I wrote a lot of pieces in 2020! As we close out the year, I want to share a short list of my favorites. (thread)

In March, while we all watched in horror as the Trump administration botched the initial response to the pandemic, I wrote for @Independent about the bizarre and unjust access many healthy celebrities gained to COVID tests, which were quite scarce.

In April, when it was apparent Joe Biden was on his way to winning the nomination, I wrote for @washingtonpost on why progressives should have optimism about a Biden White House.

In June, the Supreme Court issued a landmark ruling affirming employment protections for LGBTQ people. It's cause for celebration, but as I wrote for @Cosmopolitan: this is a mere fraction of LGBTQ equality. We *must* pass the Equality Act.

That same month brought controversy as J.K. Rowling seemed to be completely unaware of the violence and discrimination faced by trans and non-binary people. So, I wrote about my own experiences in that vein for @USAToday in the hopes of educating folks:

Okay, finally watching #HappiestSeason... I shall tweet my thoughts with no spoilers. 🥰

Fun little reindeer kink scene. 😂

I literally thought: "this has gotta be Ohio or PA", and looked it up and sure enough...

Kristen Stewart pet-sitting for others during the holidays on an annual basis hits waaaay too close to home.

The "marriage as an institution" dialogue is a bit meh. Not the point itself, but I feel like I've listened to this exchange a million times.

So, quick story!

As you can see, this poor British Army soldier collapsed, and it might help to understand this is quite common in ceremonial units.

I was in the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, which is the U.S. Army’s equivalent of this unit.

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When you do ceremonies in units like these, you have to stand at attention, without moving, for a long period of time. You’re trained to not move a muscle, much less an inch, and of course, for various reasons, soldiers still pass out. But we called it “falling out”.

It’s not just locking your knees! That’s the most common reason for falling out, but it’s also other things: dehydration, heat stroke, sometimes exhaustion. I say that because “don’t lock your knees!” is an easy critique but doesn’t paint a full picture. Don’t judge this soldier!

Every soldier arriving at the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (also known as “The Old Guard” or TOG) went through a three week training course called ROP (Regiment Orientation Program, pronounced “rope”). It sucked! For many reasons.

You had to learn how to prep your uniforms immaculate (we literally pressed our own uniforms on an actual pressing machine). You learned basis regs of the unit. But the worst part, by far, was testing at the end of each of the three weeks by standing at attention for a long time.