Tag: advice

In Defense Of Trans Actors

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One way we can all suck a little less at being trans allies: if a trans voice is speaking, listen to that voice. Just listen. Without arguing.

Today on Facebook, a trans female friend shared an article from Themtitled Why Scarlett Johansson — Or Any Cis Actor — Should Never Play Trans Roles. This is the debate du jour. Hollywood golden girl Scarlett Johansson has been cast to play a transgender man, Dante “Tex” Gill, in a new biopic film, Rub and Tug. Of course, it’s worth mentioning up front that the film’s PR team is justifying casting Johansson in this role by claiming that Tex Gill was “a lesbian that preferred to wear men’s clothing.” Continue reading →

Today’s Meme: Feel Free To Trust Parents Of Trans Kids. Please.

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I can’t tell you how many times I’ve answered the same, tired questions, over and over again, from misinformed people who have no experience with trans people. I mean, I don’t at all mind answering questions that come from a place of good intentions. That’s not always the case, though. Especially online, where there lives an entire community of boring, predictable evil-doers known collectively as “trolls.” They’re easy to spot. They’re the ones who use obvious trigger words and phrases to try and hook their victims readers, and then engage them in never-ending circular arguments that generally spiral into slanderous insults. Trolls deliberately intend to hijack, disrupt, attack, offend, and just generally cause trouble, and their favorite haunt is the comments sections of social media and news sites.  Continue reading →

The Torture Of College Application Season: Is It Worth It??

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The college application process ain’t what it used to be. At least, it’s not what it was when I was first applying back in 1991. I knew this going in to the process with my oldest child applying last fall, but I didn’t realize exactly how competitive and how much of a cheating game it had become. I’ve been paying enough attention to know that colleges had been getting more and more competitive over the past five to eight years. But I quickly found out that even more recently, as more research has been released and more books on the subject published, many colleges have buckled down even more harshly with regard to admissions, to almost ridiculous proportions, prompting many current college and high school students to ask, “is it even worth it?”  Continue reading →

An Open Letter to Myself in the Past, When I was a First Time Mom

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Hey, you!

It’s you – 16 years into the future! That millennial bundle of joy you’re swaddling and protecting with your life right now… well, guess what? He’s driving now! And I’ll let you in on a little secret: he’s actually a better driver than you ever were. I mean, I know these issues aren’t even on your radar yet, but I thought in these muddled days of confusion from sleepless nights, you might enjoy hearing how you’re going to fare over the next few years.

Perhaps I should go back a bit before he hit sixteen, though. I guess the thought of him driving is a bit much now.

So, here goes.

Dear younger, more inexperienced me,

I want you to know that some things in your life are about to change like crazy. But some other things, well… some other things will never change.

Because you’re frazzled and somewhat depressed right now, let’s start with a few of the things that will change: Continue reading →