On being the only female at the skatepark: The pressure, bullying, and the sexism
As a lone female in a skatepark full of men, you stand out. They make comments. They laugh. They criticize. But most upsetting is that harassment and unwanted advances are encouraged when you are a singular women around a large groups of men. This is my story of skate park misogyny. Then let’s talk about your tips or advice for being the only female at the skate park? How do you handle the pressure, the bullying, and the sexism?
Gender and sexuality: Is there an “Inappropriate Question Hour” anywhere?
When I was in college, there was an amazing “Inappropriate Question Hour” where people agreed to leave their privilege and prejudices at the door in order to educate one another. I haven’t found anything like it since. Does anyone know of any resources or communities where people can participate in the gender and sexuality conversation without fear?
Becoming a wife and mother: What’s going to happen to my identity?
The kind of questions my husband and I get are totally different. People ask him, “Are you ready to lose your freedom?” while people ask me, “Are you ready to be a mother?” Maybe it’s just the way these jokes and comments and questions stacked up, but it doesn’t feel like I can just “lighten up.” Any confidence I had in myself to ignore what people were saying quickly dissipated, and one of my newest and biggest worries was born.
As I grow in my relationship with my husband and future family, what’s going to happen to my identity?
Do my interactions with strangers shape my toddler’s view of gender?
Three years and a thousand miles away from my graduate program and the endless discussions on what it means to resist dominant discourses of heteronormativity, I find myself tempted to cut the curls I adore. I believe that little boys should be able to have flowing tresses and that rosy cheeks and pink pajamas are not the property of femininity. And yet, I get tired of correcting all the well-meaning strangers who compliment my child with the wrong pronoun. And despite myself, I wonder what message Morgan learns from their confusion.
Any non-gendered advice on meeting the parents for the first time?
I’m in my late 20s and I’ve never really done the whole “meet the parents” thing before. Most of the advice I can find online is pretty sexist (dress conservatively, offer to help in the kitchen to show that you can run a house!). Is there anything I should know that isn’t super gender stereotyped?
What’s the deal with gender-neutral parenting?
In recent years, however, we’ve seen a trend come about: parents are now choosing to raise their kids in “gender neutral” ways, eliminating any preconceptions about what a child should like or not like based on the sex they’re assigned at birth, in varying degrees.
More exciting than being Superman: What it’s like living as a closeted, trans, sex worker
I keep trying to come up with a snappy way to describe the experience of living a triple life, and I keep failing. For a while, I was telling new people that I was like a really boring version of Superman but that doesn’t feel true either. I am “Legal Name,” “Sullie,” and a sex worker. In a single day, I might check five different emails, four Twitter accounts, two Tumblrs, and two Facebooks before I even get out of bed.
On finding accessible, de-codified, LGBT language
Offbeat Bride featured an article about power, privilege, gender, and oppression when it comes to weddings which I totally love! But there is a lot of language in it that many would not understand. Does anyone have any advice or ideas on how to discuss these complex issues using simpler language?