His dad was so much meaner than mine. — There’s a spot where I keep photos of my ancestors who’ve crossed over. Grand-mère Marieanne, stylishly walking a collie. Serious Mama Cristina, who crossed the ocean at 19. Nana and Boppa, dolled up like 40’s movie stars. And there’s Dad, squinting at the sun in his tie t-shirt. My atheist…

Framing the debate is half the battle. — In second grade, my mom still chose my clothes for me, so when Mrs. Hand (her real name — I doubt she’s still alive) called me up to the front of the classroom, twisted my arm, and berated me for my “inappropriate” top, I was bewildered. It was a warm…

If I had to live my life over, I’d do both again — CW: Child-on-child sexual abuse, attempted suicide. I’m trotting after my dad down a narrow street, skirting puddles, peering curiously at teenagers with bright hair and safety pins in their clothes. We enter a cheap department store, and I track dirty slush across the yellow tiles to the school supplies rack…

How I untangled a messy knot of writer’s block — I’ve been struggling to write lately. Working through the block, I realized there wasn’t a simple cause. I’d gotten to a point where writing about my life felt natural and cathartic, but publishing brought in a whole new tangle of doubts and fears. At first, I thought the block stemmed…

Wisdom is knowing when to listen and learn. — I’m trans, and so are my adult kids. Sounds dramatic, doesn’t it? I hesitate to talk about my family. Someone might decide I made them trans, by pressure or example. Bigots in redder states might use us to fuel their crusade to remove trans kids from their homes. …

I’m Kenough: A Nonbinary Transmasculine Perspective on Barbie I’m Kenough: A Nonbinary Transmasculine Perspective on Barbie I felt something I definitely did not expect: I felt seen This article contains spoilers. My partner and I planned to watch Oppenheimer the other night, but showed up late to the theater and opted for Barbie instead. I never was a huge Barbie fan. Hot pink gives me a headache, and I…