"My Joy Is Real, But Fragile": Elliot Page Helps Reframe Trans Joy

Plus, the pandemic's collateral damage. ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  [View in Browser]( | [Donate [WBUR]]( [WBUR](  [WBUR]( December 6, 2020 Dear Cog reader, On Tuesday, Elliot Page, the Oscar-nominated actor who starred in “Juno,” announced that he is trans. In a [short letter]( posted to social media, Page wrote: “I can’t begin to express how remarkable it feels to finally love who I am, to pursue my authentic self.” Kasey LeBlanc is also trans and queer. In Page, he saw some of himself. "I love that when I look into a mirror now, everything clicks into place,” [LeBlanc writes](. “I love that it feels right." As parents – and still-evolving humans ourselves – it’s joyful to see a celebration of knowing and loving who you are. Even if you're not familiar with Elliot Page or his work, this [piece]( will delight and surprise. Also this week: - A call for Gov. Charlie Baker to immediately pursue four actions to protect and support [long-term care facilities]( by two authors affiliated with the COVID-19 Policy Alliance at MIT. - An essay by a Boston doctor who works in a community health center, about the [collateral damage]( the pandemic is doing to her patients. - A commentary about why voters didn’t [prioritize climate change]( “the number one issue facing humanity,” in the 2020 election. - And a very personal story about why it’s important for women to [share their stories of miscarriage](. Stay safe and be well. -- Cloe Axelson and Frannie Carr Toth Editors, Cognoscenti newsletters@wbur.org Must Reads url[Elliot Page Makes Trans Joy Less Fragile]( So many people, beyond the transgender community, shared words of delight upon hearing Elliot Page's news, writes Kasey LeBlanc. Elliot's joy became collective, and in so doing, it became a little less fragile. [Read more](.   #%23%23[Twitter](   #%23%23[Facebook](    [4 Things Mass. Must Do Immediately To Prevent Another COVID-19 Crisis In Nursing Homes]( Nursing homes are ground zero of the pandemic, write Noa Ghersin and Kate Kellogg. Long-term care facilities account for 65% of COVID-19 deaths in Massachusetts, and unless the state provides urgently needed resources, more people will die. [Read more](. [The Pain Of Losing A Child You've Never Known. And The Relief Of Telling Your Story]( Miscarriage is still a taboo subject for many, writes Andrea Meyer. That's why Meghan Markle and Chrissy Teigen opening up about their losses is so meaningful. [Read more](.  Support the news [Why Wasn't Climate The Electoral Lever We Thought It Would Be?]( Pessimism about the salience of climate policy comes in the wake of this year’s national election, writes Frederick Hewett, despite indications that the issue was more significant for voters earlier this fall. [Read more](. ['My Patients Are Sicker Than Ever': The Pandemic's Collateral Damage]( Some of my patients can't afford medicine or adequate food, writes Dr. Pamela Adelstein, who works at a community health center in Boston. Others are isolated and no one is monitoring their diseases. [Read more](. [Trump Is Nearly Gone. But We Cannot Stop Our Fight For Civil Rights]( We must move forward – especially in policing, voting and immigration – and reshape our country by prioritizing equality, writes Oren Sellstrom. [Read more](. What We're Reading "Americans must insist that elected officials -- no matter how conservative, moderate, or progressive they may be -- speak from the evidence even when it is against their political interests. Our representatives in government should admit that their own campaigns are to blame when they lose or barely win. We need elected officials to do what Trump never did: Accept responsibility. Absorb criticism. Come back and campaign better." ("[Stop Scapegoating Progressives]( The Atlantic) "[T]here is a significant possibility that a [Supreme] Court, dominated by self-identified originalists, would invalidate the use of blanket pardons. This possibility should make Trump pause before offering such pardons to friends and family. But it also leaves him in a bind. Should he attempt to specify each and every federal crime committed by his children or lawyer? Or is that a gift too costly even for Trump to consider?" ("[It Might Not Be So Simple For Trump To Pardon His Children And Giuliani]( The Washington Post) "Dr. Flanagan said it was perhaps not surprising that people tended to engage in less healthful habits during the pandemic, as so many aspects of health are intertwined. Stress can lead to poor sleep, which can cause people to exercise less, consume more junk foods, and then gain weight, and so on." ("[Yes, Many of Us Are Stress-Eating and Gaining Weight in the Pandemic]( The New York Times) “ It was scary telling a story that society told me no one wanted to hear. — Andrea Meyer, "[The Pain Of Losing A Child You've Never Known. And The Relief Of Telling Your Story]( ICYMI [There Will Be No Sweet Harvest In This Bitter Year]( In our small Boston yard, our grapevine was a lifeline to future sweetness, writes Rev. Laura Everett. But come fall and the time to harvest, there was none.      If you’d like to write for Cognoscenti, send your submission, pasted into your email and not as an attachment, to opinion@wbur.org. Please tell us in one line what the piece is about, and please tell us in one line who you are. 😎 Forward to a friend. They can sign up [here](. 📣 Give us your feedback: newsletters@wbur.org 📨 Get more WBUR stories sent to your inbox. 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