Mailee Osten-Tan on learning how to be a better ally to the members of marginalized communities and what she discovered while reporting on trans healthcare issues for Longreads.
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Posted inFeature
Finding a Path in a Broken System
Thailand is a top destination for gender confirmation surgery. Its success is a symptom of Western failure.
Posted inEditor's Pick
How Ben Got His Penis
Phalloplasty, or the surgery to construct a penis, has grown increasingly popular among transgender men — but it’s medically complicated. Jamie Lauren Keiles takes a closer look at the procedure while following the transition of Benjamin Simpson. As Ben prepared for Stage 1 surgery, he told only his family and close friends. He knew that acceptance […]
Posted inNewsletter
Both Sides of The Mirror
Introducing The Longreads Questionnaire, featuring Vauhini Vara.
Posted inEditor's Pick
A Year of “Protecting Children” in Texas
In the days after the Uvalde school shooting, Christopher Hooks looks at how the government has failed the children of Texas, focusing on banning books and demonizing transgender kids rather than working on ways to keep children safe. How can anyone be expected to live this way, let alone a fifth grader? We should remember […]
Posted inEditor's Pick
Boxer Patricio Manuel, a Transgender Pioneer, Is Still Looking for His Next Fight
“Manuel sees sports as the latest front in a culture war that fought — and lost — previous battles over same-sex marriage and trans bathroom bills.”
Posted inUncategorized
The Plot Thickens (and the Week’s Top 5)
“Accommodating the dead, like accommodating the living, has always entailed a head-on collision with the awkward reality that we have a finite amount of physical space.” Okay, yes, sure, maybe you weren’t expecting a quote about dead bodies to kick off your Friday morning. But I assure you that our new feature, “Disneyland of the […]
Posted inEditor's Pick
My Trans Mother, Myself
“Trans women imparting knowledge to each other is really, really crucial to survival, but it’s also incredibly fraught.”
Posted inNonfiction
The Heavy Burden of Breasts
“He covers his face with his hands. He doesn’t cry. He hasn’t really cried for eight years – since he started with testosterone injections.”
