In 2012, the day after Obama won the election, a connection on Facebook posted a meme about “The Top 10 Reasons to Elect a Democrat” Number one was: “I believe in the right to be able to marry your dog” I didn’t comment, but immediately unfriended that person (the most passive of passive-aggressive actions). Two years later, this same person was confused as to why I didn’t reach out about my own wedding in Philadelphia. It took everything I had to bite my tongue and not m

The past four years, I have watched and seen friends burn away connections to supporters of the current administration, right wing ideologues, extremists, and those who would spread disinformation and conspiracy theories. For the sake of mental health, and just the ability to endure all of this, I applaud them, and hug them to me. At the same time, I have kept friends and family members with whom I disagree in my social media feed, as well as podcasts, radio shows, and joined

The last weekend of 2020, I decided to lose the battle for half an hour. Last week china smashed to the floor. I was reaching into a cabinet, where something had shifted, and several pieces of china came sliding out and smashed onto the kitchen floor, shattering to pieces. Nothing remarkable about that – but what was remarkable was my reaction. As they slid off the shelf and onto the granite counter top, I screamed at the top of my lungs “No! NO! Fuck you fuck you FUCK YOU NO