“People think bisexuals stereotypically can’t decide on which gender we want to have sex with, when the truth is, we can’t decide on anything,” someone in a group chat once joked. I laughed far longer than perhaps was appropriate, nodding along at the truth of the statement, at least in…
Wandering the Lines — Sherry Toh
Sherry “Elisa” Toh (she/they) is a journalist who lives in sunny Singapore. Her diagnosis of SMA type II was in 1999 at 13 months old. Kyphoscoliosis and chronic neuropathy later developed as complications. As a hopeless romantic, her loves include fairy tales, tea, and gaming — the last being the primary focus of her work. She has bylines in PCGamesN, NME, and more. In 2023, her essay “Virtual Progress: A Disabled Journalist’s Thoughts on the Video Games Industry” was published in Singapore’s first printed disability studies anthology, “Not Without Us: Perspective on Disabilities and Inclusion in Singapore.” She writes in hopes of offering community and catharsis. Find her @sherlisass on social media.
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To its credit, “The Beauty,” a new sci-fi, body-horror miniseries from Ryan Murphy, co-creator of “American Horror Story” and other acclaimed projects, dives deeper into the topic of genetic editing and disability than most sci-fi shows I’ve seen. Typically, as in “Jurassic World: Rebirth,” genetic editing is framed either as…
For months, I waited in anticipation of July 22. I was going to be on a promotional panel for “Not Without Us: Perspectives on Disability and Inclusion in Singapore,” a book I contributed a chapter to last year. Before I’d even signed the contract, friends and family asked me…
Note: This column describes the author’s own experiences with Evrysdi (risdiplam). Not everyone will have the same response to treatment. Consult your doctor before starting or stopping a therapy. “The drug likely won’t be effective on you. You’re in your 20s, and you’ve deteriorated to the point where you…
For the past two years, my best friend and fellow columnist, Brianna Albers, and I held a tradition of collaborating with each other for SMA Awareness Month. We’ve written companion columns about the pros and cons of our respective countries (she lives in the U.S., while I’m…
My dad had a handful of stories he liked to tell when I was growing up, like repeatedly playing a favorite vinyl record. One was about me loving music since I was an infant. “You’d stop crying when I sang,” he’d say. As a child, I regarded his recollection with…
Makeup and I have had an on-again, off-again relationship over the years. We were introduced when I was a kid. Though I don’t remember much of my childhood because of relational and medical trauma, I do vividly remember my mum taking me to buy lip gloss when we were on…
Last year, I had the incredible privilege of interviewing Corinne Busche, the current game director for Dragon Age’s fourth entry, “Dragon Age: Dreadwolf.” Busche is someone in the video games industry I’ve come to greatly admire for her kindness toward fans of the franchise and her enthusiasm about “Dreadwolf.”…
Note: This column describes the author’s own experiences with Evrysdi. Not everyone will have the same response to treatment. Consult your doctor before starting or stopping a therapy. Surrounded by beeping machines, monitors, wires, and tubes, I had trouble feeling like anything more than a patient during my hospital…
On May 2, members of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) held their first strike since 2007-2008. The WGA is a joint partnership of labor unions on the East and West coasts, each composed of writers in film, television, radio, and online media. When writers and the studios that…
Speaking seems like a simple act: You open your mouth and say words. The end. But in actuality, it involves a number of mechanics: oxygen flowing through your lungs, up your trachea, and through your larynx, creating sounds that are then shaped by the voluntary muscles of your palate,…
It’s been three years since COVID-19 lockdowns were implemented around the world. When that happened, time seemed to grind to a halt as the world intently followed the latest public health announcements. Plans were ripped apart as businesses all around us were shuttered. Three years later, as we’re still…
Regular readers of my column may know that I love Taylor Swift. I’ve written multiple columns explaining how her songwriting has given me solace. I still buy physical copies of her albums (even though my laptop has no CD drive), and I’ve attended her concerts each time she’s visited my…
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