Meet the Author

BACK TO THE FUTURE

The Noid. Pac-Man. Blockbuster. If you were a kid in the ’80s and ’90s, then these words probably spark a memory of your childhood. Growing up in the MTV generation, I was part of an early explosion of advertising geared toward children. I felt like toys, games and TV shows were being created just for me. And there’s a reason for it. In 1984, Ronald Reagan deregulated advertising to children. This allowed companies to market as much as they wanted to children, leading to an explosion of toys, junk food, cartoons, fast food and breakfast cereals all aimed at young kids. And I loved it! From “The Smurfs” to “Star Wars,” I was part of a new era in advertising.

And then I grew up.

I recently turned 40 and I have to admit I still have the taste of my 12-year-old self. When I see toys, characters or films from my childhood, I feel more than nostalgia. It feels comforting and familiar in a world full of extreme unpredictability.

Coming Out Again & Again

I have always fit in. I was popular in high school. Vice President of my sorority in college. I had friends who mostly identified as straight. Early on in my career, I spent happy hours laughing with my coworkers about bad dates with boys. I had a Patrick Swayze poster on my childhood bedroom wall (though to this day, I argue he is a man for all sexual preferences). I blended in while also marching to the beat of my own drum. I have never lived by the status quo, but also never truly wanted to stand out that much in that way. 

It wasn’t until my early 20s that I came out to close friends and family. Overall, it was a wonderfully positive experience. There were a few people who recommended that I don’t tell anyone at work. If it was a “phase” or I “changed my mind,” I wouldn’t want to be labeled something I wasn’t. In the late ’90s and early aughts, there was no term for “gender fluidity” in the lexicon. No gray line to blur gender and sexual expression. You were either gay, straight or a “confused” bisexual.