In early 2020, I began the process to have my name changed legally. Again.

This is a common rite of passage for most transgender people, as we come to terms with our identities and seek to find a name that better suits us as we begin our transition journey. However, I have changed my name legally twice before, and neither of those changes were for gender related reasons.

Childhood confusion

To begin with, my deadname was Gigi. However, this was never my legal name. It was a nickname my mother and grandmother called me. It was the name of their favorite movie…

Everywhere you look these days, you’ll see people adding their pronouns as pins to their clothing or to their internet profiles. For many queer people, being referred to by the correct pronouns is important to us, and it’s great that our allies are helping to normalize the practice.

Still, those with the best intentions mess up sometimes. I know it’s not always easy. I’m a trans guy and even I get people’s pronouns wrong sometimes. Once when I was at a Target, I wasn’t paying attention to the cashier, and I hadn’t picked up on the fact that she was…

Someone I recently met saw some photos of me before I transitioned. I don’t hide them, so that wasn’t an issue. However, when she began gushing about how pretty she thought I was in those photos, it made me uncomfortable. At first, I responded with an awkward, um, thanks, but then she kept going. I had to ask her to please stop twice before she realized I did not appreciate the praise.

Backhanded Compliments

I know most people mean well and may not realize how praising a trans person’s past appearance may come across. However, there are plenty of people who purposely…

On July 13, 2021, Amazon launched a new serialized story platform called Kindle Vella. As a published author through Amazon KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing), Amazon notified me in April of the upcoming rollout and invited me to prepare a story for the launch. This has been my experience on the platform for the first month since it went live in the US.

How the platform works

Before I discuss the pros and cons, let me first explain how the platform works. Kindle Vella is a serialized story platform, where readers can read a story in a series of episodes. They provide the first three…

I mostly write about LGBTQ issues here on Medium, but beyond this platform I write works of transformative fiction and have published gay erotic stories under my pen name Grayson Bell. As a gay, transgender man, I also read a fair amount of gay erotic romance. There are many amazing works out there, but some make me cringe when I read them. So I wanted to give some tips to those interested in writing this genre.

LGBTQ People are Human

If you’re writing about any marginalized group, including LGBTQ folks, remember they’re human. Their sexuality and gender identity are not an all-consuming focus of…

I frequently write about the negative experiences transgender people face, but I want to step back and take a moment to appreciate the good things I have found in being trans.

Anonymity

Anyone close to me knows I have transitioned. They have watched as my appearance changed over the past few years. However, anyone I lost touch with before my transition is less likely to recognize me, and that’s wonderful.

I’ve had a falling out with a few people who I’d much rather not interact with again, including some ex-boyfriends. If I run into them in public, not being recognized gives…

Recently, the Olympic Committee banned athletes from Namibia because their testosterone levels were too high. You may think this was because either they were doping or they were transgender, but they weren’t. Their naturally occurring testosterone levels were merely higher than the required guidelines. Guidelines that were put into place to allow transgender women to compete in Olympic women’s events. Those same limits are now preventing natal born women from competing.

Instead of protecting cisgender people, especially women and children, the rules and legislation that are put into place to limit the rights and freedoms of transgender people are now…

It has become increasingly clear that our science education is lacking. From ridiculous conspiracy theories like the insistence the Earth is flat or that vaccines cause autism, to dangerous and discriminatory policies based on outdated or misunderstood science.

What is science?

Let us begin with the basics and define what science, and by extension the scientific method, is.

“Science, any system of knowledge that is concerned with the physical world and its phenomena and that entails unbiased observations and systematic experimentation.” — Encyclopedia Britannica

Science has three branches: physical, biological, and social. Physical sciences include chemistry, geology, physics, and astronomy. Biological sciences include…