As governments across the United States are requesting, or mandating, their residents to “shelter in place” to help prevent the further spread of the novel coronavirus, acute anxiety grows exponentially one group in particular: our neighbors without housing. Many U.S. residents have already lost their jobs, or risk future job loss, due to closures inContinue reading “The COVID-19 Pandemic and The Dire Need for a Mental Health Safety Net”
Category Archives: social justice
Why Bisexual Women Are at a Higher Risk for Violence
It feels strange to admit this, but when I first read that bisexual women are more vulnerable to sexual and intimate partner violence than people of other orientations, I felt relieved. It wasn’t the butterfly-winged relief of good news. It was the lightness of finally being able to breathe. Or perhaps, of feeling that I still couldn’tContinue reading “Why Bisexual Women Are at a Higher Risk for Violence”
Lesbian bars are disappearing. We spent a night at one that’s still standing.
Walking into Henrietta Hudson feels like taking off a heavy backpack. It’s a humid June night in New York’s Greenwich Village, and inside the reggaeton-pulsing bar, a sparse crowd drinks beer and laughs. My shoulders instantly relax, and not just because I’ve escaped a spring downpour. Read more at The Washington Posts’s The Lily. Photo:Continue reading “Lesbian bars are disappearing. We spent a night at one that’s still standing.”
After Hurricane Katrina, Home Gardeners Saved New Orleans’ Iconic Squash
“WE NORMALLY DON’T HAVE A spring crop,” says Paul D’Anna, a home gardener in Metairie, Louisiana. But this year—maybe it’s the weather or, though he’s loathe to talk himself up, maybe it’s his green thumb—he got lucky: His backyard vines have already produced around 70 fruits. Read more at Atlas Obscura. Photo: David Monniaux, CC BY-SAContinue reading “After Hurricane Katrina, Home Gardeners Saved New Orleans’ Iconic Squash”
Indian Supreme Court Decriminalizes Queer Sex, and Everyone Celebrates!
HAPPY 377 READ DOWN DAY, EVERYONE! In a rare piece of absolutely fabulous news, on Thursday, September 6, the Indian Supreme Court officially decriminalized homosexuality. Technically, the Court “read down” Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code to exclude consensual sex. Implemented in 1860 under British official Thomas Macauley, Section 377 outlawed “carnal acts against the orderContinue reading “Indian Supreme Court Decriminalizes Queer Sex, and Everyone Celebrates!”
Drug Tests: Weapons Against the Marginalized
Last week, Pennsylvania Democratic state representative Kevin Haggerty proposed that people filing Protection from Abuse orders should be drug tested if they lack “substantive” evidence of abuse. Yes, that does mean he thinks abuse victims should be drug tested in order to obtain protection from the state. Yes, that is as heinous as it sounds. Two thingsContinue reading “Drug Tests: Weapons Against the Marginalized”
Experiencing Imposter Syndrome? That’s Probably Because You’re an Imposter
That we are the captains of our professional destinies is a lie Western capitalism tells us to prevent the poor from burning the entire system to the ground. You are not the captain of your destiny. It’s possible you’re the rare person who took over your destiny through a thrilling yet bloody mutiny. But successfulContinue reading “Experiencing Imposter Syndrome? That’s Probably Because You’re an Imposter”
Harsher Punishments Won’t Keep Kids Safe from Sexual Abuse: The Death Penalty in India
When rape makes the headlines in India, talk of hanging begins. Commentators blare from news screens; politicians pledge death. These stories of brutal crime and brutal punishment, all in the name of protecting women and girls, tell us something important about contemporary Indian responses to rape. They also tell us about a fundamental flaw inContinue reading “Harsher Punishments Won’t Keep Kids Safe from Sexual Abuse: The Death Penalty in India”
10 Inspiring Self-Love Quotes from LGBTQ Icons
When trans women of color led the way in the Stonewall Riots of 1969, Pride was born. It was a movement against police harassment and to claim space for a marginalized community. By fighting back, members of New York City’s queer community signaled they would not be pushed into the shadows anymore. The Stonewall Riots are part of aContinue reading “10 Inspiring Self-Love Quotes from LGBTQ Icons”
Quick Hit: Ice Prevents Detainees From Observing Ramadan
As though ICE could get worse, this week at The Intercept Maryam Saleh reports on one immigration detention facility’s blatantly Islamophobic campaign to prevent Muslim detainees from observing Ramadan. Saleh reports that ICE agents arbitrarily deny detainees’ request to be placed on the facility’s Ramadan list, deny fasting detainees adequate nutrition, discriminate against detainees who wear kufis, and denyContinue reading “Quick Hit: Ice Prevents Detainees From Observing Ramadan”
