switched to WP!

Today I switched to Wordpress. It's not quite finished yet, but soon it will be! I will be posting there from now on. Give me a little while to transfer over everyone's links. Actually, this is a fabulous opportunity to say hey - if you link me and I don't link you back like the bitch that I am, will ya tell me? that way the new one will be complete.

Sexual Autonomy / Sexual Freedom

I really can't believe I waited until today to check out Sinclair's post about Sexual Autonomy and Sexual Freedom. My answer is was short. Until I started writing.

For me, Sexual Autonomy means having age-appropriate access to the wealth of information that exists about different types of relationship styles, different sexual activities, fetishes, and interests, as well as safer sex practices and contraception. I think this will only happen when we live in an environment that encourages open communication, mutual respect, and an understanding of the important role that sexuality plays in every person's life. I think that's what sexual freedom is, too. Perhaps autonomy means that technically, we all have a choice in what type of sexual life we engage, whereas freedom means that people in your life won't harass you for your choices... even if they might be the "wrong" choice. We can all screw up or bless our own lives equally!

I don't think any one moment in time created sexual freedom in my life. If I had to pinpoint a time when I became free, I would probably choose the day that I drove back to my hometown after leaving a religious training school a day's drive north of here. It wasn't any one sexual act, but it was the fact that I was disregarding other people's rules, and making them up for myself. Each day in the journey to sexual freedom, I loved myself and knew myself a little bit more. After years of suppressing and ignoring my sexual being, finally, enough was enough and I wanted to be in control. It wasn't just my sexuality that got freed up, it was the rest of me as well! I went back to college to get the degree I knew that I wanted (Women's Studies / Feminism), I took my stuff out of storage and found my own place to live, and about a year later, I met Dana. I wasn't expecting to like her as much as I did, but she pretty much blasted all of my "preconceived notions" out of the water. Our family histories are so similar, and we have made it our number one priority to talk about anything and everything as soon as it comes up, so that we don't hold onto confusion and anger. The best part is that it's not "too good to be true" - our relationship together has snags in all the right places, so that we build each other up instead of tearing down the one we love.

For the longest time we lived in a state of constant fear. "What if we break up?" and "If we're still together by that time, then we'll..." But that's no way to live. So for now, we're together indefinitely - which means that there is no end foreseeable... until further notice. And I'm very happy with that.

I know this post was meant to be about sexual freedom, but that is what being with Dana means to me. She means having all my sexual needs met, and being allowed to ask for what I want, and being allowed to spread my love around. Being with Dana means getting to explore new things, talking about our likes and dislikes openly and honestly. It means me being able to experience sacred sexuality gatherings, and to talk to her about my girl crushes (and precisely the same for her as well!)

It's good stuff, I tell you what. I found a letter last night that she wrote to me back in July. She said, "You are the perfect seasoning to my very hearty broth!" Now if that doesn't make you laugh freely then you need to get your heart checked.

Let's be free to be, you and me, shall we?

Writing for Femme's Guide

For those of you who don't know, I have been contributing to The Femme's Guide to Absolutely Everything since September. I don't like to cross post, and I've done a poor job of letting you all know when I post over there. You can read all my posts here. In lieu of timely announcements, an overview of a few recent posts follows:

In "Thigh Chafing: You Don't Have to Grin and Bear It" I laid out an armory of weapons with which to combat inner thigh chafing. Not a fun thing, yet it's a rather frequent event in the warm Southern climate.

Money Matters I recommended a blog called femme economics at Queercents.com, which deals with creating and maintaining one's femme image on a budget.

I contemplated whether butches or femmes are the "stronger" of the two, in Who's the Strongest?, but I came to the conclusion that we face the world together, holding each other’s hand for confidence and balance.

In the first of two posts I made in preparation for my Queer Theory term paper on femm e and femininity, I chronicled some of the events that lead to The Origin of my Femme Identity. This post was followed by my most recent post, where I came up with four answers to the question, "How Does Femme Queer Femininity?".

One of my goals is to start doing product reviews on makeup items. I've recently been working with mark. makeup and I'm falling in love with their commitment to portable makeup and on-the-go application. I'll be writing that soon, work schedule permitting. I'm working 40 hours this week... haven't done that in months!

Another year, another banner - help!

Last year, my dearly treasured Mr. Sexsmith created the lovely banner that you see here.



