It’s been three years since I became a published children’s book author and this year I’m pausing to celebrate! First and foremost, I am celebrating you, the community that has helped get the book into the world! Thanks to you, we’re almost sold out of our second run, and Janine Macbeth, of Blood Orange Press […]
Published on Huffington Post here. It’s a Tuesday after school and 25 elementary school personnel are gathered at the Office of School Health of the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD). They are there to learn about gender diversity and how to bring this conversation into the elementary schools. The District is breaking new ground by […]
The Gendering of Language When you pay attention, it’s hard to miss the fact that gendered words are part and parcel of everyday language. For most of my life, I just took these habits for granted. But, raising my child, and learning from the LGBTQ+ community has made me more aware of how deeply ingrained […]
“What will I be for Halloween?” is on the minds of many children this month. Halloween can be a time when anything is possible, but these possibilities can also be snatched away by pressure to fit gender stereotypes. Here are some reactions I’ve gotten from kids that were sparked by the book I wrote about a child […]
My early parenting experiences were sometimes hard. My child Danny liked to play with dolls and dress up as a princess and I didn’t know if that was okay. I’ve learned a lot since then, and today I’m sharing some of what I’ve learned about the impact of gender boxes on children. As early as […]
One of the first things I remember hearing after my baby was born was, “You had a beautiful baby boy”. I gave my child a boy’s name and dressed them in clothes made for boys. But, raising a child is often full of the unexpected. “Accept the children the way we accept trees—with gratitude, because […]
This post was published on Huffington Post, Huffpo Japan, and A Note to my Kid. It has since been edited to reflect my child’s nonbinary identity and pronouns. I tell my child I love them all the time. I also tell them that I’m very proud of them. One thing I don’t tell them every day […]
Published in Huffington Post here. “You had a beautiful baby boy.” Those were the first words I heard after my child was born. I named him Daniel and started dressing him in clothes made for boys. But, raising a child is often full of the unexpected. It soon became obvious that Danny was different than […]
