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A Girl With Abstract Dreams
I have lived my entire life as a girl with abstract dreams and obscure fascinations. I live in color, dream in black and white, write in poetic prose, and speak in metaphors. My résumé paints a picture of a quintessential free spirit. To those who know me, I am an enigma. Can you remember who you were, before the world told you who you should be? Charles Bukowski When I was born, the doctors labeled me a hermaphrodite. When I was a child, teachers called me an idiot. When I was a teenager, I knew that I was indeed different, and it was during this time in my life that…
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From Ties That Bind To Freedom: How I Escaped The Cycle Of Codependency
For many years, I lived in a constant fear of being abandoned by the people around me, so I did everything in my power to keep them happy and close by me. That strategy worked fine until the day I found myself standing all alone without anyone else to turn to. My earliest memories are of chaos. Chaos both at home and school, one seeming not to escape the other. It’s because of this that I made sure as soon as I had the means, I would turn and run away. But, I could never get away from the broken ties of ropes left over from the circus of our…
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I’ve Lived A Life Less Ordinary
Today is the day that I’ve decided to write down all the things I’ve been holding back my entire life. Now is the time for me to finally write about black forests and wolves, the monster under my bed. This is my time, blessed, reverent, I understand. I was born intersex; for the first few years of my life, doctors weren’t sure of my birth gender. My parents decided to name me Thomas, and as I grew, I was effectively raised as a girl, which would have been my choice if I had been asked. Although I attended pre-school as a girl, my father insisted on enrolling me in grade…
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Closer To Fine By The Indigo Girls Reminds Me Of My Own Life
I first heard Closer To Fine by The Indigo Girls when I was 16 and since then, it has always had personal meaning to me. Whether I’m feeling overwhelmed or going through something difficult, this song seems to remind me of how important it is to remember that you are never truly alone. Closer to Fine is a song that I’ve heard a hundred times, yet I never fully paid attention to its lyrics. It was written by two incredible musicians named Amy Ray and Emily Saliers of The Indigo Girls. As they sing in harmony, they make me feel like my experiences are relatable—like I’m not alone. They remind…
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The Pride Blogger Tag
This tag originated on Indiecator; I found out about this tag from a blog I follow called A Geek Girls Guide. Where are you from? What’s your name, age, etc.? Introduce yourself!I am Thomas Slatin (nice to meet you!) I was born and raised in New York, but have moved to Vermont, and plan to live here for the rest of my life. You can read a lot more about me here. What are your pronouns?My pronouns are She/Her/Hers. How do you feel about pronouns? Have you preferred different ones in the past?I have always preferred She/Her/Hers my entire life. What’s your sexuality?I am a cisgender female, and a lesbian.…
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What It’s Like To Be Born With Female Pseudohermaphroditism
My name is Thomas, and I was born with a condition called female pseudohermaphroditism. My condition means that while I was born with normal-looking male genitals, I also had a functioning female set of internal reproductive organs. 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 as an adolescent that I…
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Lyrics That Influenced A Generation
Much of my writing was influenced by the song lyrics I grew up listening to as a child. The music artists from the 1990’s era were especially influential, such as Pearl Jam, R.E.M., Toad The Wet Sprocket, Counting Crows, and Sarah McLachlan. They are lyrics that influenced a generation, and those which inspired me creatively. While a handful of the individual song titles eventually became titles for my writing and photography, creativity in and of itself is nothing more than a mashup of the experiences in ones life. It is the culmination of thoughts, experiences, conversations, and ideas. Recently, Amelia and I were discussing the band R.E.M., and how it…
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11th Grade English And Other Musings
I still remember my 11th grade English class like it was yesterday. My teacher was someone whom my parents and I regarded, and to this day, continue to regard as a blundering idiot, who, throughout the duration of the school year, failed to teach me anything useful about English. My teacher would grade my work unfairly. He liked to intentionally mispronounce my name in class and call me Slaytone. He knew I wanted to be a writer when I graduated, and found fault with my work, regardless of what other faculty members thought of its quality. I clearly remember my parents complaining to the school about the overwhelming and obvious…
