Fighting for the Queer Youth: In Loving Memory of Nex Benedict
On Feb. 7, 2024, Nex Benedict, a transgender, Two-Spirit teen of Choctaw descent, was assaulted in their high school’s bathroom by three girls who had reportedly been bullying them and their friends for the way they were laughing. Benedict went to bed with head pain following the altercation and their mother rushed them to the hospital after they later collapsed. They were pronounced dead on Feb. 8.
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.
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.
What the Vice Presidential candidates didn’t say…
graphic by Martha Cabot Last night, Vice President Mike Pence and Senator Kamala Harris met at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City to debate for the first and only time until Election Day. This debate was considerably more…
They: Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Year
Graphic by Christopher Ikonomou “They” has been named the word of the year by Merriam-Webster! The online dictionary announced that lookups for the gender-neutral pronoun increased by 313% in 2019. GLAAD’s Director of Transgender Representation, Nick Adams, celebrated the statement.…
Bernie Sanders Rallies with Striking UC Workers in Fight for Living Wages, End to Labor Outsourcing
Vermont Senator and 2020 presidential candidate Bernie Sanders joined thousands of striking university and hospital employees at a rally at UCLA on Wednesday, March 20, to call for higher wages and an end to University of California’s increased use of…
Meet Matthew Gifford, the Youngest Openly Gay Candidate Running for Office in America
Photo courtesy of Matthew Gifford for Board of Education “We need to focus on the big picture and tackle the big problems we’re facing – for our schools and for our students – so that we don’t have the same…
Facing Expanding Class Sizes and Dwindling Resources, LA Teachers Go On Strike
Teachers in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) continue to strike this week amidst increasing class sizes and insufficient support for low-income students across the city. Demonstrators cite a lack of school nurses, librarians, and counselors, as well as…
Democrats Take House, Governorships, State Legislatures in Blue Wave Election
Democrats swept up the majority in the US House and in several state legislative chambers in last night’s midterm election. In addition, Democrats flipped seven key governorships from red to blue in a massive rebuke to President Trump. In total…
Taylor Swift and the #MeToo Midterms
“It is difficult to imagine that Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the Supreme Court over the weekend had no effect specifically on how Swift and other young victims of sexual misconduct view politics.” Content Warning: Sexual Assault and Harassment Country-turned-pop star Taylor…