So let me introduce a few important things to understand where I'm coming from. I believe that putting things into context matters, and this will be the context from which I'm coming. I was born and raised in rural Ohio. I went to Oberlin College just outside Cleveland. To say Oberlin was a liberal arts school is a bit of an understatement. You had to really try to go a week without having a discussion about gender politics, race relations, the sexuality spectrum, transgender awareness, or the intersection of any/all of the above.
I lived in Seattle for a year and then moved back across the country for medical school in Rochester NY. I met the love of my life, took a year out to live and work in Peru, and chose to go into pediatrics. For over a year, the student organization I led and myself continued to advocate for increased LGBTQ health teaching in the curriculum.
Now as a pediatric resident, I am passionate about our nation's children, and really all children in this world. I firmly believe they are the future. I firmly believe that since we brought them into this world without their consent, we owe them our best effort to give them every opportunity to have the happiest, safest, healthiest life where every child has the opportunity to reach their maximum potential.
Living in Baltimore is a whole new experience for me. Ohio, Seattle, and Rochester were all very white. And while at Oberlin we might have talked about race relations, that is very different than living in a city that is over 50% black. Suddenly the books I read, the news stories I hear on the radio, and the reports the AAP put out have a new significance to me. It is causing me to think deeper about many issues, that while always important, have never been in the forefront of my mind.
I'll take this moment to say that my honest goal is to be as unfiltered as possible in this blog. I make no claims that I am perfect and that I haven't thought and assumed things that were hurtful, racist, or just plain ridiculous. What this is is my honest effort to describe and document the very real process of trying to be the most conscientious version of myself possible. If I offend, please feel free to stop reading. If I say something you disagree with or that makes you roll your eyes, please feel free to contribute thoughtfully and productively. I appreciate your thoughts, and if put politely, I am very open to new ideas. Thanks in advance for not turning this to a smearing, condemning, or angry place.
I lived in Seattle for a year and then moved back across the country for medical school in Rochester NY. I met the love of my life, took a year out to live and work in Peru, and chose to go into pediatrics. For over a year, the student organization I led and myself continued to advocate for increased LGBTQ health teaching in the curriculum.
Now as a pediatric resident, I am passionate about our nation's children, and really all children in this world. I firmly believe they are the future. I firmly believe that since we brought them into this world without their consent, we owe them our best effort to give them every opportunity to have the happiest, safest, healthiest life where every child has the opportunity to reach their maximum potential.
Living in Baltimore is a whole new experience for me. Ohio, Seattle, and Rochester were all very white. And while at Oberlin we might have talked about race relations, that is very different than living in a city that is over 50% black. Suddenly the books I read, the news stories I hear on the radio, and the reports the AAP put out have a new significance to me. It is causing me to think deeper about many issues, that while always important, have never been in the forefront of my mind.
I'll take this moment to say that my honest goal is to be as unfiltered as possible in this blog. I make no claims that I am perfect and that I haven't thought and assumed things that were hurtful, racist, or just plain ridiculous. What this is is my honest effort to describe and document the very real process of trying to be the most conscientious version of myself possible. If I offend, please feel free to stop reading. If I say something you disagree with or that makes you roll your eyes, please feel free to contribute thoughtfully and productively. I appreciate your thoughts, and if put politely, I am very open to new ideas. Thanks in advance for not turning this to a smearing, condemning, or angry place.
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