The Empath Hardcover – July 24, 2025

Unlike Lady Gaga I wasn't Born this Way and grew old gazing at an image in the mirror that looked nothing like me. When I finally got so old other peoples' opinions no longer mattered, I told a few of my friends and family who I really was. No one believed me. One of the people with whom I shared my secret self justified their incredulity thusly, "You just care too much. You see what's happening to the transgender identity—all the vitriol, the oppression, the genocide-and decided to stand with them. You know? The way all those White folk marched with Martin Luther King"I embraced a broader LGBTQ+ platform but was rebulled though none of it felt personal. Actually, I merely encountered silence. None of my letters were answered, none of my comments commented upon. So I wrote a book.Perhaps I will never be one of them, perhaps I'll always feel like The Painted Bird in the Jerzy Kosinski story. But it no longer matters; I wrote a book and I hope you read it. If you do, let me know what you think atlodgeofthegraybear@gmail.com Read more