| Jul 20, 2016 | Rights / DemocracyI was sitting on a bus one summer, chatting with a man behind me who’d worked all over the world in the U.S. foreign service. Like many conversations today, ours turned eventually to the many problems with our country. That’s when his companion,...
| Jun 22, 2016 | Peace / SecurityAs the sun set over New York on June 12, hundreds of Muslims gathered in Hudson River Park to break their Ramadan fast together. Iftar, the evening Ramadan meal, is often a joyous celebration of faith and family. But the mood that Sunday was solemn: That morning, news...
| | Peace / SecurityMaybe it was the heartbreaking texts sent by those who expected to die. Or my conversation with a close friend whose loved one miraculously survived. It may also have been the gut-wrenching, real-time documentation via social media of a mass shooting with...
| Jun 15, 2016 | Rights / DemocracyThe weekend of June 12 sent me on a rollercoaster of emotions I never thought possible. The previous Friday, I was an invited participant in the first-ever White House Summit for African American LGBTQ Youth. I felt amazingly supported, empowered, and valued — by my...
| Feb 24, 2016 | Rights / DemocracyAs the recent attention lavished on figures like Laverne Cox and Caitlyn Jenner attests, trans visibility continues to rise in the United States. But that doesn’t mean life is suddenly easy for us transwomen. Take something as simple as obeying nature’s call. Trips to...
