ETSU - Community Voices -Issue 2 by East Tennessee State University

COMMUNITY VOICES

Helping People Hear Each Other... One Story at a Time

Title: Pushing Back Against Hate

Read Inside: Talk a walk through hatred in the United States with a historian who still hopes for positive change. Next, dig deeply into Feminism from the Point of View of an Africana Womanist who tells us all how to be a better ally.

Volume One Issue Two

August, 2022

Land Acknowledgment We would like to take a moment to acknowledge that ETSU resides on the territory that was taken from the Cherokee people. The Cherokee people once spread across the lands of Southeast and Eastern Tennessee, Western North and South Carolina, North Georgia, and Northeast Alabama. Today the Eastern Band of Cherokee reside within the Qualla Boundary in Western North Carolina. Our hope is that this acknowledgement will serve as a reminder to all of us to recognize and honor those who were here before us and to honor and care for the land on which we reside.

This publication is dedicated to everyone who has suffered under the enormous weight and pain of bigotry, hatred, fear and rejection. We see you, we love you, and we welcome you to this space where your voice and your many, many attributes will be heard, protected, and highly valued.

A note from the editor

ello, Welcome to our second issue!

So many big events have occurred in the last 90 days! Our culture and the entire structure of its landscape is seismically shifting under our feet. And these shifts are igniting our fear. We have so many challenges presented to us every minute of every day on every single screen. And it can be overwhelming. I am obliged to give you, dear reader a trigger warning for this issue of Community Voices. Some of the topics and images and facts are grim and even traumatic. But we strive to provide you with helpful, useful information and a place and space to think about tough problems. It may sting, but I hope you stay with us. I hope you will read this publication with an understanding that thoughtful curiosity promotes calmness. And calmness, just like anxiety, is contagious. We can and already do lift one another up in thoughtfulness and love. But we also suppress, hurt and kill each other’s minds and, bodies, and spirits daily. We have a lot of problems to solve. And understanding one another is an essential step in beginning to organize ourselves and work on solving our myriad of long term, social problems. I remember the first time I really dug in to writing a social issue story. I walked into the local Islamic Center feeling a little nervous but also excited that these people were willing to show me who they were. I visited regularly every Friday for several months. They shared their stories and their kindness and their wonderful food with me. They also taught me that I was operating with a lot of extremely uninformed bias when it came to my previous perceptions of these members of my community. I strove to be an effective listener and I was struck and forever changed by many things these people discussed. But one response has really stuck with me for nearly two decades. A young man very gently but firmly told me to stop asking him to tell me who he wasn’t. I wanted to talk about terrorists. Instead, he suggested I become curious about who he truly was. He called me out. And I deserved it, even though my intentions were definitely not to be disrespectful. I carry that correction everywhere now. And as I watch current events unfold I think about how far we seem to be from a point of thoughtful curiosity where we can actually hear each other and make the time and room to listen. It’s important to accept that it is going to take us all sitting with a lot of our own discomfort to change our culture into something calmer and fairer and safer for everyone. And we need your voice! Please contact me with any concerns, questions or contributions at: cloyde@etsu.edu Thank you for reading! Elizabeth Strong Cloyd Managing Editor 4

Contributing writers:

Dr. Daryl A Carter is Associate Dean for Equity and Inclusion in

the College of Arts & Sciences, Director of the Black American Studies program, and a tenured, Full Professor of History at East Tennessee State University. He has been at ETSU since 2008. Dr. Carter is a political historian. He examines the intersection of politics, race, gender, and class. Dr. Carter’s first book is Brother Bill: President Clinton and The Politics of Race and Class, published by the University of Arkansas Press in 2016. Dr. Carter holds a B.S. in Political Science and M.A. in History from East Tennessee State University. He earned his Ph.D. in American history at The University of Memphis.

Dr. Jean Swindle received her Ph.D. in Instructional Leadership,

concentrating on education's social and cultural foundations, from the University of Alabama. With over 20 years of working in international education, she has a long trajectory of working with pre-and in-service teachers in local, national, and international contexts. Before higher education, she worked as a middle and high school teacher, principal, and general director in international bilingual schools. Dr. Swindle is passionate about fostering conceptual understandings of equitable social and educational practices in teacher education programs and believes this to be a necessary heuristic for any educator, regardless of their content, to educate for justice. Teaching/Research Interest: Her research interests include language ideology in education, pre-service teacher beliefs about language, and critical literacy in teacher education programs. Contribution: Dr. Swindle believes that uniting her voice and narrative with that of other Black faculty in this volume be a collective that will help other Black faculty who may be suffering in silence and fighting in isolation.

