The power of touch is that it extends beyond the physical. More than two years of social distancing have taught us that we don’t have to breathe the same air to share experiences. Touch can provoke all kinds of emotions and complications. It can help heal body and soul, as we explore through massage therapy; it can drive ugly and alienating beliefs, like harmful myths about menstruation; it can force a cultural revisioning of desire and sexuality, as we see in contemporary romance novels rejecting ableism. Our Touch issue investigates intimacy and connection online, on screen, and behind the scenes. These stories challenge us to be more open-minded, more forthright, and always true to our emotions.
FIRST OF ALL
Letter from the Editors
Snaps or Scraps
Advice from Rogue
7 on Touch
Feminist Fill-In: Jessamyn Stanley
DISPATCHES
Access Denied: How ASMR Redefines Digital Intimacy | Gianna Ferrarin
Sidelined: Title IX Leveled the Playing Field. But Did It Miss the Goal? | Britni de la Cretaz
FEATURES
Bloody Lies: The Never-Ending Cycle of Menstrual Mythmaking | Gabrielle Merite
Tongue-Tied: “Politically Correct” Has Always Been the Wrong Term | s.e. smith
Knock It Down: Journalism’s Barrier-Breaking Leaders of Color on the Past, Present, and Future of the Whitewashed Industry | Jenna Wortham
In Safe Hands: During Times of Crisis, Massage Therapy Becomes Activism | Nikki Gordon
Refreshing Our Memory: How Algorithms Are Warping the Power of Recall | Jenna Mahale
FROM THE HQ
Letter from the HQ
Fellowship Frequency: Jenna Mahale
Rage Report
Community Focus Staff Sound Off
CULTURE
Magical Medicine: 6 Fictional Healers Who Eased Our Pain | Marina Watanabe
BOOKS
BitchReads
What We’re Reading: Body Work | Laura LeMoon
SCREEN
Battle Cry: Sailor Moon the Supersensitive Superhero | Rosa Cartagena
What We’re Watching: Black Film Archive | Rosa Cartagena
Our Body Swaps, Ourselves
MUSIC
What We’re Listening To: Keep It | Rosa Cartagena
Featured Podcast: La Brega | Rosa Cartagena
