My journey through transition

The Washington Post Style Guide Now Accepts Singular ‘They’

(via The Washington Post Style Guide Now Accepts Singular ‘They’ | Mental Floss)

This Trans Teen’s Parents Tried To “Fix” Him By Sending Him To India

“My parents thought there was something wrong with me because I wasn’t living my life the way they wanted. I didn’t fit the mold,” Bhatt explained. “They told me that I would eventually get an arranged marriage to a man.”

On September 10, the Indian queer resource group Nazariya helped Bhatt escape his family. The activists also provided Bhatt with legal counsel and shelter. That’s when things got complicated. Bhatt’s parents filed a complaint with the local police. Bhatt and supporters said his father, who he says is relatively wealthy and well-connected, used his power and influence to harass the activists.

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COMPUTERS & SOFTWARE

Apple Apple offers a new back-to-school discount each year. This year they’re including a $100 Apple gift card with the purchase of a qualifying Mac. The card can be used at the App Store, iTunes Store and iBookstore.

Microsoft  It may not help students stay on task, but Microsoft is throwing in a free 4GB Xbox 360 with the purchase of a PC priced at $699 or more.

Adobe  This design software leader has special pricing for both students and teachers, discounting many of their popular programs by as much as 80% off retail.

HP Promoting the PC is a big deal this season. HP is also offering a free 4GB Xbox 360 with the purchase of a qualifying PC priced at $690 or more before taxes and shipping.

Dell  For years, many have considered Dell the college computer company. They’re on board with the Xboxpromotion, giving away a 4GB console when you buy qualifying PCs priced at $699 or more. 

Norton Software Some universities require a certain level of virus protection to access their network. If your school doesn’t provide the software, you can still get a good deal from Norton. Students receive up to 50% off some of their most popular products.

Sony The Sony Education Store offers a variety of discounts and promotions, allowing students to save up to 10% at checkout. To view the various deals, check out their website using the link above.

JourneyEd JourneyEd specializes in saving students money on software. Programs like Microsoft Office and Adobe Photoshop are available at significantly reduced prices.

Academic Superstore Academic Superstore offers a variety of discounts for students on software from Adobe, Microsoft, Corel and more.

Buy.com Students receive $10 off their first order of $200 or more.

Corel Corel offers special prices on many of their software packages.

Fujitsu $50 off any order over $1,000 with discount code FPCSMR504.

Lenovo Receive up to 35% off select computers.

MOVIES & ENTERTAINMENT

AMC Theatres  Make Thursday your movie night at an AMC Theatres location. It’s the only day you can get discounted tickets with a student ID.

Cinemark Cinemark has more than 30 theaters in 10 states offering discounted movie tickets with a valid student ID.

Redbox This one isn’t a student only discount, but it seemed worth mentioning, since getting together for a movie is a great way to meet new people in the dorms. Get a free one-day rental from Redbox when you create a new account or “like” them on Facebook.

The Lincoln Center, New York The Lincoln Center takes up more than 16 acres of New York City and is considered one of the leading performance centers in the world. With a student ID, you can find discounts at all of their venues, including The Metropolitan Opera, New York City Ballet and the Lincoln Center Theatre.

Museum of Modern Art, New York Regular Adult Admission at the Museum of Modern Art costs $20, but with a valid student ID the cost drops to just $12.

The Art Institute of Chicago Students can get a one-year membership for just $50 at The Art Institute of Chicago. It comes with benefits like free admission, a 10% Museum Store discount and invitations to member events.

Denver Art Museum Not a huge discount here, but students pay $2 to $3 less for admission to the Museum.

Houston Ballet Student Rush Tickets are available from the Houston Ballet for just $10 during the 90 minutes before a performance. They’re not available for all performances, so make sure to check before heading out.

Carnegie Hall, New York This legendary venue offers Student Rush Tickets for $10 at the box office only. Eligible performances are announced up to two weeks in advance.

Memphis Symphony Orchestra Memphis is known for it’s barbecue, but the city has also produced some legendary musicians. Student Rush Tickets are available one hour before select performances for just $5. You can purchase regular tickets in advance for half-price with a student ID.

New England Aquarium Students receive a small discount on regular admission at this popular aquarium. They also host a College Night open house. This year, the event will take place on October 5. 

Museum of Science, Boston The Museum of Science in Boston has a long history and they want to share it. On Sept. 19, they’ll host a College Night when students can get free admission to the exhibit halls with a valid ID.

Philadelphia Museum of Art College Day on the Parkway is an annual event hosted by the museum and the City of Philadelphia. Several cultural institutions around the city open their doors to students free of charge. Check out all of the attractions by jumping on one of the free shuttles.

Your Local Institution Even if you don’t find the museum or theatre nearest you on this list, it can’t hurt to ask about a discount. Many institutions offer some sort of reduced admission for students.

