Rejecting Maleness: An Apology to the Revolution
The Journal of Mennonite Writing asked me to submit for their queer issue. I don’t identify as Mennonite, but I did grow up in the church, so I asked my audience what to write about.
They suggested I answer a common question: In a world without rigid gender roles, would anyone need to be trans?
Read the full essay »Related ‘transition’ Articles
Trans Vagina Monologue: My Body, My Gender
I was invited to write and perform my own Vagina Monologue for the 2018 It Grows Wild production.
Read the script »Chosen Family (Thank You)
Yesterday, I shared an article about my impending surgery, and a request for help — both social and financial — as I go through this. I was embarrassed to ask, and not sure what to expect, but your response has been swift and overwhelming. I can’t thank you enough, but I’ll keep trying.
Mia’s Medical Upgrade
Denver Health has started offering vaginoplasty in addition to their other trans medical services. While I’ve been on the waitlist for various surgeons around the country, Denver Health called me this week to give me a date: September 10, less than two months away.
Sex, Love, & Romance
I don’t have many guy friends, but my guitarist is one. Parting, I lean in for the cheek-kiss but he plants a good one right on my lips.
—Allison Washington
(Mis)Gender
Reflections on the instinctive act of gendering, how it can go terribly wrong, and what happens next.
Shifting Nouns
I’ve seen myself in the mirror. I find me… disorienting. What do they see that I don’t? Why aren’t they laughing at me?
—Miriam Suzanne
Mothers, Fathers, Husbands, Wives
Mother finds me at her wardrobe, in her pumps and pearls. What are you doing? Being a mommy. Are you, then? She clips on the earrings (they pinch!), reaches for her lipstick.
—Allison Washington
Body & Gender Fragments
I wasn’t born in the wrong body. I was born, a body. Without my body, I don’t exist.
America Heard: Transitions
My friend Maureen Maloney asked to document my reaction to the 2016 election, as part of the America Heard film series…
Some Clarifications on Trans Language
There’s a lot of language that gets thrown around, but much of it comes loaded with over-simplified baggage and misconceptions. Here are a few that have been on my mind – from gender identity to biological sex, transition, passing, and visibility.
Miriam: A How-To Guide
There are some questions that come up again and again if you are trans. A few of those questions are terrible, but most of them are well-intentioned. I’m lucky to have a supportive community around me, so I thought I’d write down my most common answers to help ease your stress about getting it right, and ease my stress about answering the same questions over and over.