A novel that is as beautiful and charming as it is devastating and heartbreaking. Yanagihara follows the lives and friendships of four men who meet as college roommates. At 700 pages, there is nothing superficial or surface-level about the exploration of masculinities and the trials of friendship. I do not want to give too much…
Society conditions us to think of sex in a very narrow fashion a penis goes into a vagina, moves back and forth a few times, ejaculates. Reina Gattuso isn’t buying that. Not only is this conditioning heterosexist, it is male-pleasure centric, resulting in women’s pleasure becoming an afterthought. What does feminist sex look like? Moving…
The Force Awakens, in addition to giving us a well-rounded female lead,* is chock-full of men who display vulnerabilities, empathy, and kindness, and one man who is struggling with living up to the ideals and expectations of toxic masculinity (referred to in the Star Wars universe as: The Dark Side). This article explores the ways…
Feminism looks differently to each of us, and there is not shortage of ways that individuals can enact and embody their feminism. For Alan Rickman, feminism meant “common sense,” and looked like fairness, respect, and honoring the contribution of women, recognizing that he was a better man and artist when surrounded by the best people,…
Bowie was a cultural icon, but he was also a person. And that person was accused of rape, and sexual assault of a minor. So what is to be said about a person after they pass who on the one hand provided a a creative outlet and a lifeline for queer folks and trans* folks,…
Consent, bodily autonomy, and agency are fundamental to sex positivity and healthy relationships. These concepts do not require explicit talk about sex in order to begin building that foundation early in a child’s life. From a very young age, lessons can be conveyed to children that everyone has a right to say no, to determine…
Despite the title of the article, the list highlights books that would be a great reading for children of all genders. It is not only little girls who would benefit from literature–and movies, TV shows, etc.–featuring strong, independent, and resourceful women and girl protagonists. Learning that men are not exclusively the main character in life’s…
Empathy is not easily taught, but it can be embodied, modeled, and experienced. Special Education teacher, Chris Ulmer has found a way to build students’ self-esteem by modeling an encouraging and positive atmosphere in his class. Rather than treating “special ed” as a punishment, or a result of failure, Ulmer takes time out of every morning…
