Consent is fundamental and foundational. Its also a lot less complicated than many want to make it seem. Consent is about dialogue, and respecting the needs, agency, and autonomy of other people. Consent is the foundation of healthy, happy relationships, and fun, pleasurable sexual encounters. It truly is as simple as offering someone a cup…
Sex Ed in the United States is often mediocre at best, and in the instance of abstinence-only education, harmful at worst. Children must be provided with accurate, honest, and upfront information about sexual activities, their bodies, consent, dialogue, pleasure, sexual and reproductive justice, and yes, even human rights, in an environment that is safe and…
“The rule against using singular they is enforced neither because it preserves some consistent, objective grammatical standard, nor because it serves our communication needs. It is enforced because enforcing language norms is a way of enforcing power structures. Our pronoun problem isn’t just about gender — it’s about power.” Language is both a reflection of…
What if instead of being another young-adult novel told from the perspective of an entitled young white male with a savior complex, the Harry Potter series had been given a different type of narrator? We all know that without Hermione, Harry and Ron would have died in Book One allowing Voldemort to prevailed. Featuring fire,…
Role-reversal is an effective tool in working to understand why an action, behavior, or cultural dynamic is problematic. When it comes to street harassment, Twitter user @ElonJames created the hashtag #DudesGreetingDudes to highlight the absurdity of men who argue that their behavior isn’t sexually motivated, isn’t intended to bother women, and should be taken as…
Because our governments rarely if ever account for the cost of unpaid–mostly domestic, or home-based–labor, both physical and emotional, it is especially important that our social movements do. Emotional labor and unpaid domestic work, caring for children and elders, and the household, must not be assumed to be women’s work, or for those of financial…
With the powerful call to action, “If not me, who? If not now, when?” Emma Watson launched the campaign HeForShe, a project of UN Women, seeking to further efforts around gender equality by engaging men and boys. There is plenty of room for critique of the UN system, and the efficacy of such a top…
Love and compatibility do not necessarily go hand in hand. And our ability to love someone does not negate their capacity to hurt us. Relationships rooted in mutual respect, empathy, trust, and caring take more than just love to be healthy relationships. Mark Manson explores this dynamic in a powerful and heartfelt article on love…
