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The Gender Binary is an Unnecessary Construct
If you’re unfamiliar with the gender binary, it refers to the idea that there are only two genders and everyone falls into one of those two categories (male or female). It’s an idea that causes unnecessary strife in our society. While the concept is nothing new—people have believed in the gender binary since before we had scientific evidence to support it—it’s still not one without consequences or negative effects on people who don’t conform to it. Luckily, we have generations of scientists and forward-thinking humans who are working hard to dismantle this concept in every aspect of their lives. There are more than two genders and they can be hard…
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What It’s Like To Be Born With Female Pseudohermaphroditism (Intersex)
My name is Thomas, and I was born with a condition called female pseudohermaphroditism, which is an intersex condition. My condition means that while I was born with functioning female set of internal reproductive organs, I also had normal-appearing external male genitalia. After a doctor encouraged me to intentionally cause myself harm because, as they were concerned, “people like you should not exist”, I decided to write this article to educate, inspire, and inform those who are curious about my intersex condition. This condition is what caused my external genitals looked more like those of a boy than those of a girl. However, it wasn’t until I got my period…
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In Some Forgotten Dream
I walked away from an almost 30-year relationship with someone I called my best friend for many years. What hurts the most is that I will forever remember the last thing that people say to me as they are leaving. When I met him, we were both enrolled at an all-boys boarding school; my father had forced me to attend because he thought that by doing so, his daughter could be molded into a son. Our last conversation was about how he saw himself as the most successful person from our high school graduating class, and that nobody from our class was nearly as successful as him. I of course…
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Thomas Slatin Quote About Parental Expectations
One day I was daddy’s little angel, the next day I became what he never wanted me to be. Thomas Slatin
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In Another Set Of Chances I’d Take The Ones I’ve Missed
I used to write in riddles, and I used to write in rhymes; my body ached to write the words, the prose is what kept me alive. I write into the dark veil of the night, and in another set of chances, I’d take the ones I’ve missed. All the times in which I spoke into the silence, and whenever I do it seems I don’t speak, except to cry out and wait for an answer. I came into this world alone, marked in constellation, and when all else is gone, I will still be here. There’s a ceiling in the darkness, I am but a lifeless face that you’ll…
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I Can Leave Behind A Heart
The older I get, the more it seems that I lose. I have lost people near a dear, my possessions, and arguably, my faith. All I ever wanted my entire life was to feel comfortable in my own skin. To belong. To live authentically. To be free. I put the entire essence of my being into my work as a firefighter; a hero, a friend, a person whom others could count on in times of need. Sometimes I felt as if I were always on call. Years and years I roamed, through futile attempts to run away from myself, I ran out of places to run to. If these are…