I have been rather pleased with it for the longest time, and it was one of my most special and unique gifts last December.

Since the NYC Sex Blogger Calendar came out, though, I have been struggling to prepare the new layout for my switcheroo over to wordpress.com because I do not know the interface over there very well, and also because the colors in the banner match my blogger theme and I can't figure out how to incorporate this theme into the available wordpress themes. Also, it has to be exactly 720 x 180 pixels, which is a different size than the current banner.

So, my darlings, wouldn't one of you love to craft a new banner for me? My new theme will likely be white, so any photo will do. You can see all of the photos I've posted here under label "shots".

I'll be ever so glad to send you something in return. My specialties lately have been beer bread and cookies of all sorts. Make your request, and you will find your mailbox filled with home baked goodies. If you're not the type to eat food from strangers, I'm sure we can work something else out :) I make handmade note cards from nature photos that I have taken, I could send you a ten pack with envelopes! See? The options are endless.

A post about last week's best threesome ever to come!

Sugasmo! #152

This Week’s Picks
Sugarbutch Star: Maze - The Girl in the Red Dress
“She’s the kind of girl who brings out the worst in me.”

treat or … fuck
“He looked like I had just given him a car for Christmas and he gently took my hand and led me upstairs. ”

A Life Exposed and Amplified
“We were breaking the rules and being dirty.”

Mr. Sugasm Himself
Sugar Bank

Editor’s Choice
I told him I loved him. He gave me a pen.

More Sugasm
Join the Sugasm

See also: Fleshbot’s Sex Blog Roundup each Tuesday and Friday.

(Sugasm participants should re-post all the links above within a week. The following links may be excluded as long as you include all the above links.)

Erotic Writing and Experiences
Break On Through
Eiffel Tower
Fast Jenny
A Few Orgasms Before Bed
Geisha
Goodbye, my Love
lustlustlust
Mexican Girlfriend
Mixing business and pleasure
Mistaken Identity
Unblemished

Sex Advice
How to Have Anal Sex with a Big Penis
Is Fantasizing Wrong?
Is Sex Without Oral a Dealbreaker? You Decide.
Lasting Longer in Bed

NSFW Pics, Videos & Audio
Georgia Jones wants to go for a ride
HNT. Forest Nymph
HNT! (One more cherry, popped.)
Kamila - The Restoration
More from the knee socks series
PSA: Breast Cancer Awareness
Seductor

Sex Work
Dating Civilians 101

Sex News, Reviews, & Interviews
A New Twist on an Anal Sex Toy
On Tuesday, Vote for Equality

BDSM & Fetish
-3 Days
Bad Girl
The big dodge
Blind date: Impressions of a Dom
Dirty Boy
egg scissors
Do you want to cum? How bad?
Jake gets Punished in Spanking Movie
Kneeling In Style
Long Night in Thee Cow Shed
Marked: An Open Letter
Mistress by Proxy, part 2 : the slut
The New Bath Brush
Pimping him out
Pondering Piercings
Quickie

Sex Humour
Friday Poem: Achy Achy Cunt

Thoughts on Sex and Relationships
HNT-Time
Hubby’s Halloween Hit. Confession #167
The Space Between
Two women, two stories

PSA: Breast Cancer Awareness

Earlier this month I was tagged by Natt Nightly. I'm just going to repost what Natt said:

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, and here’s an easy way to get involved:

The Breast Cancer site is having trouble getting enough people to click on their site daily to meet their quota of donating at least one free mammogram a day to an underprivileged woman. It takes less than a minute to go to their site and click on ‘donating a mammogram’ for free (pink window in the middle).

This doesn’t cost you a thing. Their corporate sponsors /advertisers use the number of daily visits to donate mammogram in exchange for advertising.

Here’s the web site! www.thebreastcancersite.com

Natt tagged sublimefemme, GR.E.G., Curvy Dee, and Sinclair. Have you all fulfilled your obligations? I'm re-tagging Sinclair and Essin' Em

Without further adieu, my Breast Cancer Awareness picture, taken this evening by the lovely Dana Herself, whom I dearly love.



And here's another, for good measure, and for my own vanity.


And here are the cat children.
Aurora on the left is the princess.
Dabu to the right is the troublemaker.

Stopping the spread of hate...