Briar Worley came to East Tennessee State University in pursuit of

higher education in 2014. A first-generation college student, they graduated with a degree in Media and Communication in 2018, and currently work in the Office of University Marketing and Communications as a Specialist. Briar's work with ETSU involves them with many aspects of student life, education and human potential, and equity and inclusion efforts. They are active in the local LGBT activist movement and enjoy spending time discovering new ways to explore the natural beauty of the Appalachian Highlands.

Production and Support Staff:

Project Manager, Briar Worley, Communications Specialist ETSU, University Marketing & Communication (UMC)

Dr. Keith Johnson, Vice President, ETSU Office of Equity and Inclusion Dr. Chassidy Cooper, Coordinator, ETSU Office of Equity and Inclusion Kim Maturo, Office Coordinator, ETSU Office of Equity and Inclusion Photographer, Ron Campbell, ETSU graduate and ETSU, UMC photographer Graphic Designer, Maheen Pulak, Graduate assistant, ETSU Office of Equity and Inclusion Managing Editor, Elizabeth Cloyd, Writer, editor, adjunct instructor, and Office of Equity & Inclusion Volunteer

Table of Contents HATE CRIMES WHERE ARE WE TODAY?

AN AFRICANA WOMANIST DISCUSSES FEMINISM

ROE V WADE AN HISTORIC OVERVIEW AND A LOOK AT REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS TODAY

ANTI-TRANSGENDER VIOLENCE

Written by Daryl A. Carter

Written by Dr. Jean Swindle

Written by Dr. Daryl A. Carter

Written by Elizabeth Cloyd

LOCAL FOUNDATION INCREASES ACCESS TO REPRODUCTIVE HEALTHCARE

Written by Elizabeth Cloyd

THE BODY POSITIVITY MOVEMENT IN SOCIAL MEDIA

Written by Briar Worley

Hate Crimes in History and Today Written by Dr. Daryl Carter

Introduction

ate is a recurring theme in the history of the United States; specifically hate toward African and Black Americans, hate of enslaved people, hate of Native Americans, and hate of Asian and Asian Americans. Along with freedom and liberty, hatred has remained consistent in our society.

The hatred of Africans, in part, led to slavery. The near eradication of Native Americans in the 18th and 19th centuries was due to the contempt and hatred and fear many white Americans held in their hearts toward them. The Civil War, despite protestations from neo-Confederates and others, was triggered by the South’s fears it would no longer be able to keep human beings in bondage. In the century after the Civil War most notably in the south, locals became skilled at abusing people, especially Black Americans, thus keeping Black Americans in a condition as close to slavery as possible. Some states created laws to target Blacks. Other times whites simply took it upon themselves to torture and torment those whose skin was dark.

History of Hate Crimes The U.S. Department of Justice defines hate crimes as, “crimes committed on the basis on the victim’s perceived or actual race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or disability.” Usually the victim of a hate crime has been assaulted, harassed, threatened and/or had their personal property stolen, vandalized, and/or destroyed. And hate crimes often involve murder. Hate crimes impact individuals and entire communities. Those committing the crime(s) seek to instill pain and fear into their victims. These crimes reflect a lack of morality, decency, and respect, for the perpetrators as well as their victims. Between 2004 and 2015 the Bureau of Justice Statistics noted that were more than 250,000 hate crime victimizations.

The Second Reconstruction The 1960s brought about considerable change to this country. Landmark laws were created, such as the Civil Rights Act (1964,) Voting Rights Act (1965,) and the Fair Housing Act (1968.) These laws stamped out Jim Crow, and empowered Black Americans by providing them access to the ballot box, and prohibited discrimination against anyone because of race, among other categories. By 1968, as the war raged in Vietnam and unrest at home unsettled millions of Americans, the country seemingly had reached a point of no return. Too much cultural change had been achieved too quickly. And many Americans resented the progress. The south remained a place where violence could and would often rear its ugly head. 11

The Fair Housing Act of 1968, for the first time, gave the Justice Department the opportunity to prosecute hate crimes. In the decades since Congress passed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hates Crimes Prevention Act, the Damage to Religious Property Act, Church Arson Prevention Act, the Khalid Jabara and Heather Heyer National Opposition to Hate act, Assault, and Threats to Equality Act of 2021 and the Conspiracy Against Rights Act. And most states have laws protecting people from crimes motivated by race, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, and sex. There are some differences between states in how they define hate crimes, report crimes, and adjudicate crimes. Broadly speaking, American society has agreed some crimes are especially ugly and that the law should recognize that.

