The fantastic feminist web site The Toast featured an interview with me discussing my upbringing, newfound visibility, and plans for the future.
Big Brother's trans contestant is not just a spectacle - will CBS treat her like one?
“CBS stopped Audrey Middleton talking to the press after she revealed she was trans, suggesting it may put shock value ahead of concerns about transphobia.”
For trans women, fear and solace in a private Facebook group
“When Lilith told me she wanted to end her life, the words struck me so much harder than I expected, from someone I only knew on Facebook. ”
Rachel Dolezal Is Abusing The Language Of Trans Activists
“As a trans woman, I empathize with Dolezal’s feelings of isolation — but I don’t condone the way she claims an identification that isn’t hers to claim.”
There is no comparison between transgender people and Rachel Dolezal
“The Spokane NAACP president outed as white chose to pass as black. Transgender people are just being themselves when they transition.”
I’m a trans woman. Here’s my rejected New York Times op-ed on Caitlyn Jenner.
“Caitlyn Jenner Isn’t Bad for Women, Transphobia Is Bad for Women”
What ‘deadnaming’ means, and why you shouldn’t do it to Caitlyn Jenner
“Now that it’s been a few days since Caitlyn Jenner revealed her true name, it’s time to officially retire the one she was assigned at birth—the one she shouldn’t have had to begin with.”
Why Trans Women Care About Caitlyn Jenner’s Pronouns
“Because she only started using female pronouns after her glamorous Vanity Fair reveal, I’m wary of the way Caitlyn Jenner is wielding her power to define acceptable trans womanhood.”
Do you applaud Caitlyn Jenner because she is brave, or because she's pretty?
“If we accept Jenner because she fits our understanding of the gender binary, then we’re celebrating not just her transition but her economic privilege”
What Shonda Taught Me About Being a Woman
“Lessons learned as a trans woman from Grey’s Anatomy and other Shondaland shows.”
Is it easier to change your gender now than it used to be?
“An intimate conversation between me and my college friend, the noted author Alex Myers, on how the challenges of transition have evolved over the past decade.”
On Bruce Jenner's Pronouns
I published an article in Buzzfeed on April 25, the day after Bruce Jenner’s interview on ABC where the former Olympic champion and reality TV star publicly disclosed as transgender for the first time. In it, I used she and her pronouns to refer to Jenner. It was a deliberate choice I made on short notice, one that I knew I risked criticism for, which ended up being angrier than expected. So I’ve taken the time to reflect, and watch Jenner’s interview again. I’ve come to the conclusion that she and her were valid pronouns for Jenner given the available information at the time. But more importantly, I’m recognizing that the passion over pronouns probably has less to do with Jenner and more to do with the priorities of cisgender people, whether the vast majority of the general public or those in Jenner’s inner circle.
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Bruce Jenner Doesn't Need to Pass To Deserve Respect
“No trans person does.”
Bruce Jenner in 1976. Image by Bob Child
From A Symbol Of Athletic Power To A Symbol Of Gender Transition
“In 2015, as in 1976, the public’s relationship with Bruce Jenner’s body will reflect American values. What are those going to be?”
The Ciswashing of Leelah's Law
“Response to White House support of a conversion therapy ban has erased the trans girl who inspired the proposed law.”
Mourning the death of transgender teen activist blake brockington
“Why are so many transgender teens taking their own lives and what can we do to prevent it?”
On Jennifer Laude, Local Perspectives
When I wrote an article on the murder of transgender Filipina Jennifer Laude last February for VICE magazine, the original draft ended up being way too long, and there was one section I regretted losing, one that emphasized local perspectives on Laude's death and especially featured members of the local LGBT community. So I'm posting it here, along with more pictures I took for the story that did not appear in the article.
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Being transgender in a transphobic society leads to moments of sheer desperation
Mental health interventions are necessary for trans people to stay alive, but there isn’t nearly enough effort to ensure that we have good reasons to live
More at the Guardian
Performing in the Vagina Monologues as a Transgender Woman
I played a role in a show about people with vaginas before actually having one myself.
More at Buzzfeed
Jennifer Laude's temporary grave in case her body needs to be exhumed during her tiral.
How the Killing of a Trans Filipina Woman Ignited an International Incident
"I think I killed a he-she," U.S. Marine Joseph Scott Pemberton said.