On October 20, 2008, eight influential lesbian bloggers will launch 8 Against 8, an eight-day collaborative online fundraising drive to defeat Proposition 8, a ballot initiative that seeks to eliminate the right of same-sex couples to marry in the State of California. See the project here.

The bloggers include Pam Spaulding of Pam's House Blend, Dorothy Snarker of Dorothy Surrenders, Grace Chu and Grace Rosen of Grace the Spot, Lori Hahn of Hahn at Home, Kelly Leszczynski of The Lesbian Lifestyle, Sinclair of Sugarbutch Chronicles, Riese of Marielyn Bernard, and Renee Gannon of Lesbiatopia.

The idea came about last Friday when Grace Chu of Grace the Spot logged onto Facebook and saw a few of her Facebook contacts openly campaigning for the passage of Proposition 8 via their status updates. “My initial reaction was to delete them from my Facebook contacts, because if you’re actively campaigning against my rights, you’re not my friend,” she said. “It totally ruined my morning.”

But instead of deleting her contacts, Chu decided to channel the power of the blogosphere to drive much-needed funds into the coffers of Equality California, the umbrella organization of the No on 8 campaign. Over the weekend, Chu assembled eight prominent lesbian bloggers to help get the word out and fundraise on behalf of Equality California’s No on 8 campaign. “Among the eight of us, we reach tens of thousands of eyes per day,” she said. “If we come together in a coordinated and unified effort, we could send a really powerful message, raise a ton of money, and make a real difference in the fight against Prop 8.”

Pam Spaulding of the highly influential and award-winning blog Pam's House Blend urges people to give to the No on Prop 8 campaign in the critical last days leading up to the election. Even if you have already given, it would greatly benefit the drive to defeat Prop 8 to give a little more. “We cannot allow an established civil right in the Golden State to be overturned at the ballot box. Every dollar you can give in these last in these last few days helps fight the dollars donated to enshrine discrimination into California's constitution,” said Spaulding.

Just last week, Equality California had released a bulletin that it was $10 million behind the opposition in fundraising. However, despite closing the gap this past week, there is still a ways to go. Furthermore, many current polls predict that Proposition 8 would pass if the election were held today. "There has never been a more important time for the queer community. This election will change our world for the better or put us back in the Dark Ages. It's not only critical we win for California, but for the rest of the country," said Sacramento resident Lori Hahn, owner of the popular lesbian family blog, Hahn at Home.


Like Sinclair said, In addition to California’s Proposition 8 on the ballot in just a few weeks, Florida has Amendment 2 and Arizona has Proposition 102, both of which would amend their state constitutions to define marriage as between one man and one woman - AND it would make all other unions equivalent to marriage null in the state of Florida (that means civil union, common law marriage, and even domestic partnerships!). Arkansas also has Act 1 on the ballot, which would forbid gay and lesbian parents - and any unmarried parents - from adopting children.

Florida is my home state and from what I have heard about the amendment, it seems like my fellow Floridians are going to pass it no questions asked because the wording is a little ambiguous. It goes like this:

"Inasmuch as marriage is the legal union of only one man and one woman as husband and wife, no other legal union that is treated as marriage or the substantial equivalent thereof shall be valid or recognized."

Are you hearing what I'm hearing!!! This would mean that if you were married in another state or country, you could potentially be barred from seeing your beloved in the hospital! Think about this, people! It takes away health insurance rights from domestic partnership agreements which are ofttimes formed between elderly couples due to some other legal quagmire. Suze Orman, the First Lady of Finance has endorsed the Say No on 2 campaign, predicting financial disaster because of this amendment. See what one of my fellow Christians has to say about this.

as butch as a hunk of machinery!

I just finished watching "Before Stonewall" on netflix (you can watch it streaming online if you have a subscription at any level) and I do believe that I met myself in 50 years. "Lisa Ben" or Edith Eyde. My hero. She sings with a spanish guitar, and parodied this song

The Girl That I Marry
The girl that I marry will have to be
as soft and as pink as a nursery.
The girl that I call my own
will wear satins and laces and smell of cologne.
Her nails will be polished and in her hair
she'll wear a gardenia and I'll be there
'Stead of flittin' I'll be sittin' next to her
and she'll purr like a kitten.
A doll I can carry the girl that I marry must be.