Cultural Fear and Hate Women were subject to vicious negative blowback arising from the success of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s and the Women’s Right Movement in the 1970s. By the early 1990s the Justice Department noted that simply being a woman was in itself a risk factor for hate crimes. Sexual assault and domestic violence have also been particularly difficult hate crimes against women to stamp out. The United States continued to struggle with hate during the Presidency of Ronald Reagan in the 1980s. He cheerfully ignored Apartied in South Africa. And a well publicized war on drugs created by the White House ultimately served to make crack cocaine- a cheaper and more potent and highly addictive drug, establishing a mass market in BIPOC. And throughout the 1980s and 1990s Black Americans, Asian Americans, Native Americans, LGBTQ+ Americans, LatinX Americans, have been targets of hate crimes. Another major issue of the 1980s and 1990s was the HIV-AIDS epidemic. In 1981, the Center for Disease Control released an article which examined a “rare lung infection” in several gay men. Over the next twenty years hundreds of thousands of men, women, and children would be infected with HIV; nearly half a million died of AIDS related causes. The fear of HIV-AIDS was palpable. Unfortunately, the Reagan White House blamed the victims. A public health emergency was reduced to a culture war over LGBTQ+ people and their alleged lack of morality. Between the virus, and political indifference to widespread suffering, and violence directed at the LGBTQ+ community the need for their protection against hate crimes continued to grow. Since the attacks on September 11, 2001 a sharp rise in hate crimes directed against Muslims, Jews, and other non Christians has become an increasingly serious problem. The election of the first Black president in 2008, followed by the first nomination by a major party to become president in 2016, and the election of the first woman vice president in 2020 all contributed to a deep and openly demonstrated hatred toward underrepresented groups, immigrants, and religious minorities. The Southern Poverty Law Center noted that in 2020 there were more than 838 active hate groups in the United States. As the economy and culture rapidly changed that has accelerated more extremism and violence. During the COVID pandemic over the last two years our country has become a more physically and rhetorically violent place.

Conclusion Sadly, violent crimes against those who are powerless in our society are not new. These crimes strike at the core of our society by attacking democracy, the rule of law, and the basic tenets of public morality. These dastardly acts tear at the very fabric of the American experiment. But the rise in Social Justice Activism by many Americans, especially white Americans, in recent years is a bright spot for the country. It shows that while we are in a battle for the soul of America we are also making progress. Over the past 245 years the United States, in fits and starts, has recognized more people, created landmarks laws to protect its people, expanded freedom to Blacks, Native Americans, Asians, women, LGBTQ+, and others. So there is hope for a better day. We are in a period of doom and gloom as the nation toggles back and forth striving for political and cultural balance. And we must continue with the hard work of making a more perfect union. To that end we must continue the fight against hate crimes, abuse of power and position, and discrimination. Here is a website that shows many historic photographs of very public lynching: please proceed with caution due to the extremely graphic nature of these photos- https://withoutsanctuary.org/

Source Credit: Johnson City Press Newsclippings (291) Archives of Appalachia, East Tennessee State University 14

Source Credit: Johnson City Press Newsclippings (291) Archives of Appalachia, East Tennessee State University 15

Source Credit: Johnson City Press Newsclippings (291) Archives of Appalachia, East Tennessee State University 16

Source Credit: Johnson City Press Newsclippings (291) Archives of Appalachia, East Tennessee State University 17

Source Credit: Kenneth M. Murray Photographs (145) Sherry Smith Thomas G. Burton and Ambrose N. Manning Collection (25) Archives of Appalachia, East Tennessee State University 19

An Africana Womanist Discusses Feminism Written by Dr. Jean Swindle

recall a stern admonition I received from my father as a child. It was the mid-1980s, and, like so many others worldwide, my family and I watched in awe as news featured the devastating tragedies unfolding in Ethiopia due to widespread famine that impacted the nation for more than 50 years. As a news report featured yet another Ethiopian mother who lost three children to the famine and had three more children barely clinging to life, in my early adolescent naïveté, I exclaimed, “Why have all those kids?” My father, standing only 5’7” but seemingly 8 feet tall at that moment, abruptly turned and said, “Girl, don’t ever tell another woman how many children she should have. Don’t ever assume you know her story or about her life. You don’t have that right.”

Traditionally, feminism purports, in its most normative claims, that men and women are entitled to equal rights and respect. It further decries that women have been and are currently still disadvantaged regarding such rights and respect compared to men. While few would argue the merits and validity of such claims, that reality for most women, particularly Black, Indigenous, and other people (women) of color (BIPOC), is far more complex, nuanced, and does not align with a singular comparison to the plight of men, in general, and white men in particular. In Hudson-Weems’ edited volume of Africana Womanism: Reclaiming Ourselves (2020), Williams

He spoke softly, yet his voice resonates loudly in my memory. I was too young to process or critically contemplate the situation. But I gained enduring knowledge about learning from that admonition by my father: Humans mete out judgment on others and their circumstances, often with little personal understanding of factors that shape all our worlds. I learned that discomfort would accompany me when new information clashed with my beliefs, attitudes, or ethos. And that discomfort reminded me to ask questions instead of assuming ownership, authorship, or directorship of another person’s reality. I can never have all the answers, but I can ask questions. These guideposts have helped me question and examine beliefs about issues that affect women. And through frameworks like Africana Womanism I embrace my womanhood, my family, and my community. 20

