Latest Articles

Push(back) at the Intersections: You Said What?! About Lady Gaga?!

September 2, 2010 at 11:33am

The silencing of trans people, and trans women in particular, in feminist spaces isn’t just limited to discussions about pop culture, unfortunately. Cis voices are centered over trans voices consistently, and sometimes very dangerously, while trans folks are denied autonomy, identity, and even our own experiences.

Trans people are excluded from women’s shelters. We are...

Size Matters: I'm Not Fat, I'm Big-Boned

by Tasha Fierce

September 1, 2010 at 2:50pm

“Death” fat, or “morbidly obese” people are going to experience more discrimination, more shaming and more insults than “in-betweenies” (those that fall somewhere between “normal” and “fat”). That's just the facts. There is privilege there, in being a smaller fat person, that must be acknowledged and interrogated. Words like “curvy, thick, chunky” are going to be applied to more smaller...

Push(back) at the Intersections: Hello, Appropriation!

by s.e. smith

September 1, 2010 at 11:32am

Appropriation is often done in the name of a supposedly greater cause. Those in power tell us that we should wait our turn. They are working on extending a helping hand, it’s OK for them to speak for us, because they need to speak for us to help us achieve liberation. Even speaking up about appropriation, whether in the form of cultural or ideological, is shouted down.

I brought...

Mad World: Back to School

by Kelsey Wallace

August 31, 2010 at 1:59pm

Well, it’s time to go back to school again. And you know how I know? Because of television commercials, which give me all the information I need on what it takes to be a cool kid these days. (Hint: channel your favorite High School Musical Version of Glee character, then press fast forward.)

The Dating Game: Three Things to Never Put in an Online Dating Profile

by Megan Carpentier

August 31, 2010 at 12:54pm

I have, as mentioned, a rather personally fraught relationship with online dating. Catching too many of my supposedly monogamous partners using personal ads to cheat on me left me pretty thoroughly unable to commit to the process. And, when it comes down to it, you have to commit to the process: you are saying, in effect, that you wish to meet potential partners through a service we've all...

Size Matters: The Dichotomy of Mismatch

by Tasha Fierce

August 30, 2010 at 2:47pm

Plenty has been written about the fat husband/hot wife dichotomy on TV sitcoms. The critique usually consists of disbelief that a fat man would be able to land a "hot" wife. Now, in these shows, like According To Jim, King of Queens and Still Standing, the behavior of the husbands is also often undesirable. But the main thing people seem to be outraged about...

Push(back) at the Intersections: I Think You Dropped Your 'T'

by s.e. smith

August 30, 2010 at 10:36am

We need better representation for trans folks on television. Starting with more roles, a greater diversity of trans characters, avoidance of stereotypes, and, critically, getting transgender actors in these roles. There’s absolutely no reason we shouldn’t have empowering, awesome, interesting, complex trans characters on television. It’s a pity that the organizations that...

On Our Radar

by Katie Waldeck

August 27, 2010 at 6:42pm

We're back again with another edition of On Our Radar—bringing you some of the most interesting things we read this week!

With the celebration of the 90th anniversary of women's suffrage in the United States in full swing this week, Womanist Musings' Renee Martin reminds us that not all women gained the right and access to vote in 1920.

Following lesbian cadet...

Size Matters: Louie, Louie

by Tasha Fierce

August 27, 2010 at 12:50pm

One of my favorite sometimes cringe-worthy shows is Louie on FX. I've long been a fan of Louis C.K., while I will admit his humor is sometimes problematic. So his new show, naturally, is hilarious and sometimes problematic. I haven't had a big problem with it so far, but the last episode (I don't know what day it was actually on because I TiVo everything) was full of fail on...