My Work
Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind. - Fritz Perls
My work has appeared on Huffington Post, The Week, McSweeney's,The Cauldron on Sports Illustrated, Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, Good Housekeeping, Redbook, Scary Mommy, House Beautiful, Parenting, Parents, Country Living, and The Washington Post.
RECENT
The Classical Roots of White Supremacy, Learning for Justice, January 2021
How #MeToo is leaving child victims behind, The Week, March 2018.
Adults owe victims of child sexual abuse more than awareness, Huffington Post, March 2018.
Teaching about slavery in the high school Latin classroom, In Medias Res, February 2018.
10 tips for talking about politics in the classroom, TED-Ed blog, March 2017.
SEXUAL ABUSE, ASSAULT, & TRAUMA
'I feel whole.' After 30 years a woman confronts her abuser- and herself, The Washington Post, 11/13/2014
"It often feels safer for victims to deny or minimize the extent and impact of the abuse. Naming and disclosing the experience can dredge up intense emotional pain, shatter the identity a victim has worked hard to construct, threaten his or her sense of normalcy, and disrupt interpersonal relationships, particularly if the perpetrator is still in contact with the victim or his or her family."
Since you asked, Roy Moore, here's why victims of sexual violence wait decades to come forward, Huffington Post, 11/2017
"I, like many victims, took decades to find the courage to name my abuser and seek justice for the crimes he committed when I was a child."
The Boogeyman Isn't in the Bathroom, Huffington Post, 9/2016
"When wrestling coach Dennis Hastert, NCAA coach Jerry Sandusky, and my coach were assaulting children who trusted them, high school and college bathrooms were single-sex, only heterosexuals could marry, and discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation was commonplace. None of these attitudes, practices or laws kept me safe. None of these attitudes, practices, or laws kept other victims of sexual assault safe either. In fact, many perpetrators hide behind the same beliefs that you espouse and promote."
9 things you should never say to a rape victim, Marie Claire, 8/4/2015
"2. Any question that begins with "why." I got a lot of "why" questions. They inevitably put the victim on the defensive."
Why I kept in touch with the person who abused me, Marie Claire, 9/4/2015 (Reprint on Redbook)
"If you're a victim like I was, I hope you know there is no script for how to react, behave, or recover—and staying in touch with your perpetrator doesn't make you guilty of being complicit in his or her crimes.
If you're not a victim, don't judge. A victim's continued association or friendship with his or her perpetrator is not proof that a crime never happened. It's proof that he or she is trying to move on, and have some semblance of a normal life."
Breaking free of silence and shame, Huffington Post, 6/3/2015 (Reprints at To Write Love on Her Arms and Good Men Project)
"I've had to expand my definition of strength- stoicism and numbness are not strength. Strength is confronting the scariest parts of our pasts, even if it is messy. Even if it involves tears and anger. Even if it - at times - overwhelms us. Strength can be abject brokenness, but it is also self-acceptance and hope for a healthier future."
Don't call me strong, Huffington Post, 6/12/2015.
"It is easier for society to look at strength rather than the cause of the brokenness. Rape. Incest. Sexual molestation. Sanitizing the impact by almost exclusively calling victims "survivors"makes it easy to ignore the pervasiveness, insidiousness and life-ruining (and, on a larger scale, society-ruining) impact of these disturbing crimes."
The Classical Roots of White Supremacy, Learning for Justice, January 2021
How #MeToo is leaving child victims behind, The Week, March 2018.
Adults owe victims of child sexual abuse more than awareness, Huffington Post, March 2018.
Teaching about slavery in the high school Latin classroom, In Medias Res, February 2018.
10 tips for talking about politics in the classroom, TED-Ed blog, March 2017.
SEXUAL ABUSE, ASSAULT, & TRAUMA
'I feel whole.' After 30 years a woman confronts her abuser- and herself, The Washington Post, 11/13/2014
"It often feels safer for victims to deny or minimize the extent and impact of the abuse. Naming and disclosing the experience can dredge up intense emotional pain, shatter the identity a victim has worked hard to construct, threaten his or her sense of normalcy, and disrupt interpersonal relationships, particularly if the perpetrator is still in contact with the victim or his or her family."
Since you asked, Roy Moore, here's why victims of sexual violence wait decades to come forward, Huffington Post, 11/2017
"I, like many victims, took decades to find the courage to name my abuser and seek justice for the crimes he committed when I was a child."
The Boogeyman Isn't in the Bathroom, Huffington Post, 9/2016
"When wrestling coach Dennis Hastert, NCAA coach Jerry Sandusky, and my coach were assaulting children who trusted them, high school and college bathrooms were single-sex, only heterosexuals could marry, and discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation was commonplace. None of these attitudes, practices or laws kept me safe. None of these attitudes, practices, or laws kept other victims of sexual assault safe either. In fact, many perpetrators hide behind the same beliefs that you espouse and promote."
9 things you should never say to a rape victim, Marie Claire, 8/4/2015
"2. Any question that begins with "why." I got a lot of "why" questions. They inevitably put the victim on the defensive."
Why I kept in touch with the person who abused me, Marie Claire, 9/4/2015 (Reprint on Redbook)
"If you're a victim like I was, I hope you know there is no script for how to react, behave, or recover—and staying in touch with your perpetrator doesn't make you guilty of being complicit in his or her crimes.
If you're not a victim, don't judge. A victim's continued association or friendship with his or her perpetrator is not proof that a crime never happened. It's proof that he or she is trying to move on, and have some semblance of a normal life."
Breaking free of silence and shame, Huffington Post, 6/3/2015 (Reprints at To Write Love on Her Arms and Good Men Project)
"I've had to expand my definition of strength- stoicism and numbness are not strength. Strength is confronting the scariest parts of our pasts, even if it is messy. Even if it involves tears and anger. Even if it - at times - overwhelms us. Strength can be abject brokenness, but it is also self-acceptance and hope for a healthier future."
Don't call me strong, Huffington Post, 6/12/2015.
"It is easier for society to look at strength rather than the cause of the brokenness. Rape. Incest. Sexual molestation. Sanitizing the impact by almost exclusively calling victims "survivors"makes it easy to ignore the pervasiveness, insidiousness and life-ruining (and, on a larger scale, society-ruining) impact of these disturbing crimes."
HUMOR
Honest Latin mottoes for your overrated university, McSweeneys, August 2017.
The fun run: Kindergarten's greatest sporting event, The Crooked Scoreboard, 5/19/2015 (Satire)
"The day I’ve been waiting for all year has arrived: it’s the Kindergarten Fun Run. The school didn’t measure the course, but I did. It’s 0.84 miles. I also checked the course for glass, because in our family, we run barefoot, like the Tarahumara."
Honest Latin mottoes for your overrated university, McSweeneys, August 2017.
The fun run: Kindergarten's greatest sporting event, The Crooked Scoreboard, 5/19/2015 (Satire)
"The day I’ve been waiting for all year has arrived: it’s the Kindergarten Fun Run. The school didn’t measure the course, but I did. It’s 0.84 miles. I also checked the course for glass, because in our family, we run barefoot, like the Tarahumara."