Haha, I think we're both misunderstanding each other (and I know I'm not helping — I'm exhausted right now, so clarity isn't my strong suit). I wasn't meaning that YOU were saying the "THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS" thing — that was just my hyperbolic way of saying that it sounded a little unbelievable to me. I exaggerate way…

No, I don't think that — I've seen your name around enough to know that I shouldn't go into the defensive/angry-response-mode. (I always remember the usernames I like, and I like yours!) While I read your post as more of a "I think it's really weird the school does this" sort of way, saying that a school gives LGBTQ…

My thoughts exactly. I mean, I'm not saying it's impossible that this happened, but it sounds a lot like one of the "THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS IF WE GIVE DEM GAYS EQUAL RIGHTS" scare tactics the far right likes to use.

That's absolutely ridiculous. In regards to your friend, my first thought was, "Is it a legal thing? I.e., he hasn't yet made it to the step of getting his name changed in court?" — but if they're also not recognizing women who have changed their name through marriage, then it's not a legal issue. I know I already…

Yeah, that's the kind of accusation that should come with a citation. Or even, y'know, the name of the school. It sounds trollish otherwise.

1) This is not bullying — not even close.

I only just recently learned "sex reassignment surgery", and was not aware of the other two terms. Thanks for the information!

I think that's pretty typical, actually. :)

UGH. Storytime!

There are some pretty hilarious writers on Jez. Incidentally, that was an expertly crafted back-handed compliment.

It's funny — all I can think of when I see pictures of huge places is "Hell no, I'm not cleaning that". And, yeah, I know rich people usually get maid service, but I guess I'm just weird in that I like to take care of my own dirty laundry, so to speak.

Oh, I wouldn't be surprised, but that doesn't mean it doesn't frighten me. I mean, where am I going to pick my nose and/or wedgies?

"Sadly there is no easy answers here beyond wiring everyone up and recording every moment of every persons life."

OP was definitely being misogynist, but I do see your point. It's tough to find a better solution, though; this case is a great example of why anonymity of alleged victims is used — you've got someone accusing someone in power/authority with grossly misusing that power, including outright manipulation of individuals…

Thank you so much. The rest of the comments in this thread were seriously making me want to rip out my hair.

If it was that easy to 'fix' an abusive situation, domestic violence wouldn't be the epidemic that it is. It can be really easy to look at your own situation and say "If only 'x' had happened, things would've been better", but you can never really know if that's true. Even if you assume it is, applying it to a…

Recovery is different for everyone. For your friend, her abuser may be "a distant, painful memory" (and can you really know that? It may not seem that distant to her!), and three years may have been more than enough time for her to get her mind around it and heal. Clearly, for Rihanna (and many other survivors, I'm…

I think of that kind of rage — the kind that makes people beat other people — to be like an addiction, in that someone ALWAYS has that in them. And just like addicts, if you really want to stay 'clean', you have to get help, do all the hard work of therapy (generally years), and then you have to serve your sobriety by…

That just made me ridiculously warm and fuzzy. :} Thank you.

This. That statement made me so proud of her, and she's a complete stranger. After being challenged to "write something more serious" by a playwriting teacher, I wrote a play about my rape and subsequent suicide attempt. It's something I've worked hard to get past, and I was proud that I was able to write it. She said…