My Black daughter and one of my creative writing students both told me a lot about their exasperation at these all-to-frequent microaggressions. I wonder how many White people would be comfortable with people of other races reaching out to test the texture of their hair or skin without asking permission first.

Reading Claudia Rankine's Citizen last week helped me understand this phenomenon in proper context, as part of the erasure of Black people, Black personhood, and Black agency from White experience.

As for gender-role and pair-bonding expectations and the social rituals by which we are expected to pursue the sanctioned goals of permanent monogamy and nuclear family--all enforced by the unholy alliance of church and state--I am gratified to have lived long enough to see them finally start to crumble.

I hope you will write more, Ms. Grey. You clearly have a lot to say, whenever you are of a mind to share it.