Tag Archives: huffington post

Chaz Bono Joins Dancing With the Stars: Will This Impact the Public’s Perception of the Transgender Community? On Huff Post

Good Afternooon Everyone!

My article “Chaz Bono Joins Dancing With the Stars: Will This Impact the Public’s Perception of the Transgender Community?” is now on The Huffington Post. If you haven’t yet read it please check it out.

In the past year, Chaz Bono has become the unofficial spokesperson for the transgender community. Right now, gay marriage in the US is an issue that most people are familiar with to some extent, while transgender individuals still puzzle and scare some people. With the opposition that gay Americans have received for demanding the same rights attained by their heterosexual neighbors, you can only imagine how a transgender individual would be received. The subject itself is still very taboo and saved for satirical movies like The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Often, transgender and transsexual individuals are considered more of a freak or joke than individuals with thoughts and feelings.

When I heard that Chastity Bono was going through a sex change, I was as surprised as much as anyone else. I’ve known several transgender people, none of whom have made the transition. It is understandable why there are not more people in the world like Chaz Bono. Most people would got be open and comfortable being their true selves when it so brazenly goes against the grain of what public opinion currently deems acceptable. But imagine what it would feel like to be born in the wrong body. That is often how a transgender person describes the way they feel about themselves.

Finish reading the article at Huff Post

Comments Off on Chaz Bono Joins Dancing With the Stars: Will This Impact the Public’s Perception of the Transgender Community? On Huff Post

Filed under Inspirational

Forgiving My Rapist- Now on The Huffington Post

Good Afternoon Everyone!

If you haven’t yet read my article “Forgiving My Rapist,” please check it out at The Huffington Post. The article is not just about finding the strength to forgive one of the people who messed up my life but more so about the courage and strength it takes to stop blaming and forgive yourself. This is an article that anyone can relate to- rape victims or not.

Forgiving My Rapist

I received a tweet from a reader in regards to my article“Confronting My Rapist.”

The tweet states,

“I read your article about facing your rapist. You are a better woman than me, I couldn’t have acted so politely and diligently.”

I found the tweet to be extremely thought-provoking. Though I responded to my rapist with expletives and warnings to never bother me again, it was through email and not in person. By the sound of my reader’s tweet, when faced with the same scenario, she might’ve kicked the guy’s butt (or at least cussed him out). This thought made me smile, I can’t say I don’t blame her.

When it comes to my situation, I never really thought about vengeance. I was too caught up in hurting myself and messing up my own life because of the unbearable pain. Thinking about it now, it might feel good to go to his home, smash the windows of his car, and break everything he owns, but would that solve anything? If I destroyed all his belongings he would still be more reparable than how he left me.

Finish Reading the Article here 🙂

Comments Off on Forgiving My Rapist- Now on The Huffington Post

Filed under Growth, Healing

Confronting My Rapist on The Huffington Post

If you haven’t yet checked out my post, “Confronting My Rapist,” please follow the link and check it out on HuffPo. This is a must-read piece that I’m extremely proud of! I hope you appreciate it!

It takes a strong person to confront their rapist. Sometimes it is unavoidable. In cases of rape between family members or friends, you will undoubtedly see this person again. Other times people are forced to confront their rapists in the court of law in order to get the justice they seek. The majority of rapes go unreported (95% of sexual assault victims do not report the crime to the proper authorities).

I was so young when I was raped I thought I would be the one who got in trouble if I reported it. So I didn’t get the courage to speak up for a decade. By that time, any physical evidence that was left had faded. I spoke to police and counselors about reporting it but they told me it wouldn’t be an easy case to prove with only circumstantial evidence. Since there were two rapists involved, I thought maybe it was possible that one would rat the other out to save their own butts. It was a possibility, but nothing was for certain.

Click here to read the rest of this post.

Comments Off on Confronting My Rapist on The Huffington Post

Filed under Healing, Life Lessons, Sexual Assault