Africana Womanism: Reclaiming Ourselves (2020); Clenora Hudson-Wens

Ntiri acknowledges that the emergence of Global Feminism has de-centered the thought that the condition of white women is the condition of all women. She further notes that many Africana women reject feminism for several reasons, including that the struggles, realities, and expectations of BIPOC women are distinctly different from that of white women. Ntiri elucidated, “The discourse involving African women cannot escape the historical realities of hegemony and ethnocentrism by Western cultures and the accompanying atrocities of slavery, colonialism, and oppression.” While there is little argument that women suffer exploitation and sexist domination, one irreconcilable distinction between feminism and Africana Womanism is that Womanism does not prioritize sex over race. Mainstream feminism was built on sex, race and class. Instead of liberating all women, traditional Western feminist traditions translated to more codified narratives of oppression, misrepresentation, and silence for non-white women. The Women’s Suffrage (voting rights) Movement for example was heavily stained by racism and classism. It is correct – many suffragists were also abolitionists (antislavery activists.) Yet, as the suffrage movement grew, scholars argue that it became apparent that securing the vote for white women was a strategic attempt to weaken the vote of Black men. As current struggles for equal pay and rights continue, news and media outlets report that white women earn 83 cents for every one dollar earned by their male counterparts. And Black women (who have the highest participation in the job market) earn 64 cents compared to one dollar earned by any white man, and Hispanic women earn 57 cents compared to a white male earned dollar, and multiracial Black women earned 63 cents for every one dollar earned by a white man. The problem in large part lies in failing to reckon with these realities in current social, economic, and political contexts. In failing to do this, we are left with essentialist ideations, false and incomplete histories, and significant blind spots in our pursuit of a more humane and socially just society. Due to these fissures, Black Womanists cannot wholly claim feminism as a path to freedom. This is not to say the traditional feminist intentions were anti-Womanist

and did not include efforts that benefited women; those elements were (are) present but not in isolation. But the general historic narrative on feminism ignores that Womanism, Africana Womanism, and Black and Indigenous feminisms developed outside of White feminist thought and that faulty narrative mistakenly credits traditional, mainstream feminism for their existence. Black and Africana scholars, activists, and community members have traditionally rejected feminism as the right platform to address Black women's concerns. Scholars note that white feminists often attempt to define their relationship with men of color based on how white women interact with white men in a white, male patriarchal system. Even many women’s studies programs practice myopic thinking by focusing more on gender-specific discrimination and less on analyzing women’s roles in family, community, and national development. Clenora Hudson-Weems, scholar and professor of English at the University of Missouri, coined the term Africana Womanism in the 1980s. She identified more than 16 characteristics and identifiers of Africana Womanism dating back to antiquity because of the African Diaspora, spanning the globe.

Hudson-Weems also noted that Africana Womanists have a strong, well developed sense of self, and they are family-centric. They exist in a genuine sisterhood and act as flexible leaders alongside males in their liberation struggle. Womanism differs from traditional feminism because the Africana Womanism is family- or community -centered and not female-centered. Womanism is concerned with ridding society of racism, classism, and then eradicating sexism. Africana Womanists also break from traditional feminism because they define their own reality and 21

ideals and they can focus on gender as well as on collective identity and culture. Being flexible role players underscores how Africana Womanists embrace multiple roles within the family and society not constrained by traditional gender norms in Western societies.

When I only interact with those who think and look like me, I realize I am denying myself the learning and understanding of the lived histories and present experiences of others who often make me uncomfortable. And, when I am open to experiencing discomfort, then I am ready for learning.

Hence, Womanist issues span a huge spectrum. And all that contends against womanhood, the family (or village), and society is a concern for an Africana Womanist.

False narratives and incomplete histories have shaped us all. When new understanding or information generates discomfort, then we should embrace the discomfort and let it lead us to a deeper and more humane understanding of the complexities of our world, its injustices, our privileges, and our potential to enact positive change.

In graduate school, I made a valiant effort to brand myself as a feminist; I could not reconcile my familial and community realities with the traditional (white) feminist movement. And my father whose admonition in my early adolescent years laid the foundation for my life-long search for understanding and self-awareness was now retired with paltry benefits. Though gainfully employed since he was a teenager, racist union practices in his field denied him access to better pay (and benefits) later in life. A structure designed to support hard workers excluded many Black men like my father.

