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A digital illustration of two groups of silhouetted people. One group is silent and holds the Intersex-Inclusive Pride Progress Flag. The other group is led by an individual holding up their hand and shouting. The background is a light purple, and a light yellow starburst is behind the flag.

The Fight Over Flags

When I was in high school, my friend and I fundraised and worked with our district to paint progress pride flags at each campus in the school district. While some called our project indoctrination, others claimed it was unnecessary because they believed this was an empty display of virtue signaling. However, as our right to queer expression continues to suffer heavy restrictions around the country, it is crucially empowering to permanently show that we are not leaving. Students may not feel safe at home, and affirming their identities decreases depression, anxiety, and suicide rates by allowing them to be themselves in school. The symbols used to identify people’s orientations and politics inform others of whom to trust.

A digital illustration of a green chalkboard with a wooden frame. A white piece of chalk sits on the left side. In the center of the chalkboard is a drawn rainbow.

Opinion

Why Queer Education Matters

In March of 2022, Florida legislature passed House Bill 1557: “Parental Rights in Education” Bill, also informally referred to as the “Don’t Say Gay” Bill. Signed into law in July of the same year, the bill was proposed as a way to strengthen a parent’s right to make decisions about the type of care and education a student receives in public school. Crucially, this bill prohibits the education of sexual orientation and gender identity in classrooms before fourth grade, after which it has to be taught in an “age-appropriate or developmentally-appropriate” way.

A photograph of Schuyler Bailar, an Asian trans man with light skin, black hair, and black facial hair. He is shirtless with visible top surgery scars, and he holds the trans flag above his head; the flag streams out behind him.

Community

Schuyler Bailar’s Intersectional Impact as an East Asian Transgender Man

Schuyler Bailar is perhaps best known as the first transgender man to compete in the male category of any Division 1 NCAA sport. Since graduating from Harvard in 2019 with a double major in psychology and cognitive neuroscience, he has become a prominent activist for transgender rights and body positivity through his Instagram handle @pinkmantaray. He has also published multiple books on the transgender experience, including his recent book “He/She/They,” which includes the “essential language and context” of gender identity and recollections from Schuyler’s transition journey.

A digital illustration of various sapphic couples from television. The largest couple on the left hand side is Amity, a white girl with short purple hair, a black tunic, a moon necklace, and pointy ears, and Luz, a Latina girl with brown skin, orange-brown hair, a half-cloak, and black studs, from "The Owl House." Amity cups Luz's face and holds her hand. At the bottom right corner are Beatrice, an Asian woman with dark purple hair in a bun and a cross scar on her cheek, and Ava, a white woman with orange-brown bobbed hair, from "Warrior Nun." Ava is smiling affectionately at Beatrice who is speaking. At the top right corner are Sydney, a white girl with short pink hair in an orange tank top and necklace, and Dina, a Black girl with dark curly hair and a white tank top, from "I Am Not Okay With This." Sydney leans against Dina and looks up at her lovingly. Various swirls and hearts surround all the couples.

Arts & Entertainment

From “I Am Not Okay With This” to “Everything Sucks”: A Lack of Lesbians in Media

After the cancellation of the beloved show “Warrior Nun” on Netflix, fans speculated as to why such a popular show could have been kicked to the curb by the streaming powerhouse. Some theorized that it may have been provoked by the second season’s relationship between two women. Though its fanbase’s dedication eventually led to the series’ development into a feature film trilogy, this isn’t the first case where shows with sapphic central characters have been stripped of funding and future seasons.

A digital illustration of two women holding hands and looking at a painting of two women. The couple's clothing color palette matches the two women's clothing in the painting. The woman on the left has light brown skin, curly brown hair, a blue bandana, and a brown vest over a light blue long-sleeve shirt. The woman on the right has light skin, straight brown hair, a red beret, a tan shirt, and a black purse. The women in the painting wear a red scarf and a blue scarf respectively.

Literature

The Underrepresentation of Sapphic Identities in Literature: A Historical Analysis

My first June after discovering sapphic literature was one of eager anticipation. I had loved sapphic novels from the moment I picked up “The Lady’s Guide to Celestial Mechanics” the year prior, and waited all year for Pride Month so that I could get new recommendations. Sure enough, they started rolling in! Scrolling through TikTok, I saw video after video advertising “queer book recs.” But what I saw was disappointing at best. In these videos, the word “queer” seemed to be synonymous with male-loving-male (MLM); every single video was full of nothing but MLM novel recommendations.

An illustration of a light-skinned girl with long light brown hair in a pink sweater holding hands with a girl with brown skin and her dark brown curls tied up in a bun in a white turtleneck and red shirt. They both look backwards and up, their faces filled with worry. Blue silhouettes of people with angry faces loom above them.

Arts & Entertainment

The Oversexualization of Lesbian Relationships in Media

The entertainment industry profits off the sexualization of women. Whether typecast as a complacent suburban housewife or a strong crime-fighting machine, women in media are reduced to their sexual attributes, especially lesbians and other queer people.

A photograph of a white and orange rugby ball on blue artificial turf. In the background are UCLA rugby players.

Sports

A Try at UCLA Women’s Rugby — Interview with Kelsey on UCLA Athletics and Being Trans

When applying to the UCLA Women’s Rugby team, Kelsey (she/her), a trans female undergraduate in her first transfer year at UCLA, was optimistic. In the past, she had played U19 rugby as a prop and flanker for three years.

Politics & News

Asia’s Steps Toward Queerness in 2023

Towards the end of October 2023, Japan’s Supreme Court ruled that their long-held legislation requiring transgender citizens to undergo medical sterilization and have “no functional reproductive glands” to legally change their gender is in fact unconstitutional. Even with this change, they must be unmarried and have genitals that present as the “gender” they are trying to identify as. Though there remain some obstacles, this court decision will allow for a life without legal violations of physical autonomy. In the spirit of this queer legislative win for Japanese people, we’d like to highlight how queer folks in other regions of Asia have also witnessed victories and an expansion of dedicated space within the past year.

A photograph of a desert landscape including various shrubbery, cliffs, and distant mountains. The ground is edited to be a deep purple, and the sky, light pink.

Creative Writing

A Jigsaw Puzzle Is an Act of Creation

Sometimes I look in the mirror when the angle is just right and fall in love with the sight of my chest, flat and unburdened. Like the rolling desert that I like to call home, just miles and miles of unbroken land. At this moment, no one has ever touched me there except to lay a hand flat, feel the press of my sternum against their palm, and nothing else.

A digital illustration of a rainbow folding fan which reads "Rest In Peace." Surrounding the fan are a variety of roses in the colors of the nonbinary pride flag: black, white, yellow, and purple. The image's background is lilac.