Ask 'Will I regret not taking this step?' and feel confident you're making the best choice for yourself.
Thirteen years ago, as entry #71 for The Rumpus's advice column "DEAR SUGAR," Cheryl Strayed wrote "The Ghost Ship That Didn’t Carry Us." That
The Last Self-Help Advice I Ever Needed
What would you pay to have a life with all your dreams unfulfilled?
My psychiatrist shook my hand as I left his office for the last time. Within two years of scoffing "people like [me] don't get off
People have been mad about 'cisgender' since at least 2007
If someone wants a world where no one is marked as cis, they must simultaneously fight for a world where no one is marked as trans.
The word transsexual first appeared in the 1920s in German, then the 1940s in English. It was coined by male sexologists who weren't themselves trans.
Trans Exiteration
I hear an -iteration with an ex- on it. I'm bad at moving forward. I'm a hanger-on to the past.
More than once, I've written my way through a narrow, thorny place.
I've narrated a life shift on the printed page. I continue to do
Finding My Femininity Only to Lose It
Humans must balance the masculine and feminine - or suffer the consequences
Who are we, really?
Is identity based in our job? Our clothes? Our hair? Is identity derived from our family's legacy - noble or otherwise?
A Transgender Retrospective
A quarter-century of poor choices and exceptional support
I am scheduled to travel to Thailand in July for gender-affirming surgery, as I wrote in a previous post. Because I must wind down my
The Nonexistent Link between Autism and Gender Dysphoria
Two observations can be true and yet unrelated
A recent article in the Daily Mail claims a biological link between autism and gender dysphoria. I provided comments to the author of the article,
The Indispensable History of 'Sex Testing' in Sports
Waters keeps the book focused on the 1930s, with the history told in such a way that it's crystal clear how it's relevant today. The moral panic over trans people in sports continues not to be about sports.
Michael Waters has written this incredible book, The Other Olympians
There's a history book coming out very soon that I want to talk about all
I'm Sorry Mother… Transgender Regret
Have you faced ridicule and continuous coaching not to be who you are? If you are LBG_QIA, then yes, I believe you. If not, I won’t deny, but tell me how?
I’m so sorry that I am hurting you now, all these years after you passed. I have tried so hard to be the son
Trans Volta
I didn't choose the word 'trans' to describe my unique life path, nor would I have chosen it, but these days, this word happens to be the umbrella that works in the rain. A word you can use alongside 'trans' is 'volta'.
A sonnet is a 14-line poem, traditionally with a rhyme scheme, that conveys a complex thought. It can pose a question and provide an answer,
Success in a Creative World
The benefit of a creative life must not entail the detriment of an adoring audience
This past weekend, I went to a burlesque show directed by my dear friend Julia DiVerdi. The event was almost overwhelming in its innovation. I
A Sense of Beauty in Gender Identity and Sexuality
Completing my circuitous walk around a theory of identity
In a previous article describing gender and gender identity, I refer to gender as a process as opposed to an object or possession. That is,
Transgender Day of Visibility Is for Us All
You and I both feel pain from social trauma
This past Sunday - 31 March 2024 - was Transgender Day of Visibility. I made a tongue-in-cheek video for the occasion predicting an uproar over
Why Trans Men Can't Grow Up
We are not victims, infants, or in danger
Have you ever noticed that the media and the public conversation around trans rights rarely focuses on or even mentions older trans men? And no,
The Cheap Distraction of "Gender Ideology"
Public Service Announcement: your government isn't interested in helping you
I am very angry.
Last week, I discovered the gender-affirming surgery I scheduled for 01 May 2024 is not likely to occur. In short, I
The Inalienable Right Our Governments Fear
Humans require identity, not empty promises
In a recent address, Pope Francis called "gender ideology" "the ugliest danger” of our time. The Pope did not define "gender ideology," nor did he
Creative Lies We Tell Ourselves
There's a reason "analytical" begins with the four letters it does
I received my first electric guitar as a gift for my 17th birthday. That's more years than I care to consider before my birthday this
The Process of Gender vs. the Result of Gender Identity
Pain can help you grow - and at times, more than just growing angry
A friend of mine mentioned his struggle to understand the distinction among sex, gender, gender identity, and sexuality. My friend isn't a fool - he