Remember when U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos scrapped the Obama administration’s guidelines on campus sexual assault because they were “confusing“? Remember how some Very Serious People, even liberals, praised this as a good-faith effort? (Some folks seem to believe that there’s an epidemic of really good guys being falsely accused of rape and this is the worst thing in the […]

Anne and I are friends with Nikki Joly from my hometown of Jackson, Michigan. On Thursday of this week, the home she shares with her partner, Chris Moore, was destroyed by a fire, killing their two German Shepherds and three cats. In addition to being a nurse and a veteran, Joly is the director of the Jackson Pride Center and […]

Earlier this year, the City Council of Jackson, Michigan passed a non-discrimination ordinance (NDO) that prohibits discrimination against anyone for housing, employment, or public accommodation based on sexual orientation and gender identity. The vote was 5-2. Shortly thereafter, a local group of Jackson residents, supported by clergy in local Catholic churches, started to circulate petitions to rescind the NDO and […]

In early February of this year, the City Council in Jackson, Michigan approved a non-discrimination ordinance (NDO) that prohibits discrimination against anyone for housing, employment, or public accommodation based on sexual orientation and gender identity. It’s essentially a move that extends basic civil rights provided to most Michiganders under the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act to Michigan citizens in the LGBTQ […]

Less than a year ago, the administration of President Barack Obama issued an historic guidance document instructing school administrators that anti-transgender rules, regulations, and laws are in violation of federal law including Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. This guidance was received the full-throated support of U.S. Secretary of Education John B. King Jr., Attorney General Loretta E. […]

Protections remain in place to prevent trans-specific exclusions, so enroll before the January 31 deadline for 2017. Let’s face it: There’s a lot of uncertainty right now about the future of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), or Obamacare, but that’s no reason for anyone to put off getting signed up for insurance in 2017. In fact, there is no better […]

The past several days have been a bit of a blur for me. I sat down to write out my feelings several times immediately following the election to no avail. So, I finally decided to sit with my thoughts for a few days and listen to what others had to say. During my moment of reticence, I heard numerous explanations […]

When her youngest child came out as transgender, this woman recognized her own truth. This is part of a story series about the lives of transgender people. Read the introduction here. From the time she was young, Jacqui Leaonna Turner didn’t understand why the males were prettier than the females in every species in the animal kingdom except for humans. […]

After decades of painful confusion, this transgender woman’s journey has a happy ending. This is part of a story series about the lives of transgender people. Read the introduction here. Like many transgender people, Kara Marie Ramsey struggled from an early age to reconcile the gender she was assigned at birth with the way she felt inside. By the time […]

The brave example of his best friend inspired this transgender man to express his truth to everyone. This is part of a story series about the lives of transgender people. Read the introduction here. Growing up in a small town in Michigan, Ashton Niedzwiecki didn’t know that anything beyond the female gender he’d been assigned at birth was possible. He […]

After decades of living as the Mormon Church, his family and society expected him to, this transgender man is finally living his truth. This is part of a story series about the lives of transgender people. Read the introduction here. Seth Carwyn grew up Mormon, living under the strict rules of the faith that were followed by his family. He […]