Posts

I’m Not Saying Conservative Christianity is Anti-Jesus. Jesus is.
The steady stream of vitriol I receive from professed Christians who identify as MAGA or QAnon or Republican is completely understandable. As they fire-off threatening texts, furiously tap out expletive-laden

The Day Fascism Wins In America
AP Photo/John Minchillo What will you do on the day fascism wins in America? Months from now, when you realize that the terrible things you always dismissed as virtual impossibilities

The Mortal Sin of Anthony Fauci
Photo by Jody Rogac A reader outside of the US messaged me today and asked me to explain the Right’s incessant attacks on Dr. Anthony Fauci. From his vantage point

Things You Think When You Think You’re Dying
Have you ever thought you were dying? Not, I was so embarrassed I thought I’d die. Not, I‘m dying for a cheeseburger. Not even, one die I’m going to die.

A Message From ICU Nurses to the Unvaccinated
Disclaimer: I am not an ICU nurse. I am a collector of stories, a war correspondent. My life’s work is to meet people in the brutal and bloody trenches of

Yes, I’m A “Hateful” Human Being
I often have people tell me that I’m a hateful human being. Sometimes, these are complete strangers who incessantly lurk like sharks in my Twitter feed, other times estranged family

Dear Conservative Christians—Exactly What Jesus Do You Believe in?
Dear Conservative Christians, I need your help. I’m trying to figure out your stance, here. I can’t make sense of it. You’re telling me that you’re a follower of Jesus.

The Trauma Anti-Vaxxers and Anti-Maskers Are Inflicting on Children
It’s open season on school children. In the wake of nearly two years of a pandemic that has raged furiously through the planet, politically-poisoned, religion-addled people who’ve spent that time

I’m Tired of Caring More About Republicans Than Republicans Do
I’m really tired. Marrow-deep, hope-sucking, soul-choking exhausted. There are all sorts of reasons for this: a seeming endless pandemic, the unfathomable death toll, a mass defiant resistance to the most

This Cruelty is the Trump Effect on America
Yesterday, a video showed up on my timeline of a middle-aged white woman in a grocery store following another woman and her daughter around, intentionally coughing on them, smirking and

If You’re Still Ignoring 1/6, Don’t Talk To Me About 9/11
September is here. Every year, when the calendar changes, they arrive: the #NeverForget-ers. Soon, millions of Americans will post their flowery tributes and loudly broadcast their patriotism and tweet out

The Easy, Selective Morality of the Pro-Life Movement
Sometimes truly seeing people is a real bummer. I recently found out through a series of unhinged social media posts, that an old and dear friend of mine from my

How to Know if You Have the Wrong Religion
In organized religion, one of the central questions has always been and continues to be Who has it right? For millennia, billions and billions of human beings spanning the planet

When Your Personal Freedom is Killing People
Photo by Jeremy Hogan/SOPA Images Freedom is an unearned privilege—and you have it. If you were born here in America you inherited it. It came with your breath and your

America Can Become Afghanistan.
I’ve seen this movie before. Watching the Taliban gloating in the Presidential palace in Kabul this week after violently overthrowing the government there, gave me major January 6th déjà vu.

Conservative Christians “Trust God, Not Science”—Until They Can’t Breathe
Every single day I’m inundated with professed Christians who steadfastly and loudly refuse to be vaccinated under the auspices of their faith. They write to me or respond on social

Selfishness is America’s Deadliest Virus
I can’t believe we’re still here. I can’t believe that we’re entering the second full year of this unfathomable madness. We are, and we don’t need to be. Here in

Choosing Mental Health, Simone Biles Has Already Won
Simone Biles has already won. Tokyo will have no say in the matter. These Olympics will not be the last word. Her professional resume speaks for itself. Her physical prowess,

How to Become an Influencer
People often refer to me as an influencer and ask me how I became one. They invite to influencer gatherings and put me on influencer conference panels and ask me

The Sadness of Sharing a Country With Trump Supporters
A similar thing happens to me on many mornings lately. My eyes open and I suddenly become aware that I’m awake. My mind quickly begins assembling the first few seconds of my day

For Conservatives, The Cruelty isn’t the Point—Power is
The cruelty is the point. I’ve heard people use this phrase when speaking about Conservatives in America for a while now. In the face of a decision as objectively adversarial

Our Family Got Vaccinated. We All Got COVID. We’ll All Live.
Two weeks ago, we took a family trip out of state, our first in eighteen months. Three-quarters of us had been fully vaccinated with two doses of the Pfizer shot,

Bill Cosby and the Second Trauma of Abuse Survivors
(Trigger warning: discussion of sexual assault, rape, abuse, violence) Bill Cosby is free. The 60 women he assaulted are not. As he steps into the undeserved light of a life

God is Nonbinary
He’s got the whole world, in His hands… I learned this song so long ago that I actually don’t remember learning it. It seemingly came with my default operating system:

I’m Not Saying Conservative Christianity is Anti-Jesus. Jesus is.
The steady stream of vitriol I receive from professed Christians who identify as MAGA or QAnon or Republican is completely understandable. As they fire-off threatening texts, furiously tap out expletive-laden

The Day Fascism Wins In America
AP Photo/John Minchillo What will you do on the day fascism wins in America? Months from now, when you realize that the terrible things you always dismissed as virtual impossibilities

The Mortal Sin of Anthony Fauci
Photo by Jody Rogac A reader outside of the US messaged me today and asked me to explain the Right’s incessant attacks on Dr. Anthony Fauci. From his vantage point

Things You Think When You Think You’re Dying
Have you ever thought you were dying? Not, I was so embarrassed I thought I’d die. Not, I‘m dying for a cheeseburger. Not even, one die I’m going to die.

A Message From ICU Nurses to the Unvaccinated
Disclaimer: I am not an ICU nurse. I am a collector of stories, a war correspondent. My life’s work is to meet people in the brutal and bloody trenches of

Yes, I’m A “Hateful” Human Being
I often have people tell me that I’m a hateful human being. Sometimes, these are complete strangers who incessantly lurk like sharks in my Twitter feed, other times estranged family

Dear Conservative Christians—Exactly What Jesus Do You Believe in?
Dear Conservative Christians, I need your help. I’m trying to figure out your stance, here. I can’t make sense of it. You’re telling me that you’re a follower of Jesus.

The Trauma Anti-Vaxxers and Anti-Maskers Are Inflicting on Children
It’s open season on school children. In the wake of nearly two years of a pandemic that has raged furiously through the planet, politically-poisoned, religion-addled people who’ve spent that time

I’m Tired of Caring More About Republicans Than Republicans Do
I’m really tired. Marrow-deep, hope-sucking, soul-choking exhausted. There are all sorts of reasons for this: a seeming endless pandemic, the unfathomable death toll, a mass defiant resistance to the most

This Cruelty is the Trump Effect on America
Yesterday, a video showed up on my timeline of a middle-aged white woman in a grocery store following another woman and her daughter around, intentionally coughing on them, smirking and

If You’re Still Ignoring 1/6, Don’t Talk To Me About 9/11
September is here. Every year, when the calendar changes, they arrive: the #NeverForget-ers. Soon, millions of Americans will post their flowery tributes and loudly broadcast their patriotism and tweet out

The Easy, Selective Morality of the Pro-Life Movement
Sometimes truly seeing people is a real bummer. I recently found out through a series of unhinged social media posts, that an old and dear friend of mine from my

How to Know if You Have the Wrong Religion
In organized religion, one of the central questions has always been and continues to be Who has it right? For millennia, billions and billions of human beings spanning the planet

When Your Personal Freedom is Killing People
Photo by Jeremy Hogan/SOPA Images Freedom is an unearned privilege—and you have it. If you were born here in America you inherited it. It came with your breath and your

America Can Become Afghanistan.
I’ve seen this movie before. Watching the Taliban gloating in the Presidential palace in Kabul this week after violently overthrowing the government there, gave me major January 6th déjà vu.

Conservative Christians “Trust God, Not Science”—Until They Can’t Breathe
Every single day I’m inundated with professed Christians who steadfastly and loudly refuse to be vaccinated under the auspices of their faith. They write to me or respond on social

Selfishness is America’s Deadliest Virus
I can’t believe we’re still here. I can’t believe that we’re entering the second full year of this unfathomable madness. We are, and we don’t need to be. Here in

Choosing Mental Health, Simone Biles Has Already Won
Simone Biles has already won. Tokyo will have no say in the matter. These Olympics will not be the last word. Her professional resume speaks for itself. Her physical prowess,

How to Become an Influencer
People often refer to me as an influencer and ask me how I became one. They invite to influencer gatherings and put me on influencer conference panels and ask me

The Sadness of Sharing a Country With Trump Supporters
A similar thing happens to me on many mornings lately. My eyes open and I suddenly become aware that I’m awake. My mind quickly begins assembling the first few seconds of my day

For Conservatives, The Cruelty isn’t the Point—Power is
The cruelty is the point. I’ve heard people use this phrase when speaking about Conservatives in America for a while now. In the face of a decision as objectively adversarial

Our Family Got Vaccinated. We All Got COVID. We’ll All Live.
Two weeks ago, we took a family trip out of state, our first in eighteen months. Three-quarters of us had been fully vaccinated with two doses of the Pfizer shot,

Bill Cosby and the Second Trauma of Abuse Survivors
(Trigger warning: discussion of sexual assault, rape, abuse, violence) Bill Cosby is free. The 60 women he assaulted are not. As he steps into the undeserved light of a life

God is Nonbinary
He’s got the whole world, in His hands… I learned this song so long ago that I actually don’t remember learning it. It seemingly came with my default operating system: