BROAD Magazine Issue 84: A/Sexuality, October 2015

OCTOBER 2015 | ISSUE 84

COVER ART: MONIKA GAISER

BROAD 2015-2016 THEMES

SEPTEMBER OCTOBER

MEDIA A-SEXUALITY

NOVEMBER

FOOD

DECEMBER

CONSUMERISM

JANUARY

MENTAL HEALTH

FEBRUARY

LIVING IN COLOR

MARCH APRIL MAY JUNE

THE ISSUE ENVIRONMENT EDUCATION POLITICS

MISSION

MOVEMENT

BROAD media is an alternative media source founded on the principle that no experience or identity is illegitimate. We aim to embrace all identities, empower all stories, and engage people of all beliefs in constructive dialogue about the topics that really matter. Unlike mainstream media, BROAD does not censor or limit the kinds of expression it publishes. Instead, we seek to bring marginalized voices from the margins to the front and center of our media consumption.

BROAD is a place where people of all ages, races, genders, sexualities, citizenships, abilities, classes, and faiths can find their experience not only represented, but celebrated. Join our digital media movement erasing the margins and placing them inside a broadened spectrum of published expression.

OURSTORY

BROAD media is an alternative media source founded on the principle that no experience or identity is illegitimate. We aim to embrace all identities, empower all stories, and engage people of all beliefs in constructive dialogue about the topics that really matter. Unlike mainstream media, BROAD does not censor or limit the kinds of expression it publishes. Instead, we seek to bring marginalized voices from the margins to the front and center of our media consumption.

BROAD is a place where people of all ages, races, genders, sexualities, citizenships, abilities, classes, and faiths can find their experience not only represented, but celebrated. Join our digital media movement erasing the margins and placing them inside a broadened spectrum of published expression.

YOURSTORY

BROAD media is a community of readers and contributors who span a BROAD spectrum of identity and experience. We are proud to be a platform where YOU can empower yourself and others by sharing your stories, opinions, videos, art, and poetry on the topics that really matter to YOU. Create your content, send it to mybroadmedia@gmail.com, and get published.

Be BROAD. Be you. This is yourstory.

BROAD ARMY

J. Curtis Main Adivsor @cmain141

Brittany Reyes Magazine Editor-in-Chief @brittanyreyes003

Ceili Erickson Magazine Copy Editor

Connor Tomaka Wesbite Content Editor, Blogger, Chicago Correspondant @connor.tomaka

Ali McAvoy Twitter Manager, Magazine Section Editor @maccattacka

Riley Vance Magazine Art & Poetry Curator, Spring Ireland Correspondant @orange_one13

Mandy Keelor Senior Editor-in-Chief, Creative Director

Neha Simon Graphic Designer, Blogger @simonsaysneha

Monika Gaiser Graphic Designer

Jessica Burstrem Wesbite Director, Magazine Assessment Editor @jessica.burstrem

Lauren DeLapa Tumblr Manager, Wesbite Copy Editor, Magazine Columnist @laurendelapa

Hannah Speights Goheen Communications Director @hannah.speights

WANT MORE?

myBROADmedia.com

BROAD

HOW TO

READ

OUR COLORS red

R=233 G=29 B=41

PULL QUOTE pull quote

Understanding Our Approach tell-a-vision

Message Me

SECTIONS

How accurately do you think issues like feminsim, racism, classism, religious tolerance, etc. are portrayed in the media?

Critiques, reviews, opinions, and information from your BROAD team in several mediums

Often enough for everyone to know there is something like that out there.

It exaggerates each one of these issues to spike viewer interest.

Journalists should show both sides of the issue and I think people know they empathize the side that will attract more viewers.

The minute I see more marginalized people like me in ads in magazines and on TV without their marginalization commented on, the media will be accurate and fair in my opinion. It needs to focus less on selling products and more on appreciating the people itís selling those products to.

yellow

R=251 G=203 B=7

I wish the media would have a more diverse outlook on certain issues, instead of taking the side they know will make them money.

Always #LikeAGirl A team of producers asks women to imitate various actions, but to do so ìlike a girlî.

Later, they bring in a set of younger girls and ask them the same questions. The advertisement highlights the contrast between how the older women respond to the questions, and how the young girls do.

• •

How do your emotions change while watching this commercial?

Even if you donít invest in the Always brand after watching this commercial, does this commercial still accomplish something that others don’t?

RATING SYSTEM Columns

Bite-Sized BROAD

COLUMNS

light grey

R=217 G=217 B=217

Our most passionate contributors share their stories, opinions, and experiences by intersecting each magazine theme with their lives

FONTS

blue

R=16 G=131 B=186

dark grey

R=175 G=175 B=175

BROAD TITLES SECTIONS BODY TEXT CAPTIONS

A Starter Before You Really Dig In

Fear Feminisms No More Lauren DeLapa So much has changed in the world of social media since my tween self was tucking a colored flip phone into my back pocket and I was baking in the glow of a mammoth Dell monitor while I secretly set up a MySpace account. (Don’t tell my parents, they still don’t know.) The explosion of the online world has been a breathtaking spectacle of flying blades chopping up this earth into byte-size pieces for the technology-hungry masses, and in the commotion of sizzle and flames we are transfixed.

While we have spent the past couple decades eating up social media, something equally delicious has been simmering for the past century or so: feminism.

The issue of women’s rights has been peppered with iconic scenes of stoic suffragettes gaining me the right to not vote for Trump, groovy gals waving their undergarments in defiant independence, and power-suited superwomen armed with shoulder pads and ambition able to break glass ceilings in a single bound! Right now, as you read this, social media and feminism are becoming a dynamic duo.

For some, the whole concept of feminism is a hard pill to swallow. They get choked up over stereotypes that make it difficult to see that feminism is a remedy

for a long list of social ills far beyond those that are labeled as women’s issues. Let’s mash up the bitter pill, stir it into some pudding, and put it this way: feminism = gender equality. See, that wasn’t so bad.

First, it has to be said; feminism is NOT about hating men. Really, it’s not. Feminism is not about burning bras (Unless that’s your thing, you do you!).

Feminism is not about women taking over the world, women destroying the fabric of society, or women tearing each other down through judgment and the arbitrary designation of positive and negative roles. Feminism is about rethinking the rules, releasing roles, and real respect that is represented authentically in the actions and attitudes of men, women and society as a whole. Feminism is about creating a lack of sexual discrimination and a lack of oppression.

For this reason, feminism is not just about empowering women, it is about empowering humanity. Equality is the main objective. Feminism is about seeing every person, regardless of gender, as an equally valued member of society, and making the voices of those silenced by gender, by class, or by orientation heard. Feminism fights for the child

Article | #Feminisms

Fun fact about me: my formal introduction to feminism was through social media.

Like most millennials, lots of my free time is spent diligently answering BuzzFeed quizzes and doubletapping my way through Instagram. Somewhere between the scrolling and swiping, I stumbled upon some serious social justice posts on my Tumblr dash. Tumblr, the love child of blogging and social networking, is known for witty text posts and GIFs galore, but it also stands as a platform for amazingly

Well-known performer Kanye West has a reputation for creating conflict, most commonly through his blatant rants, in which he fearlessly expresses his opinions. West does not hold back. And at this past VMAs, he did not disappoint.

Everyone remembers the infamous clash that took place between Kanye West and Taylor Swift at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards: West stormed the stage, hijacking the country-pop star’s first VMA acceptance speech in order to state his opinion that another artist (Beyoncé) deserved the award. Kanye’s actions were not well received, resulting in anger from celebrities and fans alike.

ARTICLES Our BROAD communities contribute expression in many forms: stories, listacles, essays, cathartic 4 am epiphanies, and so on

brides of Ethiopia, male rape victims, and the people within the LGBT+ community. Feminism is broader and deeper than catchy pop girl power anthems or fighting to “allow” a feisty girl or two on the football team.

What does this all have to do with social media?

Everything! The debate, the fight, the anthem of feminism is on constant stream as a culture that revolves around its screens is sifting through the messages of the media, societal expectations, and the ability to be connected to both the mundane and the monumental moments of human history instantaneously and simultaneously. The cell phone is the new picket sign, and the world is affected and minds are changed by a simple hashtag.

Kanye for PRESIDENT? Mallory Mroz

KANYE WEST Photo by Rodrigo Ferrari

Since then, both artists were able to work it out and move past the incident. It all seemed to come full circle when Swift presented West with the Video Vanguard Award at the VMAs on August 31st, 2015.

insightful arguments for feminism and other social justice movements.

Yes, Twitter is the land of Kardashian feuds, Illuminati theorists, and incessant self-promotion and advertisement, and Tumblr is responsible for the misuse of the word “aesthetic” and a seemingly bottomless pit of teen angst. But, these apps, along with other forms of social media, are unparalleled in their ability to bring awareness to an issue. Never underestimate the power of awareness as a catalyst for significant change!

Social media and feminism are a force to reckoned with as they broaden people’s perspective on what it is to be a woman, what it is to be a man, and what it is to be a human. A hashtag has become a call to action and a trending topic can inform and unite communities for a cause. With a swipe and a tap, we can dissolve the fear of feminism, empower the powerless, and gain a true understanding of how gender inequalities are not shaped by external anatomy and internal chromosomes; they are shaped by the culture.

Kanye wraps up his rant with the announcement of his future plan for presidency.

Since delivering his speech, West seems to be getting positive feedback for his potential 2020 presidential bid. In an interview taken from Cosmo, Alec Baldwin states, “I think it’s fantastic. I think anybody participating in politics, running -- it’s too elitist now, too many elites.” Even Donald Trump, Republican presidential candidate, shows his support when he states, in an interview taken from Rolling Stone, “He’s a nice guy. I hope to run against him someday.” All in all, it seems as though people are responding well to this announcement.

Kanye certainly has the fan base for his campaign for president to be a success. The biggest issue moving forward would of course be convincing those in older generations.

Because he is a controversial musician, and is married into the even more controversial Kardashian clan, being taken seriously on a political level may prove a difficult feat for Kanye. Not only that, but he is inexperienced on a government level. His ideas on domestic/foreign policy as well as the economy are undeveloped, possibly making him a target for bribery and puppetry.

His ideas on domestic/ foreign policy as well as the economy are undeveloped, possibly making him a target for bribery and puppetry.

In true Kanye manner, his Vanguard acceptance speech proved to be anything but ordinary. Supplying the crowd with an 11-minute rant, West kicks off with a shout out to Taylor, then touches on the incident from the 2009 VMAs. He recognizes that the actions he took on that stage back in 2009 made his intentions unclear.

Explaining a few examples of backlash he received in Will he actually run for president? That we don’t his everyday life, Kanye states, “It crosses my mind a know. But knowing Kanye, it could very well be a little bit like when I go to a baseball game and 60,000 possibility. In the mean time, expect more rants and people boo me.” Eventually, Kanye proclaims that his more mic drops from this confident performer. outbreak on stage with Taylor was a protest for the voices of artists. West states, “I will die for the art! For Sources what I believe in. And the art ain’t always gonna be polite!” Throughout the speech it’s clear that West 1. Kaufman, Gil. “Here’s The Full Transcript Of Kanye’s Incredible VMA Vanguard Speech.” News. N.p., 31 Aug. Web. 06 Sept. 2015. has taken it upon himself to be a leader for this issue. 2.2015.

Fisher, Luchina. “Celebrities Sound Off About Kanye West For President.” ABC News. ABC News Network, 8 Sept. 2015. Web. 08 Sept. 2015.

West strongly believes that artists should have their own say and their own opinions when it comes to their craft, especially within award shows, where it seems as though the validation for their hard work comes in the form of votes. Ending with a bang,

Column

Punctuation Marks

”TO FINISH A COVERSATION, FIRST YOU HAVE TO HAVE ONE“ C.M For almost all of my twenty years of life, I thought that I identified as heterosexual. I had always experienced a strong attraction to men. As a little girl, I was brought up on Disney Princess movies, where the main component of a truly happy ending for a girl was the love of a male partner, a handsome prince. I never thought I would want anything else. Because of the heteronormativity of our culture, I didn’t even know that there was anything different to want in the first place.

And yet, there’s always been more to my experience of attraction.

I remember a little game that went around my elementary school, where one student came up to another and asked “Are you crooked, or are you straight?”

You can guess what answer was considered acceptable, and what answer was a joke. Soon, my classmates asked for my answer too. Not knowing what they really meant, I still felt the pressure of coming up with the right answer.

I didn’t want to be laughed at for not knowing the joke, and ‘crooked’ sounded like ‘criminal’, like bent and broken and wrong, like nothing I wanted to be. I figured the other students would want me to say I was honest and whole and upright- so I told them I was straight.

Disappointed, they moved on to the next unsuspecting kid, laughing and laughing when that bewildered kid guessed wrong.

I didn’t know yet that homophobia was already so rampant, even in my elementary school. I didn’t know what it meant to be straight, or what it meant to be, as my classmates put it, “crooked”. I didn’t think about why each word had such different connotations to me. I was just happy I had gotten the answer right.

As I grew older, I learned what being straight really meant- and that there were many people who were not straight at all. I learned that people I knew and loved, identified as gay. My family accepted them, and taught me that there was nothing bad or wrong about them- I was lucky to grow up in such an open-hearted household. I realized it was true, that despite certain people’s derision, there was nothing wrong with being gay, and I still loved the gay people I knew just as much as I had before I learned about their sexual orientations.

Still, I never thought that I was anything but straight. How could I be?

My adolescence, after all, was punctuated by prolonged, intense crushes on boys. I would dream romantic

daydreams of dancing with them, kissing them, just being around them. What I couldn’t admit was that my teenage years were also marked by periods of questioning my sexuality, feeling terrified when I started to notice and feel attraction to other girls, and relieved whenever I developed another crush on a boy instead. Despite my accepting family and open mind, the world we live in still managed to internalize some of its homophobia in me. I felt wrong and gross for being attracted to girls- if that’s what this weird feeling even was. I was so afraid of what people would think. I felt like a little kid again, the world demanding an answer from me, prepared to laugh and to shun me if I dared to answer ‘crooked’ instead of ‘straight’.

This time, though, I said nothing at all.

What would it mean if I did like girls as well as boys? Was that even possible? Would I never have a boyfriend, as I had so desperately wanted? Would I never have a family?

Would I still be able to make friends, if anyone knew what I was feeling? If I was gay, I thought, did that mean I would never get the happy ending I was always taught to want?

one gender. There were many more orientations and experiences out there. I still didn’t want to accept that I had feelings for women as well as men, but it was so important for me to see that there were other people out there who felt that way, and their orientations were real and valid too.

I held myself apart, decided to be an Ally, refused to think too closely about the ways I experienced attraction- but I was starting to question the way I thought about sex and sexuality. I was starting to question the assumptions and prejudices I held against myself and other people, and break those barriers down. I was moving forward.

When a character on my favorite webseries - a fictional narrative similar to a TV show, only told through YouTube videos – came out as bisexual as part of the story, I began to think harder about all of my feelings of attraction towards more than one gender. When I made some friends who identified as asexual, and heard about their experiences of never feeling sexual attraction to anyone, I started to wonder if there was a reason I had never had much interest in actual sexual contact before, despite

What would it mean if I did like girls as well as boys? Was that even possible? Would I never have a boyfriend, as I had so desperately wanted? Would I never have a family?

For a long time, I pushed off my attraction to girls as simply a fluke. Maybe I was just thinking this way because I didn’t know many boys to like instead? Maybe the thoughts were just thoughts, and not real attraction.

Even through my early college years, I refused to accept that my feelings might be real. I could accept my LGBTidentifying friends, classmates, and family members- but I could never accept myself.

Exploring the internet as a teenager and young adult, I began to learn things about human sexuality that school had never taught me. I learned that sexuality is a spectrum, and different people fall in different places on that scale. Most importantly, I learned that I didn’t have to be either gay or straight. I didn’t have to only love

all my many romantic crushes. I was more confused than ever- but I was beginning to realize that there was nothing wrong with that. The more I learned about sex and sexuality, the more curious I got- and the more I wished that I could have learned all this sooner. I could have saved myself so many years of shame and fear and guilt about the way I experience attraction. I still secondguess myself a lot, still worry that I’m just imagining it all and overthinking things, that maybe I am just straightbut now I know it’s okay to decide that I’m not.

The Internet was and is a very important learning tool for me in my questioning experience, but it’s sad that the YouTube channel Sexplanations gave me a better and more comprehensive education on sex than any

(not) buying it

Message me

Do you think different sexualities and sexual orientations are accurately represented in the media?

lol no

no because the media is all about angles. What they want to see to what is actually there

Barilla:

The media does not always get it right on issues of this type.

This is a very broad statement, but depending on who is the journalist, who they are reporting for and what is the angle of the story can dictate the outcome, how it’s presented and how neutral they can be in presenting the topic.

what reason would the media have to include those people if they can find it elsewhere like in Orange Is The New Black and stuff?

“No matter if you like Farfalle or Maccheroni, Just Love”

After Barilla pasta company’s chairman Guille Barilla expressed his aversion to homosexual couples in a 2013 radio interview, backlash exploded on social media with banners and advertisements of all sorts advocating for love equality. The banner seen above has been tweeted and retweeted on Twitter for two years because of its advocacy for all types of love, regardless of appearance or type.

• Do the pasta noodles used in this ad better drive its message home than if the ad featured people? What if this ad featured people, not noodles?

• Would you retweet this image and others like it that correspond to the #BoycottBarilla campaign?

tell-a-vision

(not) buying it

Asexuality

Lisa Zhang at TEDxGunnHighSchool Lisa Zhang, a senior at Gunn High School, gives a TED Talk on asexuality, the facts surrounding it, and its misconceptions. Zhang emphasizes that asexuality is not the same as asexual reproduction or celibacy, but is an actual sexual orientation that needs to be taken more seriously in fields such as the media, psychology, and in society in general. Because our society is so sex-focused, asexuals often feel out-of-place and abnormal because of the lack of representation for their beliefs and views, not to mention how their sexual orientation is categorized as a psychological disorder by the DSM IV. As Zhang says, roughly three million Americans are asexual, and proper representation, empathy, and education need to occur if their experiences are to be taken as seriously as those of any other sexual orientation.

• Did you learn anything about asexuality you didn’t already know before?

• Do you foresee the psychological disorder of asexuality being dropped from the DSM IV in the future, just like homosexuality was in 1973?

• What steps does the media need to take to give visibility to the asexual community?

Flora Bullet

“Uh Dad, I’m Gay” Anglo-Dutch company Unilever released an ad for its margarine brand Flora with a picture of a giant heart with a bullet heading towards it, inscribed with the words “Uhh Dad, I’m Gay” on its casing.

Unilever was inundated with outrage from consumers upset with the implication that discovering one’s homosexuality equates with being shot in the heart and quickly removed the ad, explaining that “the advert is offensive and unacceptable and we have put an immediate stop to it. Unilever is proud of the support that our brands have given to LGBT people.” According to Unilever’s Twitter, the ad was made by an external agency in South Africa and was not approved by the staff at Unilever’s headquarters.

• Does Unilever’s apology compensate for the claims this ad makes? Does it still hold responsibility for allowing the ad to circulate across the world?

• What are your main feelings upon first glance of this ad? Did you interpret it differently?

• Did you find a connection between the brand being promoted and the message conveyed in this ad?

Column

In the (k)now

INS AND OUTS Cake, delicious and a creative vehicle for self-expression.

Sylvia Bennett Of the many complications that come with LGBTQ+ identities, one of the most uniting experiences is that of “coming out.” Happy, sad, or otherwise, the “coming out” story is as ubiquitously tied with non-heterosexuality as a rainbow flag. It’s assumed to be the first step many take towards publically expressing their identities, and swapped around more than candy on Halloween. Google “Coming Out Story” and you’ll see what I’m talking about.

The act of coming out has spawned countless pressures and expectations on what it means to have an LGBTQ+ identity, namely that you’re not “out” until you’ve done it “officially.”

The month of October is LGBTQ+ History month, and while October 11th is recognized as National Coming Out Day, obviously people can come out at any time they want to. So regardless of whether you’re planning on coming out exactly on the 11th, still pondering your sexuality, have been Out and proud for 30 years, or are the recipient of a “coming out,” here’s my tips and tricks on navigating a “coming out.”

For starters, you don’t have to be “officially” out to be LGBTQ+. Again for the people in the back, YOU DON’T NEED TO “COME OUT” TO BE OUT. Your identity is not determined by a Facebook status, and despite the pressures saying otherwise, you honestly don’t need to shout it from the mountains that you aren’t straight

in order to be so. Full disclosure, I’m not “out” to any of my extended family or most of my friends. My identity as “not-straight” operates on a need-to-know basis, because that’s my personal preference. But, in reality, a part of why I haven’t had an “official” coming out is that I’m scared. I’m afraid of people thinking differently (negatively) about me, especially my friends. What really knots my stomach are the unknowable and subtle ways my friendships could be affected. And I’m a very overanalytical person, so this could all be conjecture, but there‘s this dark worry lurking in the back of my mind from those notorious coming-out stories that end in tragedy. Lost friendships, rejection, isolation, these fears are rooted in the fact that coming out is a complicated thing that can simultaneously unburden you and leave you really, really vulnerable. So for those of you who aren’t out, or who share similar concerns, these feelings don’t negate your identity and they don’t make you any less of what you are. Coming out isn’t leveling up, you don’t get a hole punched on your Gay Card. Which is the larger part of why I haven’t come out; pushing against heteronormativity means combating the notion that being straight is “normal.” When we put so much value into people having to go through extraneous measures to assert their LGBTQ+ identity, we are establishing this identity as something not “normal,” that requires additional explanation. Being LGBTQ+ isn’t being “extra”, it’s just being.

But personal rant aside, there is a great deal of empowerment to be had in asserting your identity through coming out. So if you’re thinking of coming out, here’s my number one tip: do it on your own terms.

Express this aspect of yourself in a way that is most comfortable and true to you. Put it on a cake, make a banner, throw a party, write a song, write a poem, make a PowerPoint, channel junior high and say it with WordArt, mow the phrase into your lawn so it can be seen from airplanes flying past. But make it YOU! Balloons and confetti are not mandatory; you’re expressing your sexuality and/or gender, not asking someone to prom.

Saying it with streamers doesn’t make it more or less legitimate or sincere than having a sit-down chat. A basic breakdown of the method best suited for you is roughly 95% what works for you and 5% discretion based on audience. Like maybe the stationary aisle in Target isn’t particularly good for bursting into “I Kissed a Girl” to your moderately open-minded father. Just some thoughts to gnaw on.

Tip number two, and this is universally applicable advice, don’t out anyone. One more time, because this is the absolute worst: DO NOT OUT SOMEONE WITHOUT THEIR PERMISSION. DON’T DO IT. EVER. AT ALL. NEVER. It’s not your life, it’s not your identity, so keep your mouth shut. Your main job as a supporter is to be the highly enthusiastic, but publically silent cheerleader.

Don’t pull a Rita Skeeter.

This carries on to tip three, which is for potential audience members of a coming out. This experience is not about you. It’s not meant to hurt you, and it’s not really meant to make you happy. This is about the person coming out expressing their identity. You can have questions, but don’t interrogate or be derogatory. Some examples of hell-no phrases include, “Is this just a phase?” “But you’ve dated girls,” “So how do you do it?” Let one of these suckers loose, a flag will be thrown (football analogy).

My final word of advice: coming out as one thing doesn’t mean that you must maintain that identity for the rest of your life. Having a different identity later is totally fine, and still doesn’t mean that your prior identity was wrong at that time. Experiences have a way of changing how we view and understand ourselves. And beyond that, sexuality and gender can be highly fluid concepts.

How you identify in this moment is not necessarily how you will always feel. Because coming out or not, identity, especially as LGBTQ+, is something we are constantly selfexploring and expanding. At the end of the day, being truest to you is allowing yourself, and others, the room to grow and change. Let’s put that on a cake.

bookmark here

History of Sexuality MICHAEL FOUCAULT Published: 1976 Genre: History/Philosophy

“For a long time, the story goes, we supported a Victorian regime, and we continue to be dominated by it even today. Thus the image of the imperial prude is emblazoned on our restrained, mute, and hypocritical sexuality.”

Overview Michel Foucault analyzes sexuality in western civilization. This is a good read and possibly one of the most important books written on sexuality in the past century. Foucault articulates an historical, political and discursive construction of ‘sexuality’ through three volumes.

BROAD Tumbs Up? Foucault contextualizes our modern conception of sexuality, but his writing is convoluted at times, making it difficult to follow Foucault’s definition of ‘power’ as ‘force relations’ and how to confidently place power and its transcription throughout history.

According to the new pastoral, sex must not be named imprudently, but its aspects, its correlations, and its effects must be pursued down to their slenderest ramifications: a shadow in a daydream, an image too slowly dispelled, a badly exorcised complicity between the body’s mechanics and the mind’s complacency: everything had to be told.

quote corner What is important is that sex was not only a question of sensation and pleasure, of law and interdiction, but also of the true and the false.

There is no binary division to be made between what one says and what one does not say; we must try to determine the different ways of not saying such things, how those who can and those who cannot speak of them are distributed, which type of discourse is authorized, or which form of discretion is required in either case.

michel foucault

What is important is that sex was not only a question of sensation and pleasure, of law and interdiction, but also of the true and the false.

People will be surprised at the eagerness with which we went about pretending to rouse from its slumber a sexuality which everything-our discourses, our customs, our institutions, our regulations, our knowledges-was busy producing in the light of day and broadcasting to noisy accompaniment.

quote corner

screen/play

Audre LORDE “STONEWALL” Currently in theaters. A Hollywood depiction of the Stonewall Riots of 1969.

It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences.

We should not underestimate the capacity of well-run propaganda systems to drive people to irrational, murderous, and suicidal behavior.

If I didn’t define myself for myself, I would be crunched into other people’s fantasies for me and eaten alive.

I write for those women who do not speak, for those who do not have a voice because they were so terrified, because we are taught to respect fear more than ourselves. We’ve been taught that silence would save us, but it won’t.

The sharing of joy, whether physical, emotional, psychic, or intellectual, forms a bridge between the sharers which can be the basis for understanding much of what is not shared between them, and lessens the threat of their difference.

