My dad has taught me that unwavering love, listening and trust have the power to heal no matter how strictly straitjackets of toxic masculinity and patriarchal femininity have been passed down through overlapping layers of existence.

There will never be enough space to express the thrill I have felt in borrowing his sweaters and button down shirts while pushing the boundaries of understanding myself; the thrill in catching his reflection on my face; the thrill in buying matching olive green caps that summarize so much in so little, “All The World’s A Stage.”

I am so grateful to be navigating this world as his child and committed to creating worlds of survivability for gender nonconforming, intersex, queer and trans youth.