Published in Prism & Pen·Jul 15, 2022Member-onlyHow a Simple Seed Saved my Marriage but Complicated my Gender DysphoriaIf only my gender journey could be as easy to save as my marriage — At the time, my girlfriend was deciding whether to break up with me again. Honestly, I wanted to be a great boyfriend. And honestly, I sucked at it like 90%, maybe 95% of the time. The worst part was that I knew it and still couldn’t seem to get past…Love3 min readLove3 min read
Published in MindTrip·Jul 14, 2022Member-onlyWhy Are So Many of the French So Damn Thin?How do the same people that invented pastries & french fries manage to always slip into skinny jeans? — From Benjamin Franklin to Anthony Bourdain, Americans have been obsessed with the French diet for centuries. There are plenty of reasons for the fascination: French food is always delicious, minus the occasional poorly-herbed snail or frog leg. French food is always luxurious, especially when compared to America’s big box, fast…Diet4 min readDiet4 min read
Published in MindTrip·Jul 8, 2022Member-only3 Things I Hate Loving About the FrenchWhy are the best things in life are… so… French — Living in France completely ruined my life. Like a great love affair in my rear-view mirror, I find myself constantly looking back… wondering what it is about France that made my life so… “magnifique.” What hurts most is knowing that “it’s me, not France,” that’s the problem. …Travel6 min readTravel6 min read
Published in Prism & Pen·Jul 8, 2022Member-onlyThe Best Remedy for a Nasty Case of Ingrown Gender NormsI’m tired of people assuming I’m allergic to nail polish — Public service announcement (or intriguing literary hook for my kids): I’ll be saying the word “penis” once or twice in this article. As a penis owner, 85% of the time that I walk into a nail salon it’s assumed I’ve got an allergy to nail polish. …Gender3 min readGender3 min read
Published in MindTrip·Jul 7, 2022Member-onlyMy Anxious 9-Year-Old Taught Me All I Need to Know About LifeWhen life gives you lemons, just chuck them in the toilet — It’s a sunny fall afternoon and I’m fortunate to be walking my four boys home from school. Ahead of us, the rolling hills of the Beaujolais cascade into the distance, topped with a medieval church steeple. Three of the four boys bound around me like hopped-up gazelles just freed from…Travel3 min readTravel3 min read
Published in MindTrip·Jul 4, 2022Member-only3 True Confessions of a Nomad FamilyWe don’t have it figured out but it’s definitely worth keeping at it — Our family of seven recently made the jump into an amazing and terrifying adventure: a trip around the world, spanning five continents in twelve months. We might have traded out our zip code temporarily, but that doesn’t mean life has suddenly become idyllic. …Travel5 min readTravel5 min read
Jul 3, 2022Member-onlyHow Watching a Sex Worker Taught Me Everything I Need to Know About SexGood Luck to You, Leo Grande is about SO much more than sex — I’ve never written a movie review. Nor do I ever plan on writing one. So be assured that this 3-minute read does not intend to reveal plotlines, character development, or any of the other staples of a quality review. Instead, it will just be about sex. More specifically, why anyone…Sexuality6 min readSexuality6 min read
Published in Prism & Pen·Nov 14, 2021Member-onlyThe Ridiculous History Of Gender As We Think We Know ItBlue for boys and pink for girls is as old as legwarmers and Teddy Ruxpin — Every day, roughly 385,000 babies are delivered in hospitals and homes scattered across the world.Transgender5 min readTransgender5 min read
Nov 11, 2021Member-only3 Life Lessons Proving that Travel is Life’s Greatest Teacher of Love3 continents, 3 unforgettable moments, 1 big broad application — Lesson #1: The Power of a Simple Smile Location: Kigali, Rwanda Rwanda is most famously known for the horrific genocide that started in April 1994. In less than 100 days, over 800,000 people were slaughtered.Love6 min readLove6 min read
Published in MindTrip·Nov 10, 2021Member-onlyWhy America’s Work-Life Balance is a Joke in France (and Everywhere Else)**except for… no… never mind. — Years before moving abroad, I’d heard mythical tales about how lazy the French are: “Oh those French… they’re always on strike” “You only worked 35 hours this week?! What are you French?” “The French are famous for taking coffee breaks every 15 minutes, for at least 30 minutes at a…Travel5 min readTravel5 min read
