Welcome to The Purplepaw Blog, where we unpack the complexities of gender, identity, and what it truly means to be human—without the academic jargon (okay, maybe just a little, but only the fun kind).
Curated by Amethysta Herrick. Ph.D., this space is where science, philosophy, and lived experience collide to challenge assumptions and spark new perspectives. Whether you’re here to explore your own identity, stay informed on the latest research, or just enjoy a deep dive into the human experience, we deliver thoughtful, engaging, and refreshingly honest discussions. No fluff. No gatekeeping. Just real conversations about who we are and how we navigate the world. Dive in, stay curious, and let’s rethink identity together.
Orgasm Got More Intense After Transition. So Why Have I Stopped?
When sex became about more than my physical needs
Sex and intimacy used to obscure who I was. After four years of transgender transition, including two years post gender-affirming surgery, they now confirm
Your Options Right Now - A Practical Guide for Trans Women Seriously Thinking About It
Some good advice and some flying pies
We've spent the past two live streams naming the weight and proving we can survive. Now we get practical. How do *you* survive?
This
She Was Where You Are Now. Then She Did This.
You can survive just like these people did
Last week, we proved you're not overreacting to the world as it is. You're experiencing a universal human response to danger, and that'
Why Trans People Are Exhausted Right Now - And What's Happening In Your Brain
At one point, this was an evolutionary advantage
You are not overreacting. The exhaustion is real for transgender women. It has a name, a mechanism, and a biology.
This is Stream 1 of
Identity Politics Doesn't PROTECT You, It CONTROLS You
Labels continue to be the worst option
The Trump administration doesn't care about protecting your unalienable human rights. They want to control you by regulating who you are out of existence.
A Broken Heart Lets More Love Flow - with Shannon Donohoe-Simpson
When bravery means being able to ask for help
In this episode, we hear Shannon Donohoe-Simpson's story of healing and renewal. Shannon is a Joybringer, Spaceholder, speaker, and storyteller who survived breast
The Childhood Trauma Test That Redefines "Good Parenting"
ACE is the one test you don't want to ace
Childhood trauma is not a parenting accident. It's a parenting choice. By forcing your values and your religion on your children, you strip them
Gender Dysphoria: YOUR Experience, Not Just Mine
The very human experience of not feeling perfectly yourself
Cisgender people have gender dysphoria - and some even worse than the gender-diverse community. That's because gender dysphoria is about incongruence between how you
Don't worry whether your essence is 'natural'
Nothing can be outside nature, so there is no natural/supernatural binary.
Humanist chaplain James Croft has a perfect little essay on his blog today. It's called "No Space for the Supernatural."
Once we can explain
Think You Know Human Biology? XX / XY Isn't Even HALF the Story!
Human Development is complicated, but still not identity
What if everything you learned about human biology in high school was incomplete? Not exactly wrong, but breathtakingly oversimplified?
Science has known for decades that
Intersectionality: Why "Live and Let Live" Is a CONTRADICTION
Critical Theory cuts both ways
Of all people, I was attacked by a Christian telling me to "live and let live." Worse, he did it as he attacked me with
How Much Gender Is Enough? A Transgender Christian's Dilemma.
Can you be both Christian AND transgender? A viewer says NO.
Can transgender Christians still follow their faith? Or does the Christian god demand full fealty to the commandments of his followers?
A viewer's question
Who Gets to Decide What Queer History Our Children Learn?
New words do not indicate new experiences
What do religious conservatives fear when they suppress Queer history? If they can predict a person's identity at conception, shouldn't Queer history only
Conversion Therapy Thinks It's a Growth Mindset? That's EXACTLY the Problem.
Identify Yourself - a live stream you can live with
A False Growth Mindset prizes effort, not learning, and conversion therapy leans into the fallacy. But knowledge is the basis of action, and changing knowledge
Your Mindset Is Lying to You About Your Gender
Identify Yourself - a live stream you can live with
Your Mindset determines whether gender transition is possible...or permanently out of reach. Carol Dweck's research on Growth Mindset vs. Fixed Mindset reveals exactly
Conservative Rhetoric Just Hung Itself - and SCOTUS Helped
Identify Yourself - a live stream you can live with
It felt like SCOTUS handed us a defeat in Chiles vs Salazar. But the decision, built upon a First Amendment challenge to conversion therapy bans,
Sex Is a Spectrum: The Conservative Secret Weapon
Identify Yourself - a live stream you can live with
Sex is NOT a spectrum, and claiming it is gives conservatives a secret weapon to limit gender-diverse identity.
Despite its popularity and well-meaning
A New Political Playbook for Indiana - with Lilliana Kendra Young
The Purplepaw Clan - now in convenient podcast form!
Today we hear about Lilliana Kendra Young's pursuit of justice for all in Indiana State government. Lilliana is a candidate for District 61 of
Undoing a Lifetime of Programming - with Terraine LeBeau
The Purplepaw Clan - now in convenient podcast form!
In this episode, Terraine LeBeau breaks down how trauma begins, how it manifests, and how it can end. Terraine is a Certified Relationship Mentor,
Afraid to Transition? Here's a Simple Process to Start Today!
Identify Yourself - a live stream you can live with
Afraid to transition because you don't know where to start? You don't need to have it all figured out right now. You just