Overview There has never been a mainstream Hollywood movie about the LGBTQIA Community. Stonewall is Hollywood’s attempt at that movie. Though fictional, it discusses the beginnings of the Stonewall Riots from the point of view of Danny Winters, a gay teenager who left his hometown in Indiana for New York. As the tension in New York grows among the gay community, Danny gradually learns about gay culture and he becomes a part of the riots themselves, being depicted as throwing one of the first bricks of the riots.

BROAD THUMBS DOWN Although this movie is meant to be fictional, the

LGBTQIA Community has taken enough erasure from society. Stonewall takes away the narrative of the Trans Woman of Color who was the backbone of the Stonewall Riots, Marsha P Johnson. Taking away her significance for the sake of a cisgender gay comingof-age story is completely insensitive to the struggle that the real people who fought for their rights faced. Hollywood completely erased other identities and genders that were involved in the Stonewall Riots, and minimalized them as background characters in the film’s cisgender gay coming-ofage love story. The insensitivity of Hollywood shines through once again in the erasure of all identities that aren’t the “trend”.

Article | A-Sexuality

THE ULTIMATE TABOO: ON CAMPUS SEX CRIMES Brittany Reyes Which scenario is worse? Being sexually violated by someone you know or being sexually violated by someone who doesn’t even know your name?

Both situations are unappealing to anyone, but the sad truth is that sex crimes happen every day. It can happen in your home. It can happen on the street. It can even happen at your school.

According to a recent New York Times article, one in every four women experiences sexual assault on college campuses – and this statistic is only reflective of the number of cases that the public actually knows about.

Multiple studies have shown sexual violence to be one of the most under-reported crimes, and less than one-third of campus sexual assault cases results in expulsion, as stated by the Huffington Post.

In 2012, Penn State University topped the list of the nation’s highest number of forcible sex offenses on campus. According to the Washington Post, the total was 56. This rounds out to about four people every month and one person every week… If these numbers

don’t already alarm you, let’s push further.

In reality, university officials of Penn State attributed this large number in part to the Jerry Sandusky scandal.

Sandusky was an assistant football coach for the university until June 2012 when he was found guilty of 45 counts of sexual abuse throughout his 15-year coaching career, according to CNN. Though this is a rather extreme case involving a repeat offender, the situation goes to show that anyone is capable of committing such a heinous crime and awareness needs to be spread quickly and effectively.

“Colleges and universities can no longer turn a blind eye or pretend rape and sexual assault doesn’t occur on their campuses,” Vice President Biden told the Washington Post. “We need to provide survivors with more support and we need to bring perpetrators to more justice and we need colleges and universities to step up.”

While most education systems would see this as a call to action, recent Congress proceedings have presented a bit of discrepancy between the messages that our nation’s leaders are trying to promote.

“It sends the message that if you didn’t go to law enforcment, then what happened to you wasn’t real” In 2014, President Obama named a White House task force to develop proposals to prevent sexual assault. A year later, Congress’s efforts are being met with mixed reviews and the primary point of controversy is a bill called the Safe Campus Act. The bill is currently being considered in the House and if passed, it will prohibit colleges and universities from punishing a student accused of sexual assault and battery unless the victim files a police report.

Needless to say, the Safe Campus Act doesn’t necessarily match up with Biden’s request for colleges and universities to be more proactive. Instead it devalues institutions to being deemed as nothing more than a messenger or middleman between students and the proper authorities.

A university could easily serve as a direct resource for support and guidance for students, while offering personal care in a setting that is familiar to the victim.

However, the passing of this bill threatens the very notion of student-university confidentiality.

The Safe Campus Act will essentially place the fate of sexually abused students in the hands of the cold justice system where their decision to take legal measures will become a mandate rather than an individual choice.

While some people may argue that these measures need to be taken since education systems aren’t equipped to deal with the legal proceedings or emotional turmoil associated with these crimes, supporters of this bill need to realize what’s at stake.

It’s hard for enough for individuals to step forward and report sexual assault. If students are told that the primary outlet they have to speak to about these traumatizing experiences is police officers, does Congress honestly believe this will result in an increase of reported sex crimes?

Additionally, people who work with sexual assault victims think this proposal is a “colossally stupid legislation” and earlier this month, 28 advocacy groups contacted the Huffington Post to voice their concerns.

“It sends the message that if you didn’t go to law enforcement, then what happened to you wasn’t real and wasn’t important, and that is the opposite of the culture we’re trying to create,” said Sofie Karasek, director of education and co-founder of the End Rape on Campus group at the University of California, Berkeley.

Though the White House is pushing colleges to survey their students about sexual assault and other “campus climate issues,” it seems that at best, our nation needs to be more consistent in its expectations of students.

A dialogue about these issues needs to take root, and if this country ever wants to put a dent in the number of reported sex crimes, victims need to be assured that they will be treated as people rather than statistics.

quote corner

tell-a-vision

Whether you’re transgender or not, most of us get to a point in our lives where we can no longer lie to ourselves.

We are not what other people say we are. We are who we know ourselves to be, and we are what we love. That’s okay.

If you have a problem with people living their lives and being authentically who they are, you really should go and do some soul-searching.

Each and every one of us has the capacity to be an oppressor.

I want to encourage each and everyone of us to interrogate how we might be an oppressor and how we might be able to become liberators for ourselves and for each other.

There are lessons in everything. The bad, the good. Our job is to listen, and to continue to learn, so that maybe we get better at this. Maybe get better at life.

I believe when we love someone, we respect them, and we listen to them; we feel that their voice matters. And — and we let them dictate the terms of who they are and what their story is.

LAVERNE cox

BISEXUALITY VS. PANSEXUALITY GayWrites

Camille Beredjick, creator of the blog and YouTube channel GayWrites, discusses the differences and misconceptions between bisexuality and pansexuality by opening up discussion to the public via Facebook. She asks, “If you identify as bisexual, why do you use the word ‘bi’ and not ‘pan’ to describe yourself? If you identify as pansexual, why do you use ‘pan’ and not ‘bi’?” Through a wide range of responses, Camille discusses the importance of queer language and accurate definitions in determining the difference between bisexuality and pansexuality, as well as shattering any prejudices that may follow when thinking about the two.

• How important is the language you use to describe yourself when you talk about your sexuality?

• How did you feel about the proportion of Camille’s responses identifying as either “bi” or “pan”? In other words, were there more “bi” responses than “pan” or vice versa, and how should we perceive this difference?

Article | A-Sexuality

THE GOSPEL OF (Apparently)

SEXUAL ROCKET SCIENCE Anonymous I’ve been having a tough time lately. I am a tall, bodacious, nicely featured, alternative-looking woman residing in the “city of sex(ism)”, Rome.

Normally, as the author, my physicality should not be important to you, the reader of this writing. Actually, in my opinion, my physicality should NEVER be important to you.

Do you think you know me, because you know that I am a tall, bodacious, nicely featured, alternative-looking woman? Funny how we judge people we don’t even know after looking at them once, knowing only these facts about them...

Normally though, as a person who unconsciously and consciously judges others as well, I can deal with this.

As a woman walking down any street at any time of day or night – I can’t. I ESPECIALLY can’t in Rome, the city of sexism.

Men don’t have to vocalize their judgments of my body for me to feel their impact. Men don’t have to whistle or say “hey baby” or “mamma mia”.

Men don’t have to gesture, follow, or grab me.

They just have to stare.

I swear every pair of eyes on my body as I walk down the street feels like a groping pair of hands trying to hold me back.

It’s fucking awful. To feel that terrified, vulnerable, and dehumanized every time you step out of your door.

But you probably know that backstory. Either you identify as a woman or you have a mother, sister, daughter, aunt, niece, or friend who has told you the same.

This article isn’t about the causes, the reasons, or the problems behind catcalling. (Let’s be clear that catcalling is not the fault of the woman being catcalled in any way, and catcalling is unacceptable in every circumstance.)

This article is about the personal crisis I’ve faced because of my physical sexuality – as if the pain I’ve been going through is my fault. Because the last month has been exactly that – me turning in circles wondering how to escape from my body, from human desire, from public attention – from things that are inescapable.

By that point the eyes, the catcalls, and the approaches were starting to get to me. I was so disarmed by the subtle intensity and aggression of Italian gender culture, that I was beginning to think that the only way to make it stop would be to get men to respect me in some way.

That part, at least, is true.

But we all know that men don’t respect women or think we’re worth shit. Clearly my brains haven’t succeeding in gaining male respect for the last 21 years. And when I say all men – I am grouping in my father, grandfathers, classmates, childhood pastors, professors – people you’d think should respect the woman they know/raised. So I thought maybe it was time to get men to respect me by using what they are so interested in – my body. Chilling, right?

My panicked and bombarded mind had come up with the idea that I needed to get men to respect me by sleeping with them. Maybe if the misogynist jackasses who catcalled me in the street were blown away by me in bed, they’d respect me because I’d have power over something, sex, that they value so much?

