Ari Drennen

2 months ago | aridrennen.substack.com | Ari Drennen

Four years ago, I checked into the hospital because I couldn’t breathe. When I was admitted, they told me they were testing for four possibilities: heart attack, lung cancer, AIDS, and pneumonia. I said, “I sure hope it’s pneumonia.”What I didn’t say was that I’d put off going for months. My cough had been getting worse—slowly, steadily—but I was too afraid of what I might find out. By the time I finally asked for help, I was scared I was going to die. I could feel it building in my chest.

2 months ago | aridrennen.substack.com | Ari Drennen

There’s a story we’ve grown used to seeing in media portrayals of trans people. It’s the story of escape. A mysterious woman (or more often, an aging man) with a past that’s tragic, unspoken, or locked behind the eyes. Secrets, lies, fear. Gender transition, whether pursued or just fantasized about in these stories, is a kind of self-erasure. A magic trick. I understand the appeal. There’s something cinematic about it. Transition makes for a great metaphor if you aren’t fussy about the particulars.

2 months ago | aridrennen.substack.com | Ari Drennen

We all know the feeling: you open up Instagram or TikTok just to delay getting out of bed or putting your phone down for the night. Just five more minutes. A little scroll. And then—an hour is gone. You don’t even remember what you watched. You just feel... foggy. Every time you open your phone without a clear purpose, you are volunteering to be distracted. You’re not choosing where your attention goes.

Mar 27, 2025 | aridrennen.substack.com | Ari Drennen

Yesterday, I sent a post about how leftists might enjoy broader electoral success if they could accept that many people find getting yelled at on the internet to be a negative experience. The post was borne out of frustration with people coming into my replies or my DMs and throwing out a lot of nasty language and then making me feel like it was my fault that I didn’t like being spoken to like that, a pattern with which I am unfortunately quite familiar from my childhood.

Mar 25, 2025 | aridrennen.substack.com | Ari Drennen

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