Thank you for reading this too-long thread and for supporting me and NBC Out. I'm excited to bring you more stories. Someone will have to drag me out of this work.

11/11

I'm still devastated by what happened to the verticals and all of their talented reporters and editors. At the same time, I'm looking forward to returning to NBC. From my first day there, I received nothing but support. I can't imagine being anywhere else.

10/

Here's the new news: On Dec. 1, I'll start back at NBC as an enterprise reporter, still covering the LGBTQ+ community, but many other stories too. I'm excited to do more features similar to what I did on the gay rodeo, but also deeper investigations.

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9/

At the same time, the job wore me down. That last story I did about the gay rodeo was a rare salve for never-ending burnout. But I never would've chosen to leave. The layoff has forced me to really rest for the first time. I've been baking and riding horses and walking my dog.

8/

There were so many moments like that, and they showed me the importance of having stories by us, for us.

7/

One of my favorite memories at Out captured why it was so important: Just a few weeks into the job, I cold called Jen Ellis, the maker of Sen. Bernie Sanders' famous mittens, and left a message. She said the only reason she called me back was because I was with Out. "You're family," she said.

6/

So the job was way more than a job for me. Helping others' tell their stories has helped me more authentically write my own. As a result, the layoff was devastating. NBC was one of the only mainstream news organizations with dedicated diversity verticals.

5/

I moved to the PNW simply because I wanted to exist as a trans person more easily. It was a huge privilege. But I knew that in NC I would never seek out gender-affirming care — something I finally did here in May.

4/

Two years ago, it allowed me to move to the Pacific Northwest, where I finally changed my name by paying a fee and attending a virtual court hearing. In NC, the months-long process starts with getting fingerprinted at a local courthouse.

3/

For background, when Brooke Sopelsa hired me at NBC Out in January 2021, I was living in my conservative hometown in North Carolina, trying to make about $40K/year as a freelancer. The job helped me leave a relationship, move to Raleigh and just be happy as myself for the first time.

2/

Thank you, Brooke!

A throwback to my rodeo days. I managed to get something like 5 concussions from riding as a teen so I opted for a helmet instead of a cowboy hat. I also had a habit of losing my stirrups while competing because this saddle was a different one than I usually rode in.

thank you! Oh yeah, I was a real southern Horse Girl back in the day lol

Can confirm that does happen haha

Also, check out the incredible photos by Jesse McClary and Allie Leepson:

www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-...

I wrote this a few months ago using data from @mapresearch.bsky.social.

The piece also evaluated why there's been less pushback to bathroom bans in the decade since North Carolina's HB 2.

www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-...