Jenny’s work appears regularly in the New York Times, Medium and many other major news outlets.
Love in the Time of Democrats
Booker and Warren shone. Four people who were not there lost. My NYT column for 9/21/19.
I Don’t Want a Pickle
Actually I love the new symbol of trans rights. But I love justice more. My NYT column for 9/18/19
How I Learned to Fail Better
What the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference taught me about revision and invention. My NYT column for 8/4/19.
How an E-bike Changed My Life
Riding grew harder as I grew older. Then I got an e-bike. My NYT column for 8/20/19.
The Latest Victims of Trump’s Cruelty? Foster Children
A new proposal would make it easier to discriminate against LGBTQ parents who wish to adopt.
Why Kathy Griffin Will Not Stand Down
Two years after her infamous photo, the comedian is back, and fighting for her career.
What I Learned at Summer Camp
The names of stars. How to swim. And the meaning of profound homesickness.
A Woman Walks Into a Bar
You’re a single woman in a restaurant. Do you sit alone at the bar, or at a table?
Romantic America’s Dead and Gone
I thought that like Wesley in The Princess Bride, I’d become immune to the news, like iocane powder.
What Grade Would You Give Donald Trump?
The president won’t release his college transcript. But we can guess what it says.
What Tolkien Knew About Love
Like Henry Darger, he created an epic fantasy. Why is Tolkien remembered, and Darger nearly forgotten?
What Happens to a Magazine Deferred?
The American Bystander, published for just one issue in the 1980s, is back. It was worth the wait.
The Brilliant Uncertainty of the Grateful Dead’s “Dark Star.”
Fifty years ago, the band recorded the most entrancing version of its most hypnotic composition.
The Madness of King Donald
The new BBC production of “King Lear” is great fun — and an uncomfortable reflection of American politics these days.
Do You Hear That? It’s the Sound of Winter
In Maine, the ice groans and the axes clunk, noises both terrifying and comforting.
Coming Out as Trans Isn’t a Teenage Fad
Conservatives are inventing a “syndrome” to undermine young people’s transitions.
Why Christmas is About Food
In a time of bittersweet memories, meals with family restore us. My NYT column for 12/12/18.
Why Are Gender Reveal Parties a Thing?
They say more about our culture than the sex of our children. My NYT column for Dec. 3, 2018.
Pennywise, the Dancing President
The president spins falsehoods to make us afraid–of immigrants, of trans people, of each other. My NYT column for 11/28/18
Woozy with Moderation
Can Governor John Hickenlooper of Colorado run for president as a moderate? My NYT column for 11/14/18.
When Nightmares are Real
Donald Trump has harmed me more than any specter ever could. My NYT column for Halloween, 2018.
The Hag of the Beara
“If you’re there,” I prayed, “make it possible for me to live one life, not two.” A Halloween story of…
“Keep it Low”: Beyond Balls, Strikes, and Justice
What do judges and umpires have in common? Not as much as some people think. My NYT column for 10/24/18.…
Trump Cannot Define Away My Existence
The administration seems to think trans people like me are as imaginary as hippogriffs. My NYT column for 10/21/18.
Will Deep Fakes Technology Destroy Democracy?
Imagine if doctored video of a politician appeared the night before an election. It’s everything Putin ever dreamed of. My…
Susan Collins is the Worst Kind of Maverick
She pretends to be a moderate, but she regularly votes with Trump. My NYT column for 10/9
Are You A Lawn Mower Parent?
We want to teach our children to be tough. But we also have to show them love. My NYT column…
What happens when you give LSD to an elephant?
Tusko did not develop an interest in jam bands. My NYT column for 9/24/18
A Nuclear Bomb Inside the Vatican
“I wondered if all this grace could possibly be real.” My NYT column for 9/19/18.
How a Sliver of Glass Changed My Life
It is never to late to change your life. My NYT column for 9/2/18.
Saving the World– Through Frisbee.
One group is trying to bring peace to the Middle East– through Frisbee–and succeeding. My NYT column for 8/22/18.
Who Wants to be a Bust in the Hall of Fame?
Fame, as David Bowie noted, is “bully for you, chilly for me.” A trip to the no-longer famous Hall of…
The New Know-Nothings
Introducing a new political party called the “Republicans.” My NYT column for 7/25/18.
A Day Off From the World
A celebration of a few small things, now that so much else has been lost. And no mention of Himself.…
Why Scarlett Johansson Shouldn’t Play a Trans Man
It’s not about creativity. It’s about letting us tell our own stories. My NYT column for 7/6/18
Now We Are Sixty
“I Turned 60 in the Age of Trump”: lessons for everyone. My NYT column for 6/27/18
What is Sadness? What is Depression?
Two separate countries that share a common border. My NYT column for 5/13/18.
Let Them Eat a Constitutional Amendment
The Masterpiece Cake decision impels a constitutional amendment. My NYT column for June 4, 2018
What to Expect the 264th Month
Being a parent is hard, especially when you’re trying to figure out when to stop. MY NYT column for May…
Do Men or Women Enjoy Sex More?
To answer the question, I turned to greek mythology and modern science. My column for the New York Times.
