The first time I ever saw the @aids_memorial Quilt was in the big gym at @Harvard, in 1990. I was 16, and though a large portion was displayed I only remember one panel – a huge white square with a
Star of David embroidered richly in the middle, 1/5
a shimmering watery blue of metallic thread, and beneath it, in silver letters, the Hebrew word Zachor – remember.
I… dissolved. I began to sob – again – and reflexively I started to say Kaddish, the Jewish
prayer for the dead, over the panel, this ungainly teenager, 2/5
Sep 12, 2022 • 11 tweets • 2 min read
Did I ever tell you about the time I helped a girl dump her homophobic boyfriend without even meaning to?
Buckle up, it’s a Monday thread:
Our kiddos used to go to a preschool in a converted old house. By the time we got there it was a full sanitizable-surfaces and
half-doors situation but the outside still resembled a 70s Toronto single family home, including big windows facing the street on the 2nd floor. It was a lovely peaceful-vibes-chaotic-energy school and our kids both loved it there overall.
Apr 6, 2022 • 10 tweets • 2 min read
I was “in the newspapers as a youth activist” level of O-U-T as a queer student at 16yo in 1991. EVERY SINGLE ONE of the objections we now see about trans youth was made about me, and I am FURIOUS at all the gays and lesbians my age who are falling for this now. To them:
I fought for every student to have the equal right to attend school safely regardless of their gender or sexuality and I got hate mail, I got screamed at by crowds, I got condemned to death while most of you were still closeted. I testified at the statehouse; I visited
Apr 5, 2022 • 4 tweets • 1 min read
Your Monday reminder that absolutely nothing about the work of equity and justice is efficient or optimized or linear or consistent and there are very few big wins. It’s all minor amounts of tenuous progress held together with optimism and chewing gum.
Still worth it though.
I am mentioning this partly because I am seeing so many DEI jobs open up, and a) I can’t imagine how a person could do DEI in their own workplace and not on a contract because sometimes you have to tell people things but also people will say things you can never un-hear (oops 🧵)
In honor of Labor Day, here’s some free #trans labor for you: a solid three-step method to getting someone’s #pronouns right every time.
1. Hold yourself accountable for corrections. At first, you’re going to make mistakes. That’s not great, though it’s expected. BUT:
To gain competence, correct yourself every time.
This is not the time to do a big extensive apology or get in your feelings or start offering your thoughts about why you’re struggling. Just say “Sorry. SHE said...” Apologize briefly, correct, carry on. Every time.
