Personal Essays

Personal essays and reflections about lived experience, meaning, survival, identity, and the private realities behind public systems.

  • Don't Tell Me "Not All Men," Then Tell Me I'm One of Them

    November 1, 2026

    When "not all men" redirects a woman's pain and transphobia questions her womanhood, both avoid the harm. On misogyny, accountability, and real allyship.

  • At 44, the Phoenix Rises

    October 31, 2026

    On turning 44, rebuilding after profound change, returning to advocacy, and choosing joy without surrendering the fight.

  • Love Should Not Require Self-Abandonment

    July 8, 2026

    A Blackthorn Field Notes essay on love, self-abandonment, emotional safety, and why healthy connection should not require someone to erase themselves to keep the peace.

  • Welcome to Blackthorn Field Notes

    May 4, 2026

    The launch of Blackthorn Field Notes: a place for advocacy, disability, systems, survival, and the work of staying human.