But instead -- and I must tell you that I stopped the movie and went back so I could write it down -- she sang:

The Girl That I Marry
The girl that I marry will probably be
as butch as a hunk of machinery.
The girl I idolize ... will wear slacks with flat fronts*,
tailored shirts and bow ties
She'll walk with a swagger and wear short hair
And keep me entranced with her tomboy air
Instead of cruisin I'll be using
Her shoulder to lean on while snoozin
A faint hearted fairy, the girl I marry won't be!

clearly, an ode to butches. do you see how she's my hero? dana watched her singing so sweetly and said, "honey it's you!" we had a good laugh about it.

*flat fronts? I'm not sure about that, I had some trouble discernign that line.

Apparently I'm also channeling bell hooks because as I was introducing myself to my class (Literature by Women of Color in the Diaspora), my professor - the distinguished Dr. Gary Lemons, author of "Black. Male. Outsider" - said that as he was watching me speak, watching this white woman speak, he felt as though he was listening to bell hooks. She was actually his dissertation adviser as a Ph.D. student at (i think) NYU.

[edit] Originally I had written that it was ms Audre Lorde, but HussyRed is right in the comments, I had forgotten she passed away when I was just a wee lass. bell hooks will be visiting, though, and I'll be interested to see the comparison.

injury

I busted my knee on Saturday on my way to the party, it was pretty awful! I slipped in a parking lot because the asphalt was wet, and it was a parking lot so there was motor oil too. Water and oil don't mix, so down I went. I should post pictures. Eww.

Also, read my piece about inner thigh chafing at Femmes Guide to Absolutely Everything!

The Girl Effect

This came to my inbox this morning. I wish that enough people would hear about work that's being done like this and help out but we are often so wrapped up in our own problems. I know a lot of people are struggling with money much of the time, but giving is part of the process of receiving - remember this.

Sugarbutch Contest 2008 - submit!

Are ya ready? I'll of course be exercising my creativity to come up with something truly unique! Dana and I have already been plotting and we're sure we've come up with a great story, I'm in the process of writing it up now!

The most exciting thing, though, is going to be all the sexy stories!

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's sugasm 143!

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

She can't help it, she's an alcoholic!

Ok, you've got me, I've been very naughty to have avoided the blog for what? It has been over a week now and I have only posted once in May. Forgive me. I have been helping Dana work through a lot of issues. She has had a disappointing job search so far, with few leads and she is terribly frustrated in her current position at work. I'm also trying to figure out things with Stefanie. She has secured a full time, work-from-home job as a power point expert and web designer. The company is thoroughly pleased with her work, and put her on their company cell phone plan and cut her a paycheck in advance right away. WOo! That solves some of our money problems. Basically it means we are paying back her car payments and at some point we will pay back her overdrawn bank account. Things are righting themselves. If only we can get her out of this lengthy, complex drug program and into something workable for single moms. The program exists, she just has to convince the judge of that next week.

Overall, I feel very balanced in the midst of all the chaos. I do not feel overstressed. I am helping, yet not taking on the burdens of other people. Things at work are pretty hectic, but overall I still get to go home at the end of the day and forget about all the people who tried to steal my energies.

I leave you with Fitzwilliam, the prettiest little English girl since Orlando Bloom:

queer culture films available on netflix

I couldn't find my previous post about the documentary "The Aggressives" but I wanted to let everybody know that I signed up for Netflix the other day (in leu of getting cable television) and I saw that they have many very important films on queer history and culture. The films may be rather difficult to obtain, or view and this is a chance to watch them without money or scarcity standing in the way.

The Aggressives: Director Daniel Peddle spent five years recording the lives of six "aggressives" -- lesbians who strive to be as masculine as possible in lifestyle and appearance. The result is a portrait both enlightening and endearing as we watch each woman come up with her own inventive ways of expressing her identity. From prison to the underground ball scene, where lesbians compete for lead "AG" status, this film reveals a largely hidden subculture.

The Celluloid Closet: Narrated by Lily Tomlin, this acclaimed documentary takes its name from Vito Russo's groundbreaking book. The filmmakers examine the subtext of more than 100 Hollywood movies -- including Spartacus, Rope and Thelma and Louise -- and chart the cinematic journey of lesbian and gay characters. Film clips are paired with director, producer and actor interviews featuring, among others, Gore Vidal, Tom Hanks and Whoopi Goldberg.

