Transgender Travels Through Gender, Space, and Time

June 24, 2015April 19, 2016Leave a comment

But I cannot say that I was “born this way,” because I was born this way and many others. I dare not argue that my gender is valid because is has always been this way, because I know that I will likely continue to transform in the future. So, I say this: growing up, I was queer at some times, a boy at others, and oftentimes a girl. Always, I did not know what I was becoming.

Read the rest of my essay here, published as a part of the “Pride” issue of Chicago Literati.

Image credits: Pierre EmD and NASA

Comic curmudgeon Harvey Pekar faces truth about Israel (Book Review)

June 8, 2015June 9, 2015Leave a comment

Not the Israel my Parents Promised Me is the story of one of the quietest of human dramas: the act of changing one’s mind.

In this graphic novel, legendary comic book writer Harvey Pekar and illustrator JT Waldman examine Pekar’s disillusionment with the State of Israel. Pekar and Waldman weave together Jewish history with Pekar’s memories from his childhood experiences as the son of ardent Zionists. Published two years after his death, the book captures Pekar’s talent for unabashed truth-telling.

I really enjoyed reviewing Not the Israel My Parents Promised me. You can read the rest of my review here, on Electronic Intifada.

High Fidelity: 5 Reasons We Love our Record Player

January 23, 2015January 23, 2015Leave a comment

Vinyl. I’m telling you something for your own good, pal. There’s nothing like the warmth of vinyl. I’m excited to announce that my article is featured on Offbeat Home. Click here to read why I love record players.

Results Inconclusive

January 9, 2015June 24, 2015Leave a comment

Results Inconclusive, a story I originally performed as a live lit piece at Story Club Southside, is now published by Story Club Magazine. It is a bittersweet story about growing up queer and nerdy and the scientific study of father-child relationships. I hope you’ll check it out.

Race and Gender in Doctor Who: Beyond Who Plays The Doctor

July 4, 2013December 25, 20142 Comments

When it comes to who should replace Matt Smith as the next star of the TV show Doctor Who, many fans are hoping for one thing: anyone but another white guy.

For nearly 50 years, the Doctor, the time-traveling main character of Doctor Who, has been portrayed by white men. Fans concerned with social justice are right to clamor for a different sort of Doctor. While the Doctor may be an alien, over the course of the show the character has come to represent the best of humanity. That’s why it is especially important that the Doctor be portrayed by a person of color or a woman – or, dare we dream, a woman of color, a person with a disability, a queer person, or transgender person, or a combination of all the above.

But while we wait to meet the new incarnation of this beloved sci-fi character, fans should turn their attention to racial and gender representation in an area of Doctor Who that isn’t immediately visible on screen: the executive producer.

Read the rest of my article, just published on Racialicious!