My Identity is Not Your Debate
Participating in a conversation about whether I exist is insulting and demeaning. How about we all treat each other with…
Lost in Space–and Time
Fifty years ago, the US Space program was grounded and Lost in Space was on TV. Now both are true…
Forrest Trump
Who would you rather have as President? The current “stable genius”? Or a man who says, “I know I’m not…
Real Families and the Fictional Roseanne
I wasn’t going to watch it, for the same reason Samuel Jackson says he won’t eat sewer rat. My NYT…
Trumps Trans Ban Shows Who He Really Is.
The ban on transgender troops is motivated by bigotry alone. My NYT column for 3/25/18
Die Scheisse Hits the Fan
A scuffle over the German national anthem inspired me to take a good look at our own. Plus: the curious…
Behind the Selfie
What do you see when you look in the mirror? My New York Times column for 3/7/18
It’s Not a Disaster Movie. It’s Reality
For LGBTQ Americans– and the people who love us– it was the wrong week to quit sniffing’ glue. My column…
The Books That Read Us
What was the book that changed your life? How old were you when you read it? My NYT column for…
Who Said It: Donald Trump or Pepe le Pew?
Pepe Le Pew is fake mews. Here, my little crumpets, my little stuffed potatoes, is my NYT column for 2/6/18…
Coming Out Gets Harder
A story of two comings-out. And a new poll showing Americans are becoming less tolerant for LGBTQ people. My NYT…
Pardon My Dust
What do ashes mean to us? An essay about remains– yours, mine, Dorothy Parkers. My NYT Column for January 24,…
For Chelsea Manning, with love and ambivalence
I’m not sure Chelsea Manning has my vote But she has my respect. My NYT column for 1/18/18
That’s What Xe Said
Cher, The Pope, and Donald Trump walk into a bar. By what names will you address them? My New York…
Trump & the CDC: The Peek a Boo Doctrine
A lack of object permanence is normal in a 2 year old. As public policy, it’s problematic. My NYT column…
The Christmas Pooka
My favorite Christmas movie, Harvey, asks us to believe in things we cannot see. My NYT column for 12/13/17.
The Masterpiece Cake case is not about religious freedom.
It’s about giving people permission to discriminate…
“We Are What We Pretend to Be.”
Vaughn Meader became famous for his impression of JFK. Then he became himself. My column for the NYT, 11/22/17
Travis Mills Will Never Quit. So Don’t You Quit, Either.
Until I met wounded veteran Travis Mills, I hadn’t thought nearly enough about the millions of people whose lives have…
My Hearing Aids Are Cool. Really.
Millions of us face hearing loss, but too few of us do anything about it. That has to change. JFB…
Ireland’s Transition, and Mine
Ireland and I have both changed. At times I feel like a gender emigrant. (My New York Times column for…
What do we want from Presidential Also-rans?
We expect some of our best leaders to do away, humbled, dignified, and silent. From the New…
Vietnam on the Reel-to-Reel
Even though I was a child during the 1960s, I saw how the war was tearing us apart. It was…
The Klan Comes for Me.
The KKK has decided it has a new enemy: families like mine. That we would still be fighting the Civil…
“Does this Podcast Make Me Look Fat?” 2017 Podcasts & Broadcasts with JFB
Fourteen podcasts and videos featuring Jenny B. holding forth about everything. Spring 2017 saw me travel from one end of…
Trump’s Contempt for Trans Heroes
“I served this country to protect everyone’s rights and freedoms, and one would think that would include my own.”
My Gay Agenda
PROVINCETOWN, Mass. — My wife and I spent the morning riding our bicycles to the beach. It was a beautiful…
Jenny Boylan: “I’m All Done Defending My Humanity.”
Another week, another clever “think piece” by someone who feels it does the world a real service to explain why…
Caitlyn Jenner and the Conservative Barbecue
Can Caitlyn Jenner change the Republican party? Or will she be like the pig in the chef’s hat on the…
Susan Faludi and the Mystery of Identity
“I think trans people are heroes,” Jennifer Boylan says. “I would also say that I wouldn’t want to get between anybody and the…
Does this Gender Make Me Look Fat?
A talk at Aspen about trans experience with Fox News’ Kristen Powers. Listen to the podcast here.
A 2016 Alphabet: from A to Ziggy
The worst year ever, reviewed alphabetically. (L, Lincoln Chafee! Dude, feel the Chafe!)
The Strangest Christmas Gift, Ever
Why did they come to our door, year after year — bearing sex toys, Jack Daniels, and broken toy soliders? Was it me?…
Really? You’re Blaming Transgender People for Trump?
It was the morning after the election. The bottle of Champagne I’d opened as part of an anticipated victory celebration…
Five Days
Five Days • November 3, 2016 • Pushing thru the market square so many mothers sighing News had just come over,…
The Trump Carousel
As Joni Mitchell once observed, we’re captive on a Carousel of Trump. How Donald seized a beloved New York City landmark…
The Bitch is Back: Older, Wiser, and (Getting) Happier
When Jennifer Finney Boylan is asked, “Don’t you want more, sometimes?” she gently replies: “Well, no one ever wants less.”…