Shit, I say that to my son. I tell him he’s a gorgeous kid all the time, but I also tell him he’s smart and clever as hell. Because he is, and I too can’t imagine not telling him this.

Oh hey! We have the same mom! Except mine never took me to therapy. But that was her exact MO - I can treat you like shit, because I am your mother and that’s just how I am. If you are hurt or angry because of what I say, that’s entirely your problem because you are a basket case without a thick skin. You should…

My hair looked a lot like that when I was 10 three years later. Except my mom decided that my hair should be short, so my hair ended up looking like something an 80 year old might sport. Thanks, Mom.

DUDE. My mom has curly hair herself and did this. Her own mother had curly hair and did that to her and me.

Oh, goodness.

I’m picturing you looking like a young David Bowie. That’s a compliment!

Mine didn’t come from a parent, but from a sibling. I was a tad chunky during my adolescence, which my brother rarely neglected to point out. But one comment he made not only stung, but it was also shockingly, appallingly racist:

I know, I always liked being a bridesmaid. That said, my friends are pretty chill and the experience was always fun rather than tedious or nerve racking. None of them chose dresses that made us look hideous. I also did it only three times, so I never got to the point where I was sick of doing it. I’m not much of a…

A friend of mine had his sister stand up for him at his wedding. She picked out a dress in one of their colors. She got her pick of style as she was the only woman in the whole wedding party. It was gorgeous.

“Also, please remember that transgendered women are the *real* rapists who want nothing more than attack your daughters in bathrooms. Please vote to disenfranchise them every chance you get. We’re only doing the Lord’s work.”

I think there is an upside in that Charlie seems to have some peace of mind. I don’t know why he was paying people so much money to stay silent, but it sounds like it was a very stressful situation. It sounds as though he may have cleaned up his act in terms of drug and alcohol usage in an effort to preserve his…

I can’t say I’m shocked that Sheen contracted HIV, but I will say I’m a little surprised that he avoided it for so long only to contract it (probably) in his mid-40s.

Add Tennessee to the list.

Thank you! Trans and gay identities aren’t always mutually exclusive.

Exactly. I was just pointing out that sometimes people identify as both trans and gay/lesbian. The terms are not mutually exclusive.

There are plenty of trans people who were, for example, born biologically male yet are attracted to women. After these folks transition to women, many identify as gay women. Hence, trans gay people, who are not few in number.

So where does this leave the many trans folks who identify as gay?

This is why Pippi appealed to me as a child as well. Not only did Pippi live alone and care for herself, but even most of the adults in her life eventually agreed that she was capable of doing so, even if they didn’t always agree on her methods. In my case, I think Pippi’s stories spoke to me because I was a youngest…

Neither. Be outraged that these women are wearing shorts while sliding into bases. That leads to some really nasty abrasions.

There was from 1950-1971. A new league was formed five years ago. I’m not certain that these women were part of the first league, but that’s a good bet.