There are no wedding pictures of Simon and I in our house. This particular fact bothers our daughter. But, for me, it’s just part and parcel of how much Simon and I have changed since 2006. He had a different name then and presented in the world in a way that never quite sat right... Continue Reading →
Dear Trans Kids: I went outside today, and the blueness of the sky took my breath away. I stood there, feeling the barely-there burn of the sun against my skin, and I remembered deeply, on a cellular level, that the divine infuses everything. Me. You. The sun, the moon, the stars, the trees. We are... Continue Reading →
The other day, this lovely young woman came in to the bookstore and asked if we had any Christian books. Ahem. It was kind of awkward... because we have a spirituality section. But let's just stay it leans heavily toward Buddhism, general spiritual pursuits (mindfulness, crystals, auras), and witchcraft. We do have a few Christian... Continue Reading →
Our first Valentine's Day together, Simon got me a flashlight. Oh, he got me some red roses, too. But the flashlight was the main present. He wanted me to be prepared, just in case. This is his way, laying a path and making way for my independence, nurturing my strength. But I didn't know that... Continue Reading →
Some kid at school "insulted" my baby by calling her "gay." And I swear, it lit me up... like I wanted to march down to that school and give that damn kid (and every adult in the vicinity of his life) a tongue-lashing he wouldn't likely forget. But instead, I took a few deep breaths... Continue Reading →
Outside our small, yellow house in Atlanta, a huge Pride flag waves in the breeze. I love that flag. It tells a part of our family's story that is no longer easily visible. The near unraveling of our marriage in 2016 broke something in me. I thought I'd try to piece it together, to come... Continue Reading →
How My Partner & I Completely Fell Apart After His Transition Photo Cred: RM Lathan When Simon transitioned, I knew — knew down in my bones — that this would be better. For him. For our family. For our daughter, Jane. But that knowing clashed directly with my belief about who I was — defined largely by being a lesbian. I couldn’t... Continue Reading →
I write vignettes: tiny little glimpses into my world, in which everything resolves neatly in the end. Which makes my life seem put together, wrapped up, tidy. But, really, there is a lot of mess before the lesson is learned, before the big picture becomes clear. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the mess.... Continue Reading →
In the very first, raw days of being sober, Amy and I clung to each other for support. Since the day we met, at a local lesbian bar, we’d been co-conspirators—very drunk co-conspirators. Now, the same two people who’d spent the past five years egging each other into hitting up happy hour every day were... Continue Reading →
