Graphic from Janelle Monáe’s album cover, Dirty Computer #20GayTeen was a milestone for queer artists in the music industry. From pop to folk to alternative, these artists discussed numerous topics previously dubbed “taboo” by mainstream media. Here is the list…
How Ariana Grande Became 2018’s Pop Star
Earlier this quarter I was asked: If given the opportunity to interview any artist, who and what would I ask? Like a predictive text, my answer came to mind immediately; I would ask Ariana Grande, “Are you okay?” If you…
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…
Janet Mock’s Outrage for her Trans* Identity
On February 5, Janet Mock, a 29-year-old trans activist of color and author of Redefining Realness was interviewed on Piers Morgan Live. Throughout the interview, he continually referred to her past identity “as a man,” claiming that she “was a…
Pretty Little Liars Does It Better Than You Think
Still via ABCFamily/Freeform It’s true: ABC Family is not a channel especially known for its award-winning shows. And perhaps “Pretty Little Liars” does not from the outset seem a show of particular note: its source is a series not noted…
Queer Your Reading List: The Well of Loneliness
Women getting it on. With each other.
Even today, this premise strikes a chord with audiences. Imagine in 1928, when The Well of Loneliness was first published in England and America. Obscenity trials tried to ban the novel. Still the book sold 100,000 copies in its first year on the shelves. The Well was one of the first lesbian novels ever published, written by Radclyffe Hall, an English author and gay lady. The novel tells the story of Stephen Gordon, an English woman living at the turn of the century discovering and coming to terms with her sexuality.
Woman, as Defined by Corporate America
Advertisements are a powerful influence on society, whether we care to admit it or not. And furthermore, advertisements are a company’s interpretation of its customers’ lives, albeit with more enthusiasm and catchy jingles. This means that the commercials we see on TV and the billboards we see across Sunset Boulevard are often intended to mimic what that company thinks we, the general public, are- or if not that, what we want to be. This is why I get so angered when I see ads that treat women like cleaning robots or housewives that live to serve their incompetent husbands. But not all companies manage to push my feminist buttons. Some ads, and companies in particular, treat women like the multi-faceted people they are, either allowing them to drive fast cars or have high-level jobs. This is a short list of some of the commercials on TV stations today, and what message they are conveying to the commercial-watching public, for the empowered better or outdated and out-of-touch worse.
Anderson Cooper and the Big Gay Elephant
Photo by Gage Skidmore/Flickr Do you know who Anderson Cooper is? Yes, yes you do. Anderson Cooper is one of the most ubiquitous and well-respected journalists in America today. He reports live from war zones, natural disasters, and the front…
