Rules of Teaching:Clone thyselfLearn teleportation. The sooner the better.Trust no one.These are the rules I learned as a middle school teacher, though it was the last one that drove me from the classroom forever. Like many educators, I couldn't survive the politics. After thirteen years, I bailed. How did I, an abuse-surviving queer, end up teaching in the middle of the Bible Belt? Better yet, how did I survive? New Rule of Life:1. Neither my silence nor my identity is for sale at any price. My former vice principal said it best (though I wasn't supposed to see that email) when he asked, "Why does she always have to write a damn novel?" So here I am. Writing a damn novel. As to the why…because I believe in changing the world, one word at a time. Navigating discrimination, whether it's from employers, medical professionals, colleagues, or family, is often fraught with uncertainty. Join Raven Oak on their journey of transition and self-discovery in a world built on silence

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