WHAT UTTER BULLSHIT. To the women reading this article, again, that line of thinking is SUCH UTTER BULLSHIT. Trust me, I went through a psychological crisis that almost destroyed a relationship I value more than anything to figure this out.

I can never prove to a guy that a woman is a person through sex by making them worship me in a sexual and emotional way. YOU CANNOT MAKE A “BAD GUY GOOD FOR A WEEKEND” THROUGH SEX. STOP IT, TAYLOR SWIFT. You cannot make men respect you by being better than any porn star, hooker, escort, etc. It won’t suddenly make them fall in love with you and trigger their emotional side that makes them respect you because they love you.

I was already contemplating one extreme before I even knew what was happening. I had been in Rome for almost a month and despite being in a fully committed relationship with someone in the U.S. (and I mean that), I was subconsciously contemplating a rendezvous with a machismo, fascist, misogynist Italian. Yeah. Real smart and upstanding, I know.

Write this shit down and save it because it is gospel.

Several breakdowns and calls to the U.S. later, it came to light that I was in a state of subconscious panic.

Yet, how and when I’ve felt the most valuable is when men catcall me on the street.

Women need to be “respected” for something besides their bodies and sex. In Brittany Spears videos, she seems like she’s in control. I learned as a kid that in order to feel safe and in control, I have to be toxic enough sexually to be able to control men and protect myself.

Think about how fucking tragic that is. I have never felt more valuable to someone than when I am a prize fucking piece of meat.

What I’ve learned from all this is to not be proud of my beauty, to not be proud of the men I seduce. Be proud when someone sees who you are completely inside and out and loves you. Be proud of you are and your ideas.

Making women think that what’s most important is their bodies is a way of CONTROLLING them. Men do this. The media does this. The corporations that make money off of media spawn this. We need to stop this.

This is definitely not a pro-cult-of-virginity article, hell no.

It would take a whole other article to explain everything that is wrong with the cult of virginity and lack of education women receive when it comes to sex.

Women want to be an object of desire but also show a man that a woman is a human being and something that can’t be possessed or owned and that she has the control.

THIS SHOULDN’T BE ROCKET SCIENCE FOR US IN 2015.

Women should easily be able to do that, or not have to at all.

The only way a man will worship you is if he loves you mind, body, and soul. A one night stand won’t worship you. You will be a notch on his belt and doing what he wants will make him feel he’s superior.

Women need to be ‘respected’ for somehing besides their bodies and sex.

Basically: you are not a human being until he is impressed with your brains. You are literally just a chunk of meat with a mind that needs to be persuaded to let him fuck you. Literally.

So here’s my verdict. The lesson of this gospel.

Casual sex with men leads to disempowerment rather than empowerment (no matter how good the sex is on the woman’s part). Men reflect it back on them always as a competitive thing unless they love the woman. Only then is he free to worship her. And get over socialized codes of masculinity. Otherwise, he will be the one who expects to be worshiped because society has told and

Broadside

The F Word Anthony Sis 2 train. Northbound to the Bronx – 182nd St. A drunk man without a filter spews fire behind me labels me a f***** by the way I dress. Threatens to fight me if I have something to say…

I have a few things to say. . .

I wish alcohol had the same effect on me as it does on you. Hating heterosexuals for their unrecognized privilege in patriarchal America.

Home of the Free? No, Home of the Homophobes.

Our flag colors are red, white, and blue but everytime I see its red stripes I can’t help but think of the amount of blood dripping from our young soul’s bodies as each one tightens a stripe around their necks in hopes that their pain would go away.

The pain that creates tsunamis under oceans of frustration, panic under the heavenly skies, wondering why the fuck men like you exist knowing that your words could potentially be the trigger of someone’s death.

Zoraida Reyes. Jessie Hernandez.

Brittany Nicole. “CeCe” Dove.

Ty Underwood. Betty Skinner.

Penny Proud. Lamar Edwards.

The list goes on, all because we’re LGBTQAI and more So am I supposed to feel knowing that my loved ones and my family will be at risk for accepting me when drunk, worthless men like you believe every gay man wants your dick, so out of anger you torment them, make them suck your dick and swallow your hate and insecurities until death becomes a reality.

Yet your hands remain clean of the blood your words fell victim to.

I live in fear of dirty men like you.

I live in anger that my citizenship promotes your hollow existence.

I live in frustration that the people I love are at risk of such hate.

Because the one thing I’ll always carry with me is my pride.

I’ll never force feed you my dick, nor make you swallow my fluids.

Just remember that f*****s like me have always existed, will continue to exist, so when your child decides to come out of that dark space you’ve built for them, I’ll be there to support them.

Cause once a f*****, always beautiful.

Broadside

Seasonal Secrets Carmen Fermin IWhat is it like?

To passionately feel someone’s touch rubbing against your tender skin, penetrating the very heart of your soul.

What is it like?

To know the person you were just intimate with would feel the same exact way you did afterwards.

I ask what it’s like because I want to make sure I’m not the only one.

The only one who will have moments of intimacy and experience nothing but the emptiness of a beggar’s stomach.

Wondering how the hell I threw myself onto this lair of rest, requiring actions of aggressive behavior, thrusting each other back and forth, side to side, and yet the only thing I felt was sweat dripping all over my body?

See, I knew I messed up when…

He looked into my eyes and said you’re too good to be true.

He looked into my eyes and told me he really loved me (?)

He looked into my eyes and said I was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

But when I looked into his eyes and he told me I should probably get going.

He had a party to attend.

The only man I ever believed was the last one.

Because he told me to do what I have always doneGoing behind closed door after door, trying to find the one person who’d make me feel human in any possible sentiment.

Cause I refuse to believe the words of past men who glorified me.

Telling me I was the best they had ever been with because any man who has a tongue, a mouth, and a brain, willing to stretch their body parts can fulfill any individual’s fantasies.

Don’t look into my eyes and tell me that I’m too good to be true because next week you’ll want to break up with me.

You might hurt me unconsciously but you’ll never understand the full extent of the pain I carry with me.

Don’t look into my eyes and tell me that you really love me because If you did, you wouldn’t have to tell me while your naked body lay fully stretched next to mine, bare legs trapping my own like the sharp stems of roses I once brought for you.

Don’t look into my eyes and tell me I’m the most beautiful thing you have ever seen Because the most beautiful thing you will ever see should be a person, not a thing.

That person should be the person who gave you life or the support to get you Where you are right now because soon you’ll be walking out of my bed, off my bedsheets, out the door, and out of my life.

Cause if you did love me, you would tell me in person, standing next to me, wearing my “Legalize Gay” shirt, Forever 21 jeans, and Aldo flip flops, even though you hate brands.

You would tell me you love me every night of our lives we spent thinking of each other without regret, simply happiness, because boy tomorrow is never guaranteed.

If you did love me, you would treat me with respect, so I would never have to worry about being ignored in any given atmosphere.

You would tell me you love me after every argument, no matter what we said or did.

Because if you did love me, you’d never tell me to pack my shit and leave before you headed out, around the town, to another party in which I would never be invited to.

A party where I’m positive you’ll find someone much better than me.

Better looking, charismatic, yet submissive to your twisted desires.

It is this concern that I have, to love, that Has got me standing here with two feet on the ground.

In the meantime, keep “producing” love. Recycling it.

Vice versa. Oh! Here comes karma.

So tell me, what is it like?

Article | A-Sexuality

showed him so.

It’s more empowering for someone to know all the good and bad parts of you and still love you. THAT’S empowering.

When going through a lot of this pain, I tried putting it in words this way: “It’s like I want to do that as payback for all the times my attractiveness makes me vulnerable. It’s how I can own my sexuality – knowing that I can satisfy and control anyone (especially the assholes who catcall me) because otherwise I am powerless. I want to feel powerful and strong and proving to myself that I can make anyone sexually worship me would at least give me some sort of control and confidence.”

BUT THIS IS INCORRECT.

the psychological effects of catcalling, slowly change the world’s attitude towards not just this social issue but social issues affecting LGBTQIA, the elderly, people with disabilities, etc.

Work to improve each person’s quality of life. Work to recognize each individual’s dignity.

Don’t let men who holler at you from the street or stare at you on public transportation define who you are. Don’t let them influence your sexuality. Defiantly reply that yes, you are a woman – but you shouldn’t be defined by your anatomy. That basic defense women have been shouting for more than a century.

You are a woman. But that doesn’t even fucking matter.

It’s not rocket science.

YOU DESERVE RESPECT.

So the question remains… how do I own my sexuality?

How do I feel in control?

After realizing that becoming a vixen to elicit some kind of power was delusional, I responded to the objectification and my remaining sense of panic by going to the other extreme. I began to wonder, Should I change my preferred pronouns? Should I dress androgenously? Wear baggy clothing to escape attention?

Perhaps those solutions might be the answer for some. I am definitely looking into them. But should anyone have to change the way they dress just to feel like a human being? Just to feel like themselves?

I don’t have an immediate solution to my crisis, because the fact is that catcalling (a manifestation of sexism) is a social issue I can’t solve by myself.

