An anti-speciesist, vulnerable writer, and self-growth geek — Hi, I’m Phoenix, a friendly vegan trans girl writer. Over the past couple of years, I’ve used Medium.com to share my stories and to explore ideas in depth. Having a place to be my deeper self has been completely liberating! But more importantly, I hope my words can contribute to…

And what I plan to do about it — Saying that “life is mostly suffering” sounds pretty negative. Who wants that? I get it, because I’ve always wanted to be a positive person myself. I have even considered myself a proud Pollyanna. But, as I shall argue, accepting this hard truth about life can actually be the first step…

You being yourself is a magnet for people’s stories — One of the coolest things about being yourself? Your openness may invite others to confide in you their stories. Transgender feelings followed me around since an early age. As I came out, I read autobiographies like Janet Mock’s Redefining Realness. That didn’t make me a PhD in gender identity struggles…

The Alzheimer’s-afflicted don’t get enough empathy. The problem is, they can’t communicate themselves as well as they once could. Furthermore, they’re outnumbered by the non-Alzheimer’s-afflicted. Nobody around them knows what it’s like to have your brain slowly decay. …

As you may know by now, there are sites for cuddling. You can find free cuddle buddies, or do a paid arrangement. …

That is a question I may answer in my 30s — One thing’s for sure: I will always be an anti-speciesist. I will always want to advocate for the rights of sentient beings. It is not just human beings like me who deserve to be free from violence and suffering, but all of us. In the years since I first eschewed…

My friend’s dad thought he had three days to live. A lifelong outdoorsman diagnosed with heart disease, he declined so much after multiple surgeries he could barely step outside. He was nudging his loved ones to fly on over and say their final goodbyes. Deciding this was no time to…

And I will help others heal — Dear Medium readers (and my mermaiding friend who might see this), How I’ve missed having nothing holding me back from talking to you. 💛 These past months have filled me with regret, which is hard not to feel when you’re mega ill and your own actions got you there. However…

Subjective reality — FIrst off, I just want to say I think the idea of life being a simulation can be misused. When I first encountered the idea online, I saw some people were rejecting it as a self-centered, irresponsible view of the universe. However, in my case, supposing that my life might…