MadameTussauds Receive a 15% discount on admission to all American locations of this fabled was museum.

The Metropolitan Opera New York’s renowned operal company offers special discounts to students, as well as invitations to special events.

TRANSPORTATION & INSURANCE

General Motors GM is offering college students and recent grads preferred pricing on most of their vehicles. Click the link above to get more details about how much you can save over the Manufacturer’s Standard Retail Price.

New Jersey Transit  Numerous colleges participate in the N.J. Transit University Partnership Program. Click the link above to see if your school is on the list. If it is, you can save 25% on monthly passes.

CoachUSA/ShortLine Don’t tell your parents, but the discount on bus fare from CoachUSA and Shortline makes heading home for the weekend more affordable. They offer 15% off tickets originating in or going to the city shown on your student ID.

Global Auto Transportation If the trek to school is too far for your car to handle, you can always consider getting it shipped. With proof of enrollment, Global Auto Transportation gives college students 10% off.

Eurail  Look into getting a Eurail Youth Pass if you’re a student abroad in Europe. You can save an average of 35% off the regular Adult Fare. 

Allstate Allstate offers a car insurance discount of up to 20% off for full-time students under the age of 25. Contact your local agent for more details.

Geico Full-time students between ages of 16 and 25 can get up to 15% off Geico car insurance when they maintain a “B” average or better.

Esurance The company known for it’s quirky commercials offers a car insurance discount to full-time students under the age of 25 who maintain a “B” average. With a clean driving record, Esurance will lower premiums every six months.

State Farm State Farm has a Good Student Discount that varies depending on where you live. To get more details, check with a local agent.

Travelers Insurance There are a couple discounts for students from Travelers. The first is the standard Student Discount for maintaining at least a “B” average. They also have a Student Away at School Discount for parents with dependents attending school at least 100 miles away.

Farmers Insurance Full-time students under the age of 25 with qualifying grades are eligible for the Farmers Student Discount.

Rail Europe This European train-ticketing service provides varying discounts for those 12 to 25 years of age.

Greyhound Save 20% on unrestricted tickets to thousands of locations. Save 40% on package shipping through Grehyound PackageXpress.

EXERCISE & SPORTS

Eastern Mountain Sport If you live in one of the 12 states with an Eastern Mountain Sports retail location, your student ID will get you 15% off regularly priced items.

CorePower Yoga Full-time students can save $100 on a 3-Month Unlimited membership, or $30 on a 10 Class Pack at CorePower Yoga studios throughout the country.

24 Hour Fitness Students can get special pricing plans from 24 Hour Fitness. Prices vary, based on location, so check with the club nearest you for more specifics. 

Ski Colorado College Pass If your college selection was based on powder conditions as much as academics, make sure to check out the Ski Colorado College Pass. For the price of a few textbooks, you can get unlimited skiing at Winter Park/Mary Jane and Copper Mountain all season long.

College New England Pass Pick up a College New England Pass to enjoy discounted skiing and no blackout dates all season long at Sunday River, Sugarloaf and Loon Mountain.

Washington Wizards Student Rush Though the NBA season is in serious jeopardy, the Washington Wizards have already started advertising their Student Rush promotion. On the day of the game, students can buy upper-level tickets that include a Chipotle gift card for just $15. Lower level seats are also available for $35.

D.C. United The storied MLS franchise has a few College Nights throughout the season. Order tickets with your .edu email address before game day and get premium level seats for $15.

Detroit Tigers The Tigers have a dozen College Nights at Comerica to choose from this year. The promotion includes a pavilion ticket and a player T-shirt for $19.

LA Dodgers It’s tough times on all fronts for the Dodgers right now. In order to draw more fans, the team is offering $10 walk-up tickets to students for all remaining 2011 home games.

PHONES

Sprint After speaking with a customer-service representative at Sprint, they confirmed they do have a student discount, but it varies by school. The standard seems to be 10% off your total monthly bill.

Verizon Depending on what school you attend, you may be eligible for a discount of 18% off your monthly bill from Verizon.

T-Mobile T-Mobile also has a student discount for participating schools. Their customer service department said the going rate is 6% off your total monthly bill.

AT&T Like the rest of the cell-phone providers, AT&T offers a discount for students at participating schools. The common amount of savings is 10% off your monthly bill.

SUBSCRIPTIONS & MEMBERSHIPS

Sam’s Club Buying in bulk with roommates saves money, but the Sam’s Club Collegiate Membership can save you even more. The cost is $40 for one-year and includes a $15 gift card.

Amazon The Amazon Student program is free to join and includes six months of free two-day shipping as well as email alerts. You can also elect to pay $39 for an annual membership that includes the shipping benefits, plus access to thousands of streaming videos.