As I walk through my neighborhood today, I see the effects of the discriminatory loan and housing policies enacted by the Tennessee Valley Authority that cemented racial segregation in East Tennessee. And I wonder if I will remain the only homeowner of color in my neighborhood. In order to understand our collective responsibilities as allies and friends today we should first understand that we are socialized and cultured beings. That is neither good nor bad. It is a fact that signifies we come from ideological, political, and social bents designed to translate others’ experiences inaccurately. So, being an effective ally entails moving beyond being friendly and welcoming to racially and ideologically diverse people. It requires truly getting to know them, understanding them, and being fully committed to learning from them. 22

But this does not come without sharing power. Since we do not own, author, or direct the experience of others, then asking questions and seeking collaboration entails relinquishing power, engaging in trust, and seeking results that directly benefit others regardless of their direct benefit to us. Gloria Steinem, who has been at the forefront of American feminism for over a half-century, in a recent interview published in Quartz said that: “The problem and what [many feminists today] are not saying is that women of color in general – and especially Black women – have always been more likely to be feminist than white women. And the problem I have with the idea that the women’s movement or feminist movement is something white is that it renders invisible the people who have always been there.” In other words, if not for indifferently racialized and politicized contexts, we would likely all be Africana Womanists in a world where womanhood, family, and society are symbiotic and not separate.

Roe V Wade An Historic Overview and A Look at Reproductive Rights Today Written by Dr. Daryl Carter

Introduction

Early America and Abortion

eproductive health and rights are arguably some of the most intimate, sensitive, and important issues for human beings. For women and girls this has meant: access to gynecological care, access to birth control, having authority and agency over medical decisions about their body’s care, and having the final say on how and when they conceive and carry a child to term. Since the 1960s reproductive rights have been seen as central to freedom, liberty, and first-class citizenship for women and girls.

Prior to the American Revolution and the founding of the United States, laws did not exist concerning abortion for the most part. In fact, many women in the 18th and 19th centuries terminated pregnancies through various means. The definition of life during a pregnancy at that time was when the woman was quickening. This simply meant she could feel the baby kick, move, flutter, etc. Generally quickening occurs between fifteen and twenty weeks.

There are myriad reasons for such beliefs. First, if a woman cannot control her own body then she lacks even rudimentary human rights. Second, some women and girls are sexually assaulted, and should not be forced to carry their rapists’ baby to term. Third, if the life of the fetus is not viable, meaning the mother’s life may be in danger and/or the fetus will die shortly after birth, then abortion should be an option. Fourth, the medical advancements throughout the Twentieth and the beginning of the twenty first centuries have finally given women the ability to accurately plan exactly when they begin constructing their families. This allows time for women to finish their education, begin their careers, or simply build up a financial nest egg to cope with the increasingly expensive costs of being a parent. One of the most controversial political and policy issues of the last fifty years has been the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. Since the Supreme Court ruled that abortion was legal and constitutional the country has been cleaved into two groups, pro-choice and pro-life.

Lots of women turned to various herbs or medicines from drug stores to end pregnancies. Stopping an unwanted pregnancy was important for many women. A leading cause of unwanted pregnancy was the woman had engaged in premarital sex. Another reason would have been the woman had an adulterous relationship. Social mores of the time would have led to women and girls who did this being ostracized by family, friends, and the community. But if the pregnancy could be stopped, then considerable grief could be avoided. Another reason to prevent unwanted pregnancy was how dangerous pregnancy and childbirth could be to a mother. Many women died in childbirth. Still other reasons, such as choice, also were a consideration. Historians of American slavery have noted white men had a great concern about Black female slaves aborting pregnancies. This makes sense considering the unborn children were chattel. It reflected the racial and class dynamics of the United States. Middle class and upper class white women, then and now, have never had as much difficulty getting an abortion as their minority 23

sisters. And since pregnancy and childbirth were considered solely female issues men often were not included in the details beyond the conception period. As the 1800s progressed, men took greater interest in this important issue. As early as the beginning of the 1820s, states such as Connecticut were putting laws on the books concerning abortion. Key members of the American Medical Association in the 1850s campaigned for vigorous laws against the practice. All of this was taking place against a backdrop of tremendous political, social, economic, and demographic change. The great Constitutional Revolution gave the nation the 13th, 14th , and 15th Amendments. In the 1860s the Civil War claimed the lives of some 750,000 people. Equally importantly, the Second Industrial Revolution was underway. More than twelve million immigrants came to the United States between the end of the Civil War and the beginning of the 20th century. The sheer numbers of Irish, Asian, Slavic, Italian, Jewish, Catholic, and others who came to America’s shores, provoked a vicious nativism response from clergy, politicians, and others concerned that America’s racial stock was being diluted by non-white, non-protestants. And we have experienced very similar issues over the course of the past fifty years. A key result of more recent nativism/racism was increased interest in abortion and birth control. On the one hand, abortion was alleged to be immoral. On the other hand, birth control could help with population control.

