A yellow paper sign hung from a tent at UCLA’s Palestinian Solidarity Encampment. Handwritten black text reads “No one is free until we are all free” between a Palestinian flag on the left and a Progress Pride flag on the right.
“This Is a Space of Love”: UCLA’s Palestinian Solidarity Encampment

On Thursday, April 25, UCLA activists erected a pro-Palestinian solidarity encampment in Dickson Plaza. The organizers intend to remain in place until UCLA has fulfilled their primary demand for divestment from corporations and institutions complicit in the genocide of Palestinians. Over a hundred students congregated behind makeshift barricades, many with tents for overnight stays.

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.
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 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.
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.

Breaking Boundaries in Beauty: The Love Story of Miss Argentina and Miss Puerto Rico

Imagine attending a beauty pageant, not knowing what to expect. Maybe you end up with a tiara and some press, maybe you leave with some great memories, or, just maybe, you get the chance to meet your future wife. This was the case for beauty queens Fabiola Valentín and Mariana Varela, known as Miss Puerto Rico and Miss Argentina respectively.

Roe v. Wade: What’s Next?

Roe v. Wade was overturned on June 24, 2022 reversing 49 years of legal precedent in the U.S.. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has made it clear he does not plan to stop there, and gay marriage could be next up to take a massive political hit. 

Fair Contracts Now: The Largest Strike In Academic History

Chants such as this one have echoed across campus since Nov. 14, the first official day of the UAW strike. The turnout was amazing, with graduate students, undergraduate students, and even some faculty showing up for the largest strike in University of California and U.S. history…

National Center for Transgender Equality Announces Launch Date for 2022 U.S. Trans Survey

The National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE) recently announced that the 2022 U.S. Trans Survey (also known as the USTS) is set to launch on October 19th.

The Realities of (Mis)Representation

This article was originally published in our Winter 2022 Volume 1 zine “Queer Rage, Resistance, & Renaissance.“ We’re constantly told as queer people that representation matters. There is this pervasive narrative sold to us that seeing our faces in high…

My Body Is Not Your Political Playground

On Monday, May 2, 2022, documents leaked from the Supreme Court that Roe v. Wade would be struck down. This didn’t surprise me. For years, I knew that this was a possibility. Since the election of Donald Trump, and when…

The Lavender Laws

A deep dive into the history of legal rights for the LGBTQ+ community in the United States