What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. ( Ecclesiastes 1:9) While the terms ‘transgender’ and ‘gender dysphoria’ are new, the phenomenon of believing yourself to be trapped in the body of the ‘wrong’ gender is not. There is archeological evidence of… Read more Medieval Understandings of Being Transgender
I had an epiphany about certain cultural realities almost 20 years ago. At the time, I was newly married, in grad school studying medical anthropology, and living in Dallas, TX. I had been reading copious amounts of scholarly works about ethnicity and culture. I had been trying to explain habitus and systemic racism to undergraduates… Read more The White Fragility About White Privilege
I was a transgender ally, even before my son came out as a trans boy. I was shocked and appalled to learn that not all feminists are trans allies. Some feminists are flat out transphobic. They insist biological sex is the only aspect that truly counts in gender identity, and cis women are the only… Read more Controlling the Dialog
At the moment, JK Rowling is feeling very hard done by due to the backlash against her transphobia. Those who support her, and support a transphobic agenda, are particularly butthurt that they are being called bigots. Tough. That is exactly what they are. The very definition of a bigot is: a person who is obstinately… Read more Bigotry without Bigots
Edward II was crowned king on 25 February 1308, and nothing much went well for him after that. Why do some historians and authors of popular history write such scathing and distorted reports of Edward II? Why do even some academics overlook facts to concentrate of salacious might-have-beens? Homophobia, pure and simple. It doesn’t have… Read more The Fear and Loathing of Edward II
Not much is known about the early life of Cuba Cornwallis, one of the most famous Caribbean healers in 18th and 19th century. She might have been born into slavery, or she might have been captured in Africa and sold into slavery as an older child or adult. What is known is that at some… Read more The Amazing Life of Cuba Cornwallis
There were four major “fire” festivals for the ancient Celts marking the turn of the seasons — Beltane, Lughnasadh, Samhain, and Imbolc. These were the holy-days that fell halfway between the a solstice and an equinox. Imbolc falls between the winter solstice (Yule) and the spring equinox (Easter/Lady Day), around 1 February in the Latin calendar, and it marked the Celtic… Read more Happy Imbolc and St. Brigid’s Day to You
Anne Boleyn miscarried a male fetus on 29 January 1536. This also happened to be the day of Katherina of Aragon’s insultingly small funeral. One wonders what the superstitious Tudors made of that? Henry’s queen was most likely into the second trimester when the fetus spontaneously aborted. In spite of continued speculation to the contrary,… Read more Miscarried of Her Savior
The Mari Lwyd is a traditional folk custom that managed to survive in South Wales, particularly around the area of Glamorgan. It involves a hobby horse, which is a horse’s skull mounted on a pole with glass eyes, being carried by a person hidden under a large sheet of decorated white cloth, and it can freak… Read more Mari Lwyd Rides in the Vale of Glamorgan
Princess Charlotte Augusta of Wales was laid to rest on 19 November 1817, and it can truly be said that the entire nation mourned. The 21 year old princess, second in line to the throne, had died of childbirth complications on 6 November, to the dismay of the kingdom. A royal death wouldn’t create such grief again… Read more The Funeral of Princess Charlotte Augusta of Wales