Before Stonewall: Life was very different before the 1969 Stonewall riots put the issue of gay rights front and center in America. Using archival films and interviews with gays and lesbians who were forced to hide their sexuality for fear of reprisals, this documentary by Robert Rosenberg, Greta Schiller and John Scagliotti sheds light on American gay life from the 1920s to the 1960s and the sociopolitical climate that finally led to profound change.

After Stonewall: Melissa Etheridge narrates this documentary that explores the progress and challenges of the post-Stonewall lesbian/gay rights movement through archival footage and interviews with leaders such as Barbara Gittings, Armistead Maupin, Jewelle Gomez and Dorothy Allison. The film chronicles key events from 1970 to the end of the 20th century, including sexual liberation, conflicts with the feminist movement, AIDS and political organization.

If you have a credit card, you can get a two week free trial wherein you can watch all of these videos online without having to deal with sending dvd's back in the mail.

Female to Femme!

Altcinema presents

QUEER(Y)ING FEMME

Film screening - FtF: Female to Femme, with short film The Insomniacs
Lecture - "A Brief History of Femme" by FtF co-director, Kami Chisholm, Ph.D.
A benefit for Altcinema Productions

Saturday May 24, 2008
7:30 - 9:30 p.m.
Tickets: $12 advance, $15 -$100 at the door
San Francisco LGBT Community Center
1800 Market Street, San Francisco

Come out and support queer cinema!

Purchase tickets online at http://www.altcinema.com/store/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=51.

For more information or to volunteer, please contact info@altcinema.com or 415.863.2183.


About FtF: Female to Femme (directed by Kami Chisholm and Elizabeth Stark, Frameline Distribution, 48 min., 2006):

Imagine a world in which the journey toward femme was understood to be as radical as journeys to claim and inhabit other queer bodies. Envisioning more than it documents, FtF: FEMALE TO FEMME celebrates dyke femme identities, combining farce and seduction with analysis and personal history. For years, femmes have forged community and created space for themselves out of edgy performance and authentic parody. FtF recognizes these strategies and builds them into an unforgettable sexy, funny and moving film. FtF features a host of fabulous femmes, including actress/writer Guinivere Turner, novelist/activist Jewelle Gomez, poet Meliza Bañales, rock stars Leslie Mah (Tribe8) and Bitch (Bitch & Animal), professors, activists, artists and dancers. The filmmakers ask these thinkers and performers to use the language of gender transition to talk about femme identity, opening up new possibilities for understanding femininity while reinforcing connections among gender warriors around the
world. A wildly original extravaganza, FtF: FEMALE TO FEMME presents a saucy, indelible portrait of a people and a politics central to the gender revolution.

Plus, the new butch-femme romantic comedy, THE INSOMNIACS (directed by Kami Chisholm, 11 min., 2008):

Bell has insomnia. So one restless night, she decides to go to the local Insomniac's Anonymous 3 a.m. meeting, and there she meets Helena, the girl of her waking dreams.

About Dr. Kami Chisholm:

Kami Chisholm, founder of Altcinema, holds a Ph.D. in History of Consciousness from UC Santa Cruz and is a graduate of Loyola Marymount University's Film Production department. FtF: FEMALE TO FEMME, Chisholm's first (co-directed) feature documentary, premiered in June 2006 at Frameline30: The San Francisco International LGBT Festival. In 2007, Chisholm produced and co-edited the festival hit GODSPEED, a short about a trans bike messenger directed by Lynn Breedlove and Jen Gilomen. Chisholm is also the director of over 10 short films, including the recently completed romantic comedy, THE INSOMNIACS. Currently, Chisholm teaches feminist/queer/race theory, sexuality studies, and visual culture at California College of the Arts.

Purchase tickets online for QUEER(Y)ING FEMME at
http://www.altcinema.com/store/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=51

Day of Silence

Today is the Day of Silence, a day when students don’t speak in order to address issues of harassment and bullying in schools. It is not neccessarily specific to the protection of LGBT students, except that of course LGBT and gender variant students tend to be the target of most of the harassment.

From NCTE:

At NCTE, we believe passionately in the rights of all children and young people to go to school and be free from bullying and harassment. Learning needs to take place in an environment where children are safe — physically as well as emotionally — and can express their identities as they grow and develop. Transgender children and teens deserve these rights as much as every other student in our schools.

