Published in Assemblage·Mar 14, 2021Member-onlyMy Transphobic Brother Discovered I’m TransHe said he’s OK with it, but I don’t believe him — Yesterday, Mom spoke to my older brother for the first time in over a year. But when she mentioned me, she did what came naturally to her — used my chosen name, not my birth name. Incoming: Confusion. Mom went into panic mode. She didn’t call me that name he…Life5 min read
Published in A Work of Fiction·Jan 24, 2021Member-onlyThe Tree’s ReprieveShe forgave her killer — A man of twenty-eight years bought a piece of land to farm. But there, in the middle of his future-plowed field, stood firmly a tree of over two-hundred years. She lifted high, shading him in the summer heat. Her branches extended out wide and crooked. …Fiction3 min read
Published in Assemblage·Jan 21, 2021Member-onlyA Small Act of Kindness Saved My LifeYet they don’t even know they saved me — For the bulk of my young life, my most vivid memories are of me wanting or waiting to die. Life’s strange that way. As a kid, I couldn’t imagine growing up. Yes, I wanted to be bigger, and stronger, and more independent. …Mental Health5 min read
Published in Assemblage·Dec 15, 2020Member-onlyI’m 28, Trans, and I’ve Never DatedIt’s time to be my authentic self — I am a straight trans man, and in my 28 years of life, I have never, ever dated someone. You read that right. I’m nearly 30 years old, and I’ve never been on a date. I know this might seem like a red flag to prospective future romantic interests, but…LGBTQ8 min read
Published in Assemblage·Dec 12, 2020Member-onlyCaring for a Disabled Relative is a Full-Time JobThe government should treat it as such — The diagnosis took us all by surprise. My sister, a mother of two in her early thirties, had aggressive multiple sclerosis. While not completely disabling for all of those diagnosed with the disease, MS in its aggressive form quickly took its grip on Rachell. Her legs grew numb. The numbness…Family5 min read
Published in An Injustice!·Dec 4, 2020Member-onlyTrans Men Are Not Gender TraitorsTrans men are men, period — One of the first things my mother said to me when I came out as trans was, “Can’t you just be a boy on the inside and a girl on the outside? It hurt. We were headed down the highway to the closest clinic prescribing hormones. An hour-and-a-half away and…LGBTQ5 min read
Published in An Injustice!·Nov 10, 2020Member-onlyI Was a Teenage Catfish, Then I Realized the Truth of Who I AmThe online community helped me embrace my transgender identity before I had the words to claim it for my own — Around age 14, Mom bought me my first desktop computer. Computers were new to me. I didn’t even own a cellphone yet. I thought my oversized Zune MP3 player was high tech. The idea of a computer — and the Internet — overwhelmed my mid-2000s teenage mind. I busied my…LGBTQ7 min read
Published in Assemblage·Nov 2, 2020Member-onlyThe ‘But What Ifs’ of GriefThe lies we tell ourselves — I remember the day he died. My heart collapsed. My sister fell to the floor. The world crumbled under our feet and the only thing we could manage to say was, “Are you sure it’s him?” At the time of my brother Jon’s death in 2016, he had been the…Nonfiction4 min read
Published in A Work of Fiction·Oct 27, 2020Member-onlyStill TurningA dying robot finds an unexpected companion — Pyron watched at first light the latest dumping. TrashBot 101 upheaved its large truck bed back against the pond edge and vomited out an array of spoiled metals and plastics. From the base of the windmill, Pyron had perfect sight of today’s landfill haul. There were legs and arms, long…Fiction5 min read
Published in A Work of Fiction·Aug 31, 2020Member-onlyA Gift to Die ForI think Eli is the devil — Mama says I cain’t play with Josh’s dog cause Josh’s dog is mean. I don’t like Eli. Eli is almost bigger than me. He chews on my shoes. He ate the leg off my red Power Ranger. Josh even let him eat my grilled cheese last night. I told on…Fiction5 min read
