Marcy's Musings

  Today I hope to tackle what is to me a very serious and important issue. America’s relationship with science and how this impacts the debate surrounding so many topics but in particular the validity of Trans identities and Trans rights. Pictured above is my academic regalia. This is my academic uniform and just like military uniforms; it tells observers everything they need to know about my “rank” and standing in the community. My status as a doctor is denoted by the three velvet stripes on the sleeves and the long ornate hood. The gold and purple are the school colors of my Alma matter and the blue signifies that I was awarded an academic PhD – as opposed to an applied doctoral degree (Psy.D.). Thus, my hood is an immediate symbol of my authority as an academic expert; as well as the institution who authorized me as an expert in my field. The folklore I learned about this regalia is that it dates back to the middle ages when most arcticians and academics wore hoods to signif...

One of the earliest memories I have is of watching “The Princess Bride.”   There is scene at the end of the movie where Princess Buttercup clad in a beautiful fowling gown jumps from a window into the waiting hands of Fezzik the giant. She floats like a feather dress draping behind her, the camera slows to show the true beauty of the moment. She took my breath away. To my toddler brain, that was the pinnacle of beauty. I did not want to possess her as a man would. No, I wanted to be her. My heart and soul resonated with her beauty, grace and strength – that was who I wanted to be. The tough princess in the beautiful gown. As a small child I often found myself identifying with powerful, beautiful women. One of my personal favorites was Glenda Good witch.   I’d much rather be a buttercup or Glenda over a Wesley or a Wizard. This was just my sense of who I was. It has always been there. I never made a conscious choice. This resonance with mystical femininity has always been a par...