By: Kellen Kaiser I recently moved in with my new boyfriend. I was interested then to read the Atlantic’s article about the different expectations men and women have regarding cohabitation. It added to the “living together will keep you single” trope by saying that a number of women, who think the man they are living […]
By Kellen Kaiser The radio made me cry. I was stuck in the usual crush of LA traffic, impatiently pushing the buttons that change the radio station (my car’s old-school) when Power 106, the major hip hop station switched songs. It had a good beat, a catchy chorus and as I tuned into the lyrics […]
By Kellen Kaiser It starts with white face, the kind clowns use, smeared on with a sponge and then powdered to matte. Then eyebrows drawn on with greasepaint, cheeks made razor sharp using the side of a piece of cardboard as a guide, and false lashes applied. Glitter is sprinkled everywhere, liberally. Jewels are affixed […]
By: Kellen Kaiser I had this sense that we were all in it together: Me (the product of a purposeful one night stand by an out lesbian), my A.I.-produced younger brother, and all the kids whose parents came out when they were 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, whatever. It didn’t matter how we got […]
By: Kellen Kaiser I don’t date older men. And if I’m being honest, it is at least partially because I was raised by lesbians. Lord forbid I have “Daddy Issues.” This term, often applied to strippers and ladies involved in May/December romances, shadows me. I have myself internalized the judgments shot towards dinner tables where […]
By: Kellen Kaiser To those familiar with my unique upbringing, a common comment is “How is Mother’s Day for you?” I joke that it is pretty stressful, what with the four moms. The truth is I get let off the hook perhaps because of their number. I am not expected to send flowers or cards because they […]
By: Kellen Kaiser You know that Radiohead song? The one that goes, “I want you to notice when I am not around. You’re so f-cking special. I wish I was special.” Like Mr. Thom Yorke and most artists, I also fluctuate between an inflated sense of self-importance and abject insecurity. Like most people I […]
By: Kellen Kaiser I was raised by lesbians. Yeah, but nowadays, who wasn’t? Even if I’m a little older than most, having been born in 1981, my situation becomes more common by the day. So the more remarkable thing seems to be their sheer number. When I tell people I have four moms, the common […]