Improbable Neighbours
A Corner of Transgressive History
gender
Finding Nemo… or Nema? Gender Fluidity in Nature
Many of us delighted in the Disney film “Finding Nemo” Several of the traits ascribed to various fish shown in the movie are relatively accurate, but some of the more fascinating characteristics of clownfish received no mention. Clownfish have matriarchal societies and change their gender from time to time. With
We Really Love Working Here — Really…
There was a comedy game show on television not so long ago called “Whose Line is it Anyway?” The tagline was: Where the show is made up and the points don’t matter. I always thought that tagline could have been an insightful summary of the North American workplace. Was
The Invisible Woman — My Superpower
I have a superpower. My superpower is a cloak of invisibility. It’s the cloak bestowed upon elderly women, whether we want it or not. This cloak is hard to remove, and once relinquished, punishment is swift. Let me give you the most recent example of my invisibility. The other
Pronouns of Acceptance
Firstly, I would like to thank my dear friend Frank. I came to know this remarkable man almost a decade ago and have nothing but respect and admiration for him. It should also be stated that we come from very different backgrounds (he was raised and lived in various southern
The Ugliness of a Beauty Pageant Cleaning Service
Recently, a commercial has been shown over and over again, and each time I see it I find it increasingly disturbing. It is disturbing because it is misleading, panders to the pretentiousness of potential clients, uses incorrect terminology, objectifies women and youth, and is breathtaking in its disdain toward workers.
Caterina Vizzani (AKA Giovanni Bordoni): A Transgender Life in the 1700s
Transgender issues are nothing new. Ancient Egyptians had gender bending rulers, as did many other ancient cultures. But let us explore an intriguing individual from the 1700s. Born female in Rome in 1719, Caterina Vizzani lived a short life, dying in Siena at the age of 24 years in June
The Marriage of the Dead and Capitalism at the Altar of Petroleum
Spiritualism and Capitalism certainly make for odd bedfellows. In the United States, both commercial oil interests and spiritualism were born at almost the same time and geographically close to one another. Both dealt with the unseen — the spirits of the departed and the rich resource buried deep in the ground.