Letter from the Springhouse Community

Dear Springhouse community,

When initially asked to write this letter I was hesitant. Despite being a prolific reader and an amateur writer, I am not at all confident with my expression when it comes to nonfictional matters. I was asked to try, so I will.

I wish I had a place like Springhouse to go for my education as a child. I grew up in Georgia and attended Catholic school before dropping out at 14 years old. My unfinished education is something of a source of shame for me, but my continued attendance was not an option. 

I have Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, am autistic, transgender, and bisexual. At 14 no one knew any of this. I barely knew my own gender and sexuality well enough to feel anything other than shame for it. While my own family was not particularly bigoted, the larger community absolutely was. Religion is often an excuse to hide hatred and I often found myself wondering if the people in my childhood parish even listened to this Jesus guy. It really seemed like they didn’t.

I am forever grateful for my Mother because she saw my rapidly declining health, both mental and physical, and pulled me from my all girls catholic high school. Shortly thereafter I came out, began treatment for the trauma my schooling environment had given me, and started hormone replacement therapy.

The year I moved to Floyd I had just turned 18 and I spent a considerable amount of time trying not to think about my education or really my lack thereof. That was also the year of the first annual Procession of Appalachian Species. I met Ian Stabler and through him learned about...