Reina Gattuso

  • Meet the Children of LGBTQ+ Parents Who Are Reclaiming the Narrative

    Meet the Children of LGBTQ+ Parents Who Are Reclaiming the Narrative

    The children of LGBTQ+ people are ostensibly at the center of a conservative agenda. In actuality, “we are often erased in these conversations.” Since January, state legislatures have proposed more than 500 pieces of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation. These bills primarily seek to criminalize transgender children, parents, and their families. Fascist groups and conservative lawmakers have simultaneously…

  • The Dutch East India Company’s Colonial Trade and Plunder

    The Dutch East India Company’s Colonial Trade and Plunder

    This article first appeared at Curationist. The Dutch East India company built an empire on the spice and textile trades. As the largest corporation in human history, they shaped modern business as we know it. And they forever changed Asian and European art. Introduction When Dutch artist Simon Fokke created this allegorical etching of the…

  • How Chocolate Reached the Eastern Hemisphere

    How Chocolate Reached the Eastern Hemisphere

    Originally published at Curationist. In the past 500 years, chocolate has gone from a spiritually significant Central American beverage to a global culinary commodity. It inspired reverence and debate, while the European appetite for chocolate fueled colonial exploitation. Ceremonial cacao cups and delicate porcelain vessels chart the evolution of this “food of the gods.” Introduction…

  • Getting Into Drag With the Stars of “We’re Here” Proves Queerness Is Always Political

    Getting Into Drag With the Stars of “We’re Here” Proves Queerness Is Always Political

    It’s raining in New York this November morning, one of the first really cold rains of the season. But Shangela’s suite at an upscale Manhattan hotel is warm and floral. Orchestral Taylor Swift plays in the background, and a candle burns on her coffee table. Shangela loves a scented candle. Lighting one is part of…

  • Art of the Atomic Bomb

    Art of the Atomic Bomb

    This article originally appeared at Curationist. The American development of the atom bomb heralded a new chapter in the human power to destroy. These images document the invention, use, and dangers of the first nuclear weapons during World War II and the postwar period. American propaganda attempted to erase the experiences of Japanese victims. Introduction…

  • How Trauma Affects Your Body — And How Your Body Protects You

    How Trauma Affects Your Body — And How Your Body Protects You

    “I’m on an anti-resilience kick right now,” says Dr. Janelle S. Peifer, Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Richmond. It is, at first glance, a surprising statement. The founder of The Center for Inclusive Therapy and Wellness, Peifer supports clients, especially women of color, as they process the ongoing traumas of patriarchy, heterosexism,…

  • How Affirmative Consent Can Up Your Massage Game

    How Affirmative Consent Can Up Your Massage Game

    How Affirmative Consent Can Up Your Massage Game When you hear the word “massage,” what comes to mind? One of the most popular images is of a thin, white woman relaxing on a table. “Massage therapy is so often put on a pedestal in a privileged way,” says J Sheffield, a body worker, massage therapist,…

  • How to Be a Good Friend (And What to Look for In Others)

    How to Be a Good Friend (And What to Look for In Others)

    From children’s movies centered on the princess marrying the prince, to adult social events that exclude folks who aren’t coupled, our society draws a stark distinction between romantic love and friendship. Typically, romantic love comes out on top.  Yet, according to Candrea Davies, “The conversation around healthy friendships to me is the conversation around healthy…

  • Is Casual Sex for Me?

    Is Casual Sex for Me?

    Recently, I realized I’d never had casual sex.  Let me clarify: I’ve had a lot of sex with people I didn’t have an intimate or committed relationship with. At the time, I would have called it casual. But something nagged at me. Most of those experiences felt unfulfilling, often boundary-violating, and left me emotionally hungry.…

  • The Art of Gifting a Sex Toy

    The Art of Gifting a Sex Toy

    It’s February again, and love is in the air. And by “love,” I mean, “the sweet buzz of my favorite vibrator.”  Valentine’s Day, with its many corporate advertisements commodifying romantic love, can be a grating holiday. But it doesn’t have to be. Whether single, partnered, polyculed, or somewhere in-between (we see you, situationships), we can…