“When a marginalized person claims language to describe their oppressed identity, they are speaking themself into existence in a society that is trying to annihilate them.”

The discrimination and shame that often accompanies being fat can impede medical care, relationships, work — and your understanding of your own gender identity.

Lori Duron’s 10-year-old gender creative son: “I’m a boy who likes girl stuff. I don’t even like calling it girl stuff and boy stuff. There shouldn’t be girl stuff and boy stuff; it’s all just stuff.”

After a long wait, C. N. Lester’s book Trans Like Me is out — so they take the opportunity to share advice any blogger-who’s-also-an-aspiring-author would find valuable.

C.J., age 8, on his first Pride parade: “I liked the vibe. I liked all the colors. But, most of all, I liked all of the people. Nobody judges anybody. You can just be who you want to be. There should be Pride every week, because it’s so much fun,” he explained.

“Anyone who’s gay can relate to the challenge of finding greeting cards for special occasions. Whether it’s Valentine’s Day or anniversaries, there just aren’t a lot of options for us, at least not in the usual venues.” This year, Jerry Mahoney found a great Father’s Day card for his husband.

For Alex DiFrancesco, coming out as transgender — even to themself — wasn’t possible without first disappearing.

After her partner gave birth to their daughter, blogger and scholar Lucy Allen reflects on a complicated delivery, made more so by hospital staff making her feel unequal and unacknowledged as a parent.

Brian Burns on identity, queerness, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer: “Buffy didn’t necessarily make me into who I am but it did allow me to be who I was.”