Industrialization and Progressivism The Gilded Age and Progressive Era helped to create modern America. Businessmen such as John D. Rockefeller (oil and refining), Andrew Carnegie (steel), Cornelius Vanderbilt (shipping), Thomas Scott (railroads), J.P. Morgan (finance), and William A. Clark (mining), along with others, transformed the United States through their respective businesses. In response to these monopolies contributing to extreme economic inequality in others, woman such as Emma Goldman, Margaret Sanger, Katharine Dexter McCormick, and Jane Addams, were advocating for birth control and family planning. The idea was fairly simple: women needed ways to prevent pregnancy. At the same time the United States and Europe were beginning to get into what would be known as the eugenics movement. This movement focused on the belief that science could improve the human race. But all too often the movement instilled racial bias and pseudo-scientific nonsense into our debates concerning human beings. This bigotry had a more pronounced role in contributing to false and diminutive concerns over fitness, “imbeciles,” and “feeblemindedness” in minorities, the poor, and immigrants. In the decades to come, however, the push to control the population would transform into a passionate argument for reproductive freedom.

1960s to the Present The 1960s changed America in profound and lasting ways. In 1960 the first oral contraceptive for women, known as the pill, was finally approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA.) It was a game-changing event. Since 1960, the pill has proved to be both popular as well as safe. It is used to prevent pregnancy, regulate periods, and to prevent a number of benign and serious health issues in women. But it has also been controversial. Some argue it gives women and girls license to engage in dangerous, promiscuous sex. Others object to the use of pharmaceutical aides to interrupt the reproductive process. Still others just do not want to have to pay for someone else’s contraception. By 1965, the Supreme Court overwhelmingly ruled that couples had a right to privacy in Griswold v. Connecticut. This case was critically important, in part, because it affirmed a right not explicitly outlined in the U.S. Constitution, a right to privacy. In 1973, the Supreme Court ruled in Roe v. Wade that Texas’ ban on most abortions was unconstitutional. It was determined that the women had a right to end a pregnancy. The consequences of this decision continue to reverberate today. 24

In June 2022, the Supreme Court, ruled in Dobbs, State Health Officer of the Mississippi Department of Health, et. Al., v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, et. al. there was no constitutional right to an abortion. Further, the court held that Roe had been improperly decided. This decision has allowed the States to determine individually whether or not, and under what circumstances, to allow for abortion. Consequently, there has been a bitter public uproar over this issue. More than 60 percent of the country supports abortion rights. Kentucky Senator, Mitch McConnell said outright that the court is there to protect the minority from the majority. It is fascinating to see the leader of the Republican Party admit he and his party are out of step with the rest of the country and dependent upon the federal judiciary to maintain political power and achieve policy ends. And there are people of good will on each side of this issue. But the Dobbs case raises some very uncomfortable points: Can any state try to restrict residents from travelling across state lines for an abortion? Can states track pregnant residents? What happens to doctors who offer pregnancy termination options? And can the U.S. mail be used to send abortion medications to pregnant women? Of course many other questions need to be answered as well. It will take years to sort out the plethora of state and federal laws, regulations, court cases, etc. What we do know is that Dobbs represents a real threat, despite the Supreme Court's argument to the contrary. It has opened the door to reconsideration of other major court cases, such Griswold v. Connecticut, Loving v. Virginia, Brown v. Board of Education, New York Times v. Sullivan, Lawrence v. Texas, and Obergefell v. Hodges. In the starkest terms Dobbs has shown why elections matter. It shows us why participating in our political system matters. And it demonstrates why practical, consensus building is so important. When we retreat to our respective corners and disengage from mainstream politics, extremists will seize power and elect people who take positions at odds with the wishes of a strong majority of the country. The Dobbs case goes beyond reproductive freedom. It goes to the heart of America.

Anti-Transgender Violence Written by Elizabeth Strong Cloyd

nti-transgender violence is a source of enormous grief and suffering. Our country remains a frightening place for a transgender person to live, let alone thrive. And we have the data to prove it. Dr. Mickey White, Professor of Counseling at ETSU’s Clemmer College further clarified, “The rates of mental health issues for trans folks are higher than the general population, but it’s not due to being trans; it’s due to society’s treatment of trans people.” The 2015 United States Transgender Survey (USTS) executive summary explains that their, “Findings reveal disturbing patterns of mistreatment and discrimination and startling disparities between transgender people in the survey and the U.S. population when it comes to the most basic elements of life.”

You have always been my neighbor Trans people do not exist in a vacuum. And according to a recent Pew Research Center survey published in June of 2022, it is accurate to say that most adults are not trans, but more than 44 percent of adults surveyed reported personally knowing someone who is trans, and 20 percent of them reported knowing someone nonbinary. History shows that we already possess the ability to create a culture where trans voices are heard, valued and protected. “Trans people have been in existence throughout history,” said White. “In multiple cultures, in most indigenous cultures across the world trans people were celebrated. It wasn’t until British colonization that they vilified and demonized them.” The Pew report found that 1.6 percent of adults in the United States are transgender or nonbinary. That means nearly two percent of us identify with genders that differ from the sex we were assigned at birth. That also means that nearly two percent of us frequently feel greatly displaced and can experience physical threats or even be killed. The Pew study also revealed that many people who identify as trans are under the age of 30. And trans visibility is also increasing in social media and every other aspect of our culture. Many see the growth as a positive thing. But that same growth is also stimulating strong, anti LGBTQIA+ backlash in our leaders and our laws.