But I sure as hell am going to try.

And in the meantime, prove to the world that your mind is amazing and more important in bettering this planet than any physicality. Pleasure the person you love with all your heart, be sexually worshiped by them (and only them, because they’re the only one who CAN worship you) and know their love for your mind and soul will still leave you feeling empowered afterwords, educate other women and individuals who suffer from

INNER BEAUTY Credit: EphemeraAndMoreArt Studio https://www.EphemeraAndMore.etsy.com https://www.etsy.com/listing/151560649/woman-anatomy-art-print) https://www.etsy.com/listing/151560649/woman-anatomy-art-print-wall-decor

Column

When You Give a Girl a Clolumn from my mouth. I really wish I’d given him the chance to explain. Again, not my shining moment by any means, but hey, you live and you learn.

THE FIRST TIME Brittany Reyes The first time I had sex, I was 18.

We didn’t plan it. We didn’t even talk about it. We had only been dating for a couple of months and he was my best friend all throughout high school.

It started suddenly and before I knew it, it was over, just as quick as it began. I remember feeling elated, like I had just reached this crazy milestone in my life. I felt accomplished and loved and in that split second, I was happy to be vulnerable with someone who I really trusted.

We went to a party that night and I remember bouncing around to all of my closest girlfriends to tell them all about my “first time.” I described every detail as best as I could and we gushed the way only girls do. Thankfully, all of my friends loved him. He was the valedictorian of our high school class and they knew he had been chasing me for a while and lo and behold, he finally caught me.

The night turned sour when he pulled me aside. He told me that he had to talk to me about something importantand trust me, when a boy says, “We need to talk,” it’s never a good sign. Yet, in my drunken stupor, I ignored my instinct to run. Instead, I stayed to hear him out.

As you would imagine, there were a lot of different ways this conversation could’ve gone. Five words later, my night went from a dream to a nightmare.

“I think the condom ripped,” he said.

I’m pretty sure I punched him right after that. Not the most mature way to handle it, I know, but those five words strung together were definitely not what I wanted to hear after having sex for the first time.

Needless to say, I was pissed. He told me that he didn’t want to say anything right away because he didn’t want to ruin the moment and he wasn’t sure if it ripped or not...

I called him an idiot.

I wanted to wring his neck. I knew he didn’t do it on purpose and I knew the last thing he wanted was to be yelled at by his girlfriend in front of all our friends, but I couldn’t help myself. I didn’t want to be around him, and though we had planned to leave the party together, I demanded that one of my friends drive me home immediately.

I wouldn’t even let the poor kid into the car. I left him there stranded, with a spew of profanities flowing freely

After ignoring all of his texts and phone calls from that night and the following morning, I finally cracked. Angry as I was, I was scared, too. My mom had gotten pregnant with my brother during college, and I thought this was God’s sick way of making history repeat itself.

My boyfriend and I drove to a Target that afternoon and I bought Plan B, the morning-after pill. We read the instructions carefully and looked up all of the possible side effects Google could spell out for us. Again, I was scared out of my mind.

Despite my protests, he stayed with me in the Target parking lot as I took the pill and we waited anxiously to see how my body would react. The box warned us that the pill could induce vomiting, so he refused to leave my side, determined to do everything he could to make sure I was okay.

For hours, I sat silently in my car as he apologized over and over again, telling me that he loved me. As much as I hated him in that moment, I was young and in love too, so of course, we worked it out and continued dating for more than a year.

Sadly enough, we didn’t last. We tried the whole long distance dating thing when we both went off to college, but forever just wasn’t in the cards for us. It didn’t end well – at all. Some things were said while most things went unsaid and as a result, it’s been two years since we’ve said a word to each other.

Do I hate him? Of course not. He was my best friend for some of the most formative years of my life. Do I hope he’s doing well? One hundred percent. Do I think we’ll ever be friends again? That, my good people, is the million-dollar question.

He was the first boy I was ever really intimate with, and though he might not be in my life the way he used to be, he’ll always be my first time and he’ll always be one of the most important.

SKELETON COUPLE Credit: PRRINT! https://www.etsy.com/listing/177773679/ skeleton-couple-love-print-anatomy-art

bookmark here

Message me

The Second Mango SHIRA GLASSMAN

Published: 2013 Genre: Fantasy, LGBT, Action/Adventure

“Once upon a time, in a lush tropical land of agricultural riches and shining white buildings, there was a young queen who spent the night tied up in a tent, panicking.”

Overview Being the only lesbian in the land of Perach doesn’t make Queen Shulamit’s life any easier than it’s supposed to be. On top of losing her father, her lover, and all control of her digestive tract, Queen Shulamit nearly buckles under the pressure of running a kingdom if not for her new friend Rivka, a heterosexual warrior from the north who masquerades as a man. As the two girls form a sisterly bond and search the world for other lesbians to appease Shulamit’s loneliness – all the while atop the back of Rivka’s shape-shifting dragon – neither girls realize how different the outside world is from the close-knit society of Perach, especially when they discover a temple full of women trapped and turned to stone. Suddenly Shulamit and Riv’s quest for romance turns into a rescue mission to save the women from the grips of the evil sorcerer.

BROAD Tumbs Up? This book shatters so many barriers and avoids any sort of predictability, to capture a ground-breaking

story of romance, adventure, and fantasy. None of the main characters fall into expected “queer” roles.

They are their own living, breathing people, with real struggles that go beyond their sexuality. Perhaps the greatest feature of The Second Mango is the lack of emphasis on sexuality, in favor of a greater focus on the plot and struggles of the characters.

Too often, stories with queer characters focus too much on sexuality and not enough on plot and the actual story itself, whereas this book takes a completely different turn. Yes, Shulamit is queer, but her queerness is treated as normally as any regular romance, and doesn’t dominate the text. Rather, The Second Mango focuses on the friendship kindled between Shulamit and Rivka and their rescue mission that transforms them into heroes.

Is sexuality fluid?

I see sexuality as something unchanging and solid.

It depends upon the person. For some it is fluid.

For others fixed. It also doesn’t always have to manifest in ways that are sexual.

It’s like an amoeba. There’s really no form or structure to how one identities oneself sexually.

It can be, but it doesn’t have to be. If it is, that’s okay, if not, that’s okay too. Things can always change and we shouldn’t impose identities on people if they don’t’ feel that way. Even if they felt that way at one time, it may have changed.

HE BETTER BE SOON!

Article | A-Sexuality

ON ASEXUALITY Anonymous The first time I saw the word asexual, I rejected it outright.

I decided this word was not for me. And honestly, I didn’t think back to the word for several months. Even after I looked at it again and thought about it, I still wasn’t ready to give myself the label.

I don’t know if I would have come to the realization that I was asexual any earlier if I’d heard about it before I started college. What I do know is that I chose the label because it explained my experiences, and because I was ready for a label, and this one felt good. It fit.

I think I was scared. Of not being straight. Of not being sure that this word was the right one. Of thinking that this was me, and then realizing I was actually something else and having everyone think I was some sort of fraud.

The problem for us asexuals is that, for the most part, no one really knows anything about asexuality. I never heard the word spoken aloud until I said it to myself when I finally decided it described me about a year ago.

It hasn’t fixed everything, this label. I don’t feel comfortable coming out to most people, since it usually involves a dictionary of words and a lengthy explanation.

I know I can never come out to my parents. And I have to deal with a whole host of conversations about my nonexistent love life.

I wish someone had mentioned asexuality to me before.

I wish I’d known that it was not weird to never really care about dating people. In this world where everyone talks about romance and sex so much, I wish I’d known it was okay not to think about that stuff.

Because growing up, I was so concerned that I was broken. That I didn’t know how to feel love because I didn’t feel the same way everyone else did. And that I was going to end up alone while all of my friends were married. That no one was ever going to like me because I didn’t like anyone.

But I know a little bit more about myself, and I know that I’m not alone. And I hope, with the knowledge I now have on asexuality, that I can help other people know they’re not alone either.

JESUS AND SEXUAL ORIENTATION Credit: David Hayward aka ‘nakedpastor’ www.nakedpastor.com https://www.etsy.com/listing/174935055/ jesus-and-sexual-orientation-print

Column

Archives in Action

SEX IN THE ARCHIVES: GETTING ORIENTED Nancy Freeman In this month’s column I’m going to talk about sexuality in the archives. I hope the title isn’t too misleading-no one’s having sex at the WLA in the archives-at least I don’t think they are, and they shouldn’t be. Rather, I’m going to look at sexuality in these terms: collecting LGBTQ records at the WLA; an archives example; and the archival profession.

Archives collect, preserve, and make available records of enduring value. All archives have a collecting scope because we can’t take everything. At the WLA we collect the records of women and organizations which document women’s lives, roles, and contributions. That’s pretty broad, so it’s further narrowed by geography: we first look at records from Chicagoland and Illinois; second, records from the Great Lakes Midwest region; and lastly, records that originate from the entire United States or world.

