Written by Alise

The Church is Queer

My kids like to say that everything is gay. These video game characters are gay. These TV characters are gay. The plants outside are gay. Our dog is gay. One time I asked my daughter why everything had to be gay. She looked at me, and asked me if I was serious. That NOTHING is […]

Written by Alise

A Teacher’s Story

I’m here in West Virginia where, for the second year in a row, there is a teacher work stoppage. My dear friend Anna sent me this a while back, and I think today is a great day to share it. Support teachers. Support public education. When I was a little girl, my favorite game to […]

Written by Alise

My #MeToo Story

My #metoo story is almost nothing, which is why I’ve never talked about it. I know women who have dealt with significant trauma from unwanted sexual advances, and I’m not traumatized at all. (For real. There are plenty of traumas in my life, but the following story is not one of those.) But I feel […]

Written by Alise

No Debate

Photo by Kristina Tripkovik I’m having a bad day. I can’t stop thinking about little Jamel Myles, the nine year old boy who killed himself a few days ago after he was bullied for coming out as gay. He. Was. Nine. I can’t stop thinking about his mother. No awkward middle school picture. No first […]

Written by Alise

Doing the Unstuck

Let me start by saying that if you haven’t watched Hannah Gadsby’s Nanette on Netflix, do what you can to fix that as soon as possible. It is one of the most powerful, life-changing pieces of art I’ve ever seen. Honestly, she has done something spectacular with this show, and I believe all of us […]

Written by Alise

What Was Lost

The question caught me off guard. I went to Wild Goose this year without actually going to Wild Goose. A rotating group of friends have been renting a house near the festival for the past few years, and people come in during the weekend either to present or to attend the event or just visit […]