And White sees the information found in the USTS as useful and helpful, “So the survey had nearly 28,000 respondents; over the course of their lifetimes 41 percent had a suicide attempt,” he said. “They have a lot of good information and data specifically about experiences of violence. There’s a lot of violence.”

A significant part of the conservative clapback is focused on children and teens as unable to competently choose and affirm their own gender. But White explained how statistics strongly indicate that being trans is not a childish phase. “Contrary to popular belief kids don’t make these decisions on a whim,” he said.

And White reiterated that coming out as trans is not a decision people of any age make in haste or often regret, “Conservative news outlets and pundants like to publish people regretting transition,” he said. “The actual numbers of people who regret transition and regret specifically trans related surgeries are less than the rate of people who regret having Lasik surgery.” And White clarified that the number of trans youth is higher today because hard won shifts in our culture have finally made the language and the understanding and the support bases available to them, “You’re actually saving (young) people years of trauma and pain by allowing them the space to explore this and then having this exposure out there,” White said.

Know it when you see it White went on to explain that the constant violence trans people experience in our society today occurs on a broad spectrum: It can start with dirty looks or deliberate dead-naming or mis-gendering, then throw in a humiliating refusal of service, and move on to filling out official forms that cut deeply with binary bias. And White said this violence is deeply embedded in our social infrastructure and our culture. And anti-transgender violence frequently ends in death. Survival usually includes enduring repeated trauma and suicide attempts while weathering closed doors everywhere. Imagine a life where completing basic tasks like filling out a census survey or, going to the doctor, or taking a bathroom break consistently tears down your sense of yourself and your safety, “So the last census of 2020 only had two options for sex and did not capture the experiences of LGBTQ+ individuals at all,” White explained. And for a transgender individual medical forms can be traumatic, “When you have doctor’s office forms that have male, female or other as your only options. How does it feel to express yourself as other? It doesn’t feel good,” White said. Medicine has been historically restrictive and conservative when dispensing hormone replacement therapy (HRT) or providing other gender affirming support for trans or non-binary people. “The old standard was you had to live as your ‘new’ gender for 12 consecutive months before you could have hormones,” White said. “For a lot of folks, particularly trans-feminine folks, social transitioning without hormones can be dangerous.” Access to effective mental health care for trans patients has been historically low. But this area is stepping up and helping out to provide trans and non binary folks adequate emotional and social support systems. “The local Pride Community Center downtown has created an LGBTQIA+ adolescent support group-which has growing attendance and parental support- and LGBTQ+ substance use recovery groups, and trans support groups,” White said. And local access to appropriate medical care and transition support is growing, “A lot of medical care providers in the area are doing a lot more trans care,” White explained. “There are more providers that offer HRT; there are more providers that offer gender affirming surgeries-those have been a little bit more toward Asheville and Nashville, but there are more providers here now.” And social encounters in public bathrooms often make trans people vulnerable to physical violence, “So, with men’s bathrooms there are always urinals and stalls, but it’s also very common for men’s bathrooms to not have stall doors,” White explained. “And that can be dangerous because we (often) have the potty police.”

Transmisogynoir Indigenous and other transgender women of color experience life threatening violence at a much higher rate than their white counterparts. This sharply illustrates intersectionality normalizing assault and murder as expected outcomes for a trans person of color. White further clarified, “So that’s where you already have historical barriers, if black (or brown) women already experience these historical access barriers because remember violence is not just physical crime,” he said. “Violence is also intentional lack of access and not having resources, or being denied resources. So that’s violence in and of itself; that’s structural violence.” Health-both mental and physical- is steadily eroded by constant violence and constant fear of violence. The outside world is cruel. And many trans people of color are consistently denied access to basic resources, so sex work is all they have left to try to survive. “And sex workers are at higher risk of violence already, but you also have an overlap with people facing housing insecurity, facing food insecurity are more likely to use drugs or alcohol and at more risk for violence because you are coping with repeated trauma,” White explained.