Having laid the context of what is collected at the WLA, let’s look at collecting through another lens, in this case, sexuality. The WLA at this time contains very few records donated by self-identified LGBTQ women.

There are collections that directly relate to LGBTQ issues. Former Illinois legislator Carol Ronen’s papers

are a prime example. Ronen sponsored a bill to add “sexual orientation” to the already existing state law that prevented discrimination on the basis of categories including race, sex, gender, and religion. The landmark bill was signed into law on January 21, 2005. The WLA also holds the records of the Chicago feminist bookstore Women and Children First, which historically is and has been a resource for LGBTQ folks.

Back, though, to actively collecting the records of LGBTQ women. As Director, that is one of my goals. I want the WLA’s records to represent a complete cross-section of women, and currently we do not. Going with the idea of 12 step programs, awareness is the first step. I am acutely aware of this lack in WLA collections.

Collecting in a certain area is all about donor relations and that means I need to cultivate relationships with LGBTQ women and organizations. As with many aspects of donor relations, it’s all about whom I know. Or don’t know.

There are also archives that focus solely on LGBTQ records. One example is a combined library and archives in Chicago, the Gerber/Hart Library and Archives at 6500

N. Clark St. Gerber/Hart began in 1981, and recently expanded with a new location. Their website is at http:// www.gerberhart.org/ If you want to see the plethora of LGBTQ records available, just put this search term into Google: “collecting archival records of LGBTQ”. Then stand back, because there are many archives and collections that show up and, to use a phrase first coined by domestic guru Martha Stewart, that is a good thing.

I’ll use Martha Stewar’s phrase again regarding LGAR: this is a good thing.

Now to use one example related to the archival profession and the subject of collecting LGBTQ records.

The professional organization for archivists is the Society of American Archivists (SAA). Through SAA there is a group called the Lesbian and Gay Archives Roundtable (LAGAR). An SAA Roundtable is a subject-specific group that members and non-members can join. In this case, LAGAR is committed to bringing information about LGBTQ archives to the community and this happens through resource guides, awareness raising, etc. http:// www2.archivists.org/groups/lesbian-and-gay-archivesroundtable-lagar A roundtable through SAA is recognition by the Society and its members that the subject is important. I quote from the LAGAR website: LAGAR was founded in 1989 by members of the Society of American Archivists who were concerned about lesbian and gay history and the role of lesbians and gays in the archival profession. The group, which welcomes non-members of the Society and people of all sexual orientations, promotes the preservation and research use of records documenting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender history and serves as a liaison between lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transsexual archives and the Society of American Archivists.

I’ll use Martha Stewart’s phrase again regarding LAGAR:

this is a good thing. Archivists and archives strive to represent all folks within their collection scopes and often that means collecting under-documented collections.

LAGAR is one way SAA shows commitment to LGBTQ records and LGBTQ members of the Society.

Now I return to the topic of records at the WLA and ask your help. If you know a LGBTQ woman or women’s organization that may be appropriate for the Archives, please contact me. Many donors come to my attention by word of mouth or leads that I then follow up on. I want the WLA to be representative of all women, and I need your assistance to make this happen. health class I ever had in school. It’s sad that I never heard a single mention of LGBTQIA+ issues in class until I got to college. Sex and sexuality are such taboos in our society, there’s shame surrounding any discussion of them. Everyone has to confront these things in their lives, whether they experience sexual attraction or not, and everyone suffers from not being able to talk about them openly. I really believe the only way to dismantle prejudice is through education, through the eradication of ignorance. I hope as we move forward as a society, as a world, there can be more education and support than shame and hatred, but we still have such a long way to go.

I know how very lucky I am to have had such a relatively smooth route to self-discovery and self-education about LGBTQIA+ identities, and to have immediate family who I know will accept me no matter what. I still have a lot of learning to do, and I still don’t really know how I identify in my sexuality. I don’t feel I can identify with a specific label yet, but that’s okay. My sexuality is my own, and I am valid, no matter what label I might identify by in the future. There’s a Q in the acronym for a reason, and even though I’m still questioning, I’m okay with it now. Part of me is still a question mark, but I’m so much more than that- and I have nothing to be ashamed of.

Article | A-Sexuality

Broadside

MADONNA QUOTES

Homophobic Kade Cahe

Krystal Diamond Sanhez

“I am my own experiment. I am my own work of art.”

- Madonna

“Don’t go for second best baby, put your love to the test.”

Over the past 30 years, Madonna has been a strong defender of LGBTQ rights. She was one of the first major celebrities to speak up on condom-use and HIV/ AIDS during the AIDS crisis of the 1980s. Her music has elevated the LGBTQ community into a world that is loving and accepting of their identities. Here are a few lyrics and quotes that have empowered me and my queer identity.

“If it’s bitter at the start, then it’s sweeter in the end.”

– Get Together, Confession on a Dancefloor (2006)

- Express Yourself, Like a Prayer (1989)

“Poor is the man whose pleasures depend on the permission of another.”

- Justify My Love,

The Immaculate Collection (1990)

“Power is being told you’re not loved and not being destroyed by it.”

“A lot of people are afraid to say what they want. That’s why they don’t get what they want.”

- Madonna

“No matter who you are, no matter what you did, no matter where you’ve come from, you can always change, become a better version of yourself.”

- Madonna

- Madonna

“Be strong, believe in freedom and in God, love yourself, understand your sexuality, have a sense of humor, masturbate, don’t judge people by their religion, color or sexual habits, love life and your family.”

- Madonna

You Rooted Sunflower

attracting honey bees

thirsting for Sun

when

Your Sun-kissed mango skin,

thick hips, citrus lips, weak knee(d) fell for Bee, lost, love You’re

Sun kissed

thick hips, citrus lips,

(fell) for Bee,

weak

(k)need

mango-skin

lost Love.

Broadside

Broadside

Breathe

Dear Son

Carmen Fermin I. I found galaxies, fires, the start of civilization In your black eyes. I could see war, betrayal hurt And although your hands mirrored mine We were doomed.

Doomed. One million people saw the sun rise today. One Million people took a breath this second. One million Minus the one trying to II. Write to you III. Write to you Smell your hair From the living room Kiss your arms good morning

Say goodbye sunflower and Say goodbye to your voice I meant to Send you a half-apologetic text message Say you were right, but I also Think about you not responding all day So I didn’t Buy you flowers I wanted to Reverse time Go home Sleep in Rethink boundaries Erase, rest, not forget

Remember that flowers are impulsive Avoid the gym Take a long nap, then make dinner Suggest never to touch again Ban sleepovers and cuddling Never forget what you confessed

IV. Memories enter. I enter you. You leave

memories enter I enter you you leave

memoriesenter i enteryou youleave memoriesenterienteryouyouleave

Breathe.

Breathe.

Breathe.

Karina How can I teach you to love when lust wants to make a monster out of you Do not follow vultures disguised as birds of paradise Do not eat the serpent’s fruit.

Article | A-Sexuality

What if I just thought you were cute and wanted to say, “Hey, you’re cute?”

ON YOUR GRIND(r) Anthony Sis “masc4mac. no fems. jock only. latin guys step up to the front. white only. bttms only.”

Chances are, if you have ever had a Grindr account your eyes have had the great displeasure of reading these exact phrases. As a queer person, spaces like these can be difficult to navigate. As a queer person of color, these comments allow racist, sexist, and homophobic ideas to enter our minds and even challenge some of our own biases around hook-up culture.

To be honest, these “preferences” do not come out as anything but ugly and offensive. People use this online platform to specify what types of people they are interested in, yet their profile picture is a headless torso.

Does this mean that as a preference I should write, “Face pic only?”

Don’t even worry. It already exists.

I’m not writing to critique the location-based app Grindr in any way. I have had my fair share of solid encounters with folks using the app. Instead, I am writing this piece to critique the users of Grindr and to really reconsider how they are using the app through language.

In general, all users must be mindful of the fact that the folks who use Grindr are real people (SHOCKING! I know). There is the exception of robot users that are not real, but the photos that they do use are of real people.

In conversing with tiny square boxes, this is important because what you decide to send as a message will say a lot about your purpose in using the app. I’ll never forget the time I decided to message someone who immediately replied, “I’m not into Mexican looking dudes.”

I thank this person now for creating a statement that I later used as a photo project on micro aggressions, but if any other person read this message who knows what the impact might have been. The impact it had on me was minimal, mostly anger and annoyance because it was completely racist and unnecessary.

This brings me to my next point about the amount of explicit racism and prejudice that users tend to promote on Grindr. Often, this is disguised as “preferences” in order to protect their problematic stereotypes about certain groups of people. This is one of the most frustrating aspects to the folks who use Grindr. A user claiming to be liberal and “open to anything” using such exclusive language around sexual preferences is ridiculous. This automatically assumes that every person who speaks to them will only reach out to them for sexual purposes.

