I saw that one!! It was so whacked. I did not figure how they got Christian and started talking about the Bible from that.

Is there some weird rule that our usernames need to include our gender and sexuality, otherwise commenters will always assume we are the opposite of an educated opinion on any given topic?

Thank you so much! This is a lot more eloquent and calm than the response that I first drafted. I get particularly rankled when someone applies the wrong gender to me. I am somehow a hetero cis male from my comment?

This happens all of the time, though. Like where I live (in Canada), a lot of our prostitution laws are to protect victims of trafficking.

The problem with this approach is that you are assuming that calling something 'wrong' will do anything about it - it won't. No, we don't accept pedophilia, but studies show that pedophilia can't be 'cured' any more than homosexuality could be when people were trying to do that (and I know they still are in some…

I LOVE you! This is exactly what I was going to respond with! I've read a lot on pedophilia and it's been described by many pedophiles and some doctors as almost a 'sexual orientation', i.e. something that is so fundamental it is not going to change regardless of punishment and stigma. The most successful treatment…

You're so right.

My professor told me that if you tell the jury selection people that you work in a 'critical' field (for us, critical criminology) you are almost instantly struck from the pool.

I feel like this won't change, because with the baby boomers, elder poverty, long lives and our medical care, an enormous number of employees will probably end up in your situation. Like my mother is taking care of her ailing father with the help of the whole family, and between the dozen of them they're struggling to…

That's what I've been wondering! I said this elsewhere, but it seems like this is exactly why single women and men are more successful in typical office environments (as far as job advancement goes). I'm sure there are all sorts of biases as well, but you are (hopefully) going to be chosen for promotions and raises…

But... but isn't this why women with children are the last to receive promotions and raises?

Well, I'd say hiding your sexuality from your spouse is a pretty serious lapse in communication!

I mean comparing how they respond versus similar gendered stories - but that's funny! I read Dear Prudence and never noticed a lack of gender pronouns - maybe she doesn't either?

Maybe not, though - like he was forced to give advice that would apply to any gender, and his advice was actually GOOD. Maybe once the biases connected to gender roles and sexualities is removed, you can approach the issue in a useful way. In some cases you are probably right (ex. a custody battle, since gender there…

Am I the only one who wants to start writing gender-pronoun-free letters to advice columnists 'round the globe, just to see how they respond?

I'm mostly responding to starkruzr, who's saying that both eggs would contribute to the child's makeup. I might have used the wrong word (DNA) but I'm sure contributing some material would be exciting for some moms, rather than none.

I thought that too!

Wow! So does this mean that lesbian couples will be able to have children together that share DNA (i.e. with a donor sperm)? I wonder if they'll let people do this by choice, instead of necessity?

Are we only mad about the homophobia? Would death threats alone be less bad?

YES! Thank you!!