This year’s Day of Silence is dedicated to Lawrence King.

More info at link in the sidebar, and see also: en|Gender

Sexual Orientation Study

From Julie Arseneau:
Below is the announcement for my dissertation study. I'm seeking participation from same-sex attracted individuals. Please consider participating if you are eligible, and/or forwaring this announcement to others. Thank you for your assistance!

We are writing to inform you about a research study being conducted at the University of Maryland on beliefs about sexual orientation held by same-sex attracted people. You are encouraged to participate if you identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, bi-curious, queer, questioning, or otherwise same-sex attracted.

Participation involves the completion of several online questionnaires and will take approximately 20-30 minutes. After completing the survey, you may enter into a drawing for one of five $20 American Express gift cards. You may also assist with this project by forwarding this e-mail request to LGBT-themed organizations and listservs, and/or to same-sex attracted individuals.

Questions about this study may be directed to Julie Arseneau at jra87@umd.edu or Dr. Ruth E. Fassinger at rfassing@umd.edu. This project has been reviewed and approved by the University of Maryland Institutional Review Board.

If you are interested in participating in this study please follow the link provided below or cut and paste the link into your web browser:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=F7GP0BfvernmmL22FwZtfw_3d_3d

Guest Post: Dana

Because I'm vain, and because she likes me.

I love her femininity and the way she wears it well. I love her curves and her breasts and her butt and the way the clothes she wears accentuates all her features. When I come home and find a pair of black heels settled in the nook under my nightstand, I get a chill down my spine because I'm thinking of how her calves look when she wears them.
Her lips are pursed and her smirk is smug when I tell her she's beautiful. I could kiss the spot beside her neck.. the spot below her hips.. the spot.. everywhere. Everywhere there is a spot that I could kiss because she is the epitome of sexy. I cannot cannot cannot get enough of her. and the sex is not just sex. It is amazing, it is beautiful and hot and I'm always wanting more. But it is not sex. It is something else. Something far more gratifying than I have ever experienced. And it doesn't feel new. It feels like my favorite pair of jeans that I can never seem to part with. And that's the best part. Because it's like my favorite dish. It's like something I've been eating for years and always order when I go out to eat. And it's always just as satisfying and delicious and it never gets old and it never gets boring and I cannot cannot cannot believe how undeniably lucky I am to have found her.

and I think that what makes us so right for each other... is the way we are honest and natural and real. And harmonious. And on the same wavelength. And I've not felt like this.. this pure liking loveness that I feel. This intense and simple adoration makes me full and I cannot begin to describe how much I feel or how powerful I feel -- caring about her makes me feel whole and well and satisfied. Like that feeling you get when you can't wipe that silly grin off your face. Even when you're pmsing or she's grumpy or sick or moving or I'm overwhelmed or out of bread or absolutely dog-dead-tired -- I still feel enamoured of her. I still feel impressed and amazed and... astounded... and I'm tired of adjectives but it simply must be said that I am happy.

for the cuban queers

Raul Castro's daughter pushes for gay and trans rights

It's so interesting to see the new leadership of this country which has seen such a strict, and often contradictory leadership style, and even with the newest installment of the Castro dynasty in place, change is happening. I have been in love with Cuba since I was there in 2006 and my hope is for its peace and growth.

When Girls Will Be Boys

When Girls Will Be Boys
This was posted in the Women's Studies listserv at my college and I wanted to make sure and present it to you all.

Of course, many trans students identify first as women — as lesbians or feminist activists. They are attracted to women’s schools precisely because of their reputation as safe harbors for exploring these identities. As a result, many transmale students apply to women’s schools and attend them before they have fully come out as “gender nonconforming” — and this is likely to be the case for years to come.

Denburg, the Barnard dean, acknowledges that women’s colleges have always been places “where women can explore definitions and dimensions of gender.” But it is only in the last five years of her tenure as dean, she says, that she has encountered transmale students. She had, she said, no objection to Rey’s attending Barnard. The school has helped other gender-nonconforming students, among them a resident adviser in his senior year, who had to inform his female dorm mates about his gender transition over the summer. Denburg described her work with these students “as an educational journey for me as well, that has helped me to better understand the drive of someone who feels they are in the wrong body.”