It’s okay; they’re probably not into Mexican looking dudes anyways.

Finally, I have to address the awkward conversation around sexual positions. As an individual who bases sexual position entirely on the chemistry of a relationship, it is extremely awkward to have to sum it all up with one word: “vers.” This is always awkward because of the stereotypes that go into identifying as either a “top” (giver) or “bottom” (receiver). A person identifying as a “top” is perceived to be more masculine physically and mentally, while a “bottom” is perceived to act and think more feminine. Genderqueer folks, like myself, wet our feet in both territories with no shame. We lie along a spectrum that fluctuates on a very regular basis. Some users think that identifying as “vers” merits termination of a conversation, which leaves me confused as to why users carry this identity to such a high degree of judgment.

Once again, it goes back to believing in false images and stereotypes of what it means to be versatile in an intimate setting.

When you are on your Grindr, be mindful of the language you are using when you chat with other people. Do not assume that everyone on the application is gay and cisgender because chances are they’re not. I’ve recently noticed more trans*-identified folks using the app, which is great, but are they entering a space that is inclusive and understanding of their lived experiences? I think the app can be this kind of space, but the changes necessary to create this space have to start with us and how we grind on Grindr.

Article | A-Sexuality

THE DISCOVERY OF IDENTITY, & HOW TO DO IT RIGHT Anthony Sis There often comes a point in your life where you hit a roadblock. Unfortunately, it happens to me many times.

cisgender woman too, but at least she is Latina! Right?

Wrong.

I hit a roadblock when I have to think about my gender identity. Part of it is acknowledging my own privilege in passing as a cisgender male, even though I don’t identify as cisgender or male. I hit a roadblock when I think of my queer sexual orientation and then have to explain what that exactly means for me.

Society still viewed me as a straight, cisgender teenager with a Latino background and some high school education. All that really meant was navigating a space that, statistically speaking, had some chance of failing me in order to go towards the school-to-prison pipeline. This was not what happened in my case, and people began to praise me for not falling into that track. However, they did not acknowledge my constant struggle with my gender and sexuality.

Identifying your own gender or sexual identity can be painful. The shame and stigma of identifying as anything other than a cisgender, heterosexual male is absolutely dreadful, so why would anyone want to be anything but that?

Here’s why: It’s not an option.

In my teens I discovered the power of Madonna. She was representative of the voice that I wanted to have, except she’s a cisgender woman. I repressed my love and admiration for her by listening to another amazing individual: Jennifer Lopez. I could identify more with her background and countless songs talking about heartbreak and finding yourself in the midst of turmoil and destruction. There was one problem: she’s a

College was very different, yet still suppressing. This time I was navigating a predominately white, upper class environment with folks who were way too comfortable with their gender and sexuality. This posed as a threat to my well-being and me. What was supposed to be a “safe” space became a space that was forcing me to come faceto-face with the identities I loathed discussing the most.

Shit.

Despite coming “out” early on in college, I thought the days of tackling gender and sexuality would be over soon. They did not. I decided to live in a European country

with legalized gay marriage for a year. I did not think much of the legalization, as it does not pertain to me or my interests at the current moment. I foolishly misguided myself to think that legalization meant openness and acceptance of LGBTQIA folks in the country. The fact that I lived in northern Portugal, which tends to lean more conservative on social issues than the southern part where metropolitan Lisbon is located, should already speak about the experience itself. This time I was daunted with the task of navigating gender expression in a traditionally conservative country around my student, faculty, and administration officials in the country.

Step three, explore it without shame or stigma. There is a healthy and a non-healthy way to explore a new identity, and it almost always comes back to shame and stigma.

If your exploration means having lots of sex, then let it be so long as you are protecting yourself physically and emotionally. In my younger years, I can attest to exploring my identity through sex until it became unhealthy and much more detrimental to my emotional state of mind. The shame and stigma kicked and my self-esteem plummeted, but at the end of the day I overcame those pieces and realized that this type of exploration was simply not healthy for me.

I will say that my coworkers were extremely supporting of my LGBTQIA identity. I did not go into full exploration mode of my gender and sexuality, but their support initiated the process of unpeeling the layers of complexities that would lead me to where I am today.

Step four, love yourself and your identity. This is what makes you, you. You do not have to be the most perfect human being in the world (whatever that means). I can be in a room full of queer Latinx just like myself, but for each one of us our queer identities will mean something different.

Now, I am tackling gender and sexuality head on.

Everyday is an internal dilemma of how I am expressing myself to others.

Now, I am tackling gender and sexuality head on.

Everyday it is an internal dilemma of how I am expressing myself to others. Is this professional? Can I be, like, this queer everywhere I go? It would be oh, so nice. It really would, but the moment I walk out of my office and into the real world I am conflicted with more questions around gender expression, gender identity and sexual orientation.

Here is my (not-so) simple 4-step process to recognizing an identity: Step one: Acknowledge it. The first step to almost anything in life is acknowledging its presence, no matter how problematic it may be. Know that in acknowledging this new identity means your on the first step to a healthy life.

Step two, embrace it. Even when a new identity comes into light, embrace it with kindness and care. This may take some time, but suppressing it and putting yourself down because of it will not be nice to your holistic self.

I should also remind you that step four is not an end goal; it is a process. You have to engage in proactive measures to make sure that the love for your identities are being affirmed and acknowledged.

I am somewhere between step two and three, with the end goal of embracing one word I have constantly struggle to apply to myself: love.

CONTRIBUTOR GUIDELINES How to be BROAD | BROAD Team

PRINCIPLES

1. Feminist Consciousness:

(a) recognizes all voices and experiences as important, and not in a hierarchicl form.

(b) takes responsibility for the self and does not assume false objectivity.

(c) is not absolutist or detached, but rather, is more inclusive and sensitive to others.

2. Accessibility:

(a) means utilizing accessible language, theory, knowledge, and structure in your writing.

(b) maintains a connection with your diverse audience by not using unfamiliar/obscure words, overly long

sentences, or abstraction.

(c) does not assume a specific audience, for example, white 20-year-old college students 2. Jesuit Social Justice Education & Effort:

(a) promotes justice in openhanded and generous ways to ensure freedom of inquiry, the pursuit of truth and care

for others.

(b) is made possible through value-based leadership that ensures a consistent focus on personal integrity, ethical

behavior, and the appropriate balance between justice and fairness.

(c) focuses on global awareness by demonstrating an understanding that the world’s people and societies are

interrelated and interdependent.

GUIDELINES & EXPECTATIONS • You may request to identify yourself by name, alias, or as “anonymous” for publication in the digest. For reasons of accountability, the staff must know who you are, first and last name plus email address.

• We promote accountability of our contributors, and prefer your real name and your preferred title (i.e., Maruka Hernandez, CTA Operations Director, 34 years old, mother of 4; or J. Curtis Main, Loyola graduate student in WSGS, white, 27 years old), but understand, in terms of safety, privacy, and controversy, if you desire limitations. We are happy to publish imagery of you along with your submission, at our discretion.

• We gladly accept submission of varying length- from a quick comment to several pages. Comments may be reserved for a special “feedback” section. In order to process and include a submission for a particular issue, please send your submission at least two days prior to the desired publication date.

• Please include a short statement of context when submitting imagery, audio, and video.

• We appreciate various styles of scholarship; the best work reveals thoughtfulness, insight, and fresh perspectives.

• Such submissions should be clear, concise, and impactful.

We aim to be socially conscious and inclusive of various cultures, identities, opinions, and lifestyles.

LGBTQ2E Credit: Mathilde Cinq-Mars Illustration www.mathildecinqmars.com https://www.etsy.com/listing/235093900/ print-lgbtq2e-illustration-art-giclee

• As a product of the support and resources of Loyola University and its Women Studies and Gender Studies department, all contributors must be respectful of the origin of the magazine; this can be accomplished in part by ensuring that each article is part of an open discourse rather

than an exclusive manifesto.

• All articles must have some clear connection to the mission of the magazine. It may be helpful to provide a sentence or two describing how your article fits into the magazine as a whole.

• The writing must be the original work of the author and may be personal, theoretical, or a combination of the two.

When quoting or using the ideas of others, it must be properly quoted and annotated. Please fact-check your work and double-check any quotes, allusions and references.

When referencing members of Loyola and the surrounding community, an effort should be made to allow each person to review the section of the article that involves them to allow for fairness and accuracy.

• Gratuitous use of expletives and other inflammatory or degrading words and imagery may be censored if it does not fit with the overall message of the article or magazine.

We do not wish to edit content, but if we feel we must insist on changes other than fixing typos and grammar, we will do so with the intent that it does not compromise the author’s original message. If no compromise can be made, the editor reserves the right not to publish an article.

• All articles are assumed to be the opinion of the contributor and not necessarily a reflection of the views of Loyola University Chicago.

We very much look forward to your submissions and your contribution to our overall mission.

Please send your submissions with a title and short bio to Broad People through broad.luc@gmail.com.