I don’t know her depression, or your depression - I barely understand mine most days - but if that’s how she comes to grips with her experience, she should be allowed to speak to it.  She isn’t making a sweeping statement about Depression, just her own experience.

And I don’t even think she was describing depression as beautiful but the intensive sensitivity to the world that may have been the locus of it. 

No but how can we know we’re better than other people if we don’t look down our noses at the mainstream? I need to know I’m special!

Exactly.  There’s a big difference between “these crystals will cure your depression” and “I’ve learned to live with my depression in a way I can experience as beautiful.” For her to describe the latter is not a personal attack on people who don’t share her experience, but this article sure feels like a personal…

This x 100.

Imagine expressing how you have learned to cope with your mental health, only to be told you’re wrong because it might not be relatable for everyone.

I posted this as part of a reply to another Trans-athlete article a few weeks ago. The point stands and is in fact more salient here than it was when I last posted it:

I 100% believe these girls who were born as boys identify as female and are trans.

That’s a lot to lay on the tiny shoulders of a child. Do you feel this much “ire” every time you see a white girl with a messy bun? All children look unkempt after running around and playing all day, but only Black children get maligned as a disgrace to their entire race for doing what kids do. Can they ever just live…

she has internal testes.

This continues to be one of the worst, most naive takes on Deadspin. Sometimes, you can’t operate on what you wish was true and you have to operate on what *is* true.

This stupid thing is said *every* time here and it’s still wrong. Phelps is competing against literally everyone. Semenya is competing against a subset limited to women, while possessing a significant advantage of having male testosterone.

In regards to your Phelps example, let’s say swimming had two divisions; one for people with short arms and one for people with long arms. Phelps and his freakishly long arms qualify for the long arm division. Do you think it would be fair for him to compete in the short arm division?

Sure.

He has nothing to own up to.  

As long as you’re white and have money and power, no one gives a shit what you do!

What indigenous group or pueblo are you from? How do you feel about designs and patterns being take from your people and used to profit a company?

Remarkable, and amazing, that she had the strength and courage to compete at such a high level for so long while dealing with cancer.

Really glad to see you writing on this! Was keeping an eye out for you in this latest round of news. I’m in the camp that she should be allowed to run, but I do think there is some (some) overlap with the weight class argument in terms of being able to group competitors together who might not otherwise have a…

She adds that “a woman can be a woman and still not be permitted to participate in women’s sports.”