New York Times  Some professors will require you read The New York Times for class. Luckily, the paper offers discounted subscriptions for students. The savings depend on what level of service you select.

The Wall Street Journal Students can get a subscription to the Wall Street Journal for 75% off regular rates. This includes print, mobile and online content.

APPAREL & RETAIL

Ann Taylor Show your student ID and get 20% off full-priced purchases at Ann Taylor stores.

Ralph Lauren Rugby The Rugby Student Union offers a 15% discount on full-price merchandise. Use your student ID to save in-store or use your .edu email address to get a coupon code for online shopping.

J. Crew  There’s a 15% student discount at J. Crew on regularly priced merchandise. The savings can only be applied to in-store purchases.

Banana Republic Banana Republic has an Education Discount for both teachers and students. With a valid ID, you can get 15% off full-priced purchases. 

Sally Beauty Supply Students studying cosmetology can sign-up for the Sally Beauty Student Discount Card to get reduced pricing on most products.

Juicy Couture  Juicy Couture helps you stay in-style by offering a 15% discount with a valid student ID.

Medelita Saving on scrubs is especially important for medical students. The Medelita Student Discount Program provides 25% off lab coats and scrubs.

Club Monaco This retailer doesn’t have the option to buy online, so you have to shop in a store. Luckily the Club Monaco student discount makes it worth tracking one down. With ID you can save 20% on your entire purchase, and the discount is applied to both regular and sale items.

Madewell According to their Facebook page, Madewell offers a 15% discount at all of their stores with a student ID.

Barnes and Noble Up to 40% off the top 100 books.

eCampus Up to 50% off University and Greek Apparel.

Jo-Ann Register for the Jo-Ann Student Discount Program and receive a 10% discount on every purchase every day.

ShoeBuy 10% off plus free shipping with code SHOEBUY.

FRANCHISES Most nationwide chains leave the decision about whether or not to offer student discounts up to individual franchise owners. While participation is more prevalent in college towns, many merchants find student discounts beneficial to business. Though none of these can be guaranteed, here are some common discounts reported by students throughout the country. To be sure the discount is offered, call and ask your local store.

Chipotle Receive a free drink from Chipotle with purchase and a valid student ID.

Qdoba Free drink with a Qdoba purchase and a valid student ID.

Subway Get 10% off your total Subway purchase with a valid student ID.

Burger King Receive 10% off your total Burger King purchase with a valid student ID.

Waffle House 10% off your total purchase with a valid student ID.

Chick-fil-A Receive a free drink with each Chick-fil-A purchase when you show your valid student ID.

Arby’s 10% off your total Arby’s purchase with a valid student ID.

McDonald’s 10% off your total McDonald’s purchase with a valid student ID.

Buffalo Wild Wings 10% off your total Buffalo Wild Wings purchase with a valid student ID.

Dairy Queen The official Dairy Queen site encourages franchise owners to offer a discount. The most common seems to be 10% off total purchase with a valid student ID.

Jiffy Lube Get $10 or 10% off your total Jiffy Lube bill when you present a valid student ID.

Student Advantage Card Both part-time and full-time students over the age of 16 are eligible to purchase a card. The annual cost is $22.50 and it can be used at over 80 locations.

International Student Identity Card This card is a useful ally for students both abroad and at home. Any full-time student over the age of 12 can pick one up for an annual fee of $25. Their website claims you can use the card for 40,000 discounts in 120 countries.

Transgender Muslim Teenagers Kathrine and Zane

Help an artist in debt -

Hi guys, I’ll keep it brief. I was recently hospitalized against my will in a hospital that doesn’t accept the insurance I currently have, and I was kicked out without receiving the necessary treatment. In addition to still struggling with my symptoms, I was pressured to quit my job and now I owe the hospital 3000 dollars that I don’t have. I can’t ask my family for help, so I’m offering greatly reduced prices for commissions to help raise money to pay this off.

I cannot draw:

furries 

sexual content

excessively detailed backgrounds (I have to trot these out quickly) 

I can draw:

anything else - including all body types, original characters, monsters, and gemsonas!

All payments go through PayPal. My pricing is as follows -

One headshot colored sketch of a character is 8 USD.

One full shot colored sketch of a character is 12 USD.

One full illustration of a simple character with limited background is 20 USD.

One full illustration of a complicated character with limited background is 25 USD.

One painted sketch of a character is 25 USD for a medium shot, and 30 USD for a full shot.

If you’d like to donate, contact me privately. 

I’ve contacted both my insurance and the hospital and have managed to get the insurance to cover about 50% of the bill since the hospitalization was involuntary. This means I have to raise under 1500$ to pay off the rest of it. I’ve made some money but still have a ways to go. 

Additionally, if you’d like to donate my button is on my about page.