adventurerliberated

My painful longing to find a way into “Boystown”

I’m visiting Chicago for the weekend. And this afternoon I spent a few hours exploring the streets of Boystown, Chicago’s official (& the nation’s oldest officially-recognized) “gay quarter”. I probably should have gone on a different day — I hadn’t realized there was an event going on which led lots of people to visit thisContinue reading “My painful longing to find a way into “Boystown””

Conscience, or vocational, crisis

I’m at a quantum workshop & recruiting event at the University of Chicago theoretically “chaperoning” two students whom the program that I manage is supporting. But I’m doing a lousy job. Because I’m too upset. First, the restroom incident this morning started off my day very badly — for the thousandth time at events likeContinue reading “Conscience, or vocational, crisis”

Battle for pronouns & restroom equity at CQE (University of Chicago)

STEM events, even in “liberal” or “progressive” places like the University of Chicago, are still very lacking and behind when it comes to restrooms. When I got to the event this morning, of course name tags had no pronouns on them and the only way to get one’s pronouns on the tag was to writeContinue reading “Battle for pronouns & restroom equity at CQE (University of Chicago)”

United under the Rainbow

This is my first time flying with my new Colorado DL/REAL ID, going through TSA with an ‘M’ (instead of ‘X’ or, previously, ‘F’) on my ID. And it’s been wonderful for now. Not because of the ‘M’ — after all, I’ve been “sir’ed” and “man’ed” when traveling through airports for at least a coupleContinue reading “United under the Rainbow”

Big Day

Today’s a big day. I’m going into the city to go to the office where I can initiate the sex-change paperwork for my European IDs. And then I’m going to meet the gender-expansive gay guy for “shared closure of our ‘winter fling’ / ‘attempted friendship with benefits’”. One big beginning and one final ending today. Continue reading “Big Day”

“Feel it and be free”

“Feel it. The thing that you don’t want to feel. Feel it. And be free.” [Nayyirah Waheed]

Our democracy is at risk and cannot be taken for granted

Plenty of other signs should have been telling us already for a while that with Donald Trump and his fascist, phobic oligarchy our democracy is seriously and realistically at risk. But if those weren’t clear enough, then the startling admission from GOP Senator Lisa Murkowski, “We are all afraid”, should really raise the alarm. “Continue reading “Our democracy is at risk and cannot be taken for granted”

Travel solo to explore or escape?

[Content warnings: loneliness, sorrow, loss, breakups, death of parent.] Traveling has always been part of my life: it was something we did with my family of origin; then, I also started doing it with the families of my best friends and, eventually, just me and my friends. Technically, the first time I traveled by myselfContinue reading “Travel solo to explore or escape?”