The whole mural of Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson in Dallas (Photo: Jerome Larez/Arttitude)

White deftly pointed out deeply embedded bigotries combining to create a culture of condoned violence against LGBTGIA+ people, “Trans women are seen as men, and as a lesser type of man. Any time we add femininity to men there is violence against feminine men,” he said. “So then we add toxic masculinity that runs even more rampant within communities of color because that has been a strategy to survive racism.” White also iterated that most perpetrators of anti-transgender violence, including murder, are heterosexual, cisgender men. Such a man will react to his unexpected discovery of a trans woman with rage rooted in his primal fear of being tricked into being gay. And White said that our courts and laws send a clear message: the threat of being feminized for a straight, cisgender man is worth more than someone else’s life because trans panic has been used successfully as a defense against murder. “There have been primarily cis, white men that have been acquitted for murder or found not guilty or received lesser sentences, or not even been tried at all because they said, ‘I found out this man (perceived as a woman) was hitting on me. And I flew into a rage and I killed him,’” he said.

Make It Better A world where trans people are safe and valued is a better world for everyone. You can take a multitude of steps to help increase acceptance, safety and access for trans and non-binary people and allow them to bring their many contributions to the table in recreating a welcoming culture: First, take responsibility for your own LGBTQIA+ education. “I think the best way for folks to support is to get educated,” White said. “Being educated helps you build empathy, so building knowledge of the community, but also building awareness of your own biases and what you have been taught.” And support compensation for minorities who offer social justice education. “A lot of people with marginalized identities are called on to do educational work, but then they are not compensated for it; particularly financially,” White said. Build stronger connections by respectfully asking trans or non-binary people how they would like to be referred to; learn and honor pronouns. But also respect their privacy and don’t ever out a friend without their permission. Do not to seek comfort from an already traumatized and unwillingly compromised person when you (even accidentally) inflict harm. Understand that you will make mistakes in your initial interactions, and many will be unintentional. Simply own them, apologize, promise to do better and keep moving.

“

“And understand that if someone responds emotionally to the harm that was just caused, it is building on a mountain of interpersonal experiences, but also (harmful) institutional and structural experiences a person has had,” White said. Support stories and social structures that show trans joy. For example, watch the Netflix show Pose or the documentary Disclosure. “So that is what starts to shift some of this narrative because everything we have had is violence and rejection,” White explained. Open your thinking up to a multidimensional view of sex and gender identity. “So start breaking down what gender really means because that makes everybody healthier; understand that gender is not solid, it’s fluid (and) it’s a spectrum,” White said. “Then it is truly getting to a place where you accept and understand the trans experience is a real experience.” Of course we love our friends. But don’t patronize or infantilize a trans friend by being too protective. Allow them agency and always be an ally who starts with respect even in tense situations. But also speak up and out about potentially harmful situations you see involving trans or non-binary people in public. Learning is hard work. And unpacking your multitude of biases will require a willingness to sit with your own discomfort, “When you mess something up, the person that is on the receiving end of it may respond with anger, (learn) not shut someone down because they are emotional,” White said. “We tend to do that quite a bit, we don’t respond well to emotion from marginalized communities in general.” And lead any encounter by respecting and honoring the trans experience as valid and real, “Believe people are who they say they are, and that it is not a perversion,” White said. “Trans humans are human; that is what we tend to lose sight of a little bit.”

For Your Information!

Surveys: https://www.ustranssurvey.org/reports https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/06/07/about-5-of-young-adults-in-the-u-s-saytheir-gender-is-different-from-their-sex-assigned-at-birth/

A useful TED talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-onhIoDRMdM

Local and regional LGBTQIA+support: The Pride Center ETSU - https://www.etsu.edu/students/mcc/programs/lgbtq/ The Pride Community Center in downtown Johnson City - https://pridetricities.com/ TriPride (organizes Pride festival) - https://www.tripridetn.org/ Tranzmission (based in Western NC) - https://tranzmission.org/

Local Foundation Increases Access to Reproductive Healthcare Written by Elizabeth Strong Cloyd Photos by Ron Campbell

nce again we are living through historic times as major events stir up huge feelings in all of us. The recent overturning of Roe v. Wade - the constitutional protection of abortion - has dramatically affected reproductive health and reproductive health education providers by adding fear and insecurity to already challenging fields. And Maggie Wood, Executive Director of A Step Ahead Tri-Cities, discussed the concerns they are facing right now as a foundation that provides free, long acting, reversible contraceptives, “People are really scared that they are going to lose the ability to plan their families,” she explained. “We are hopeful that birth control will not be affected, but we are doing more advocacy work with our local legislators.”

A Step Ahead was initially founded in Memphis, Tennessee more than a decade ago by a retired Juvenile Court Judicial Magistrate who saw too many young women pushed into single motherhood before their adult lives had even begun because they lacked access to birth control. So a fully non-profit foundation was successfully built and effectively designed to provide free, longacting, reversible contraceptives in Memphis. And now A Step Ahead Tri-Cities is one of six foundations working across our state to continue to provide free LARC, free reproductive healthcare, comprehensive reproductive health education, abstinence-focused reproductive education working with adolescents, and many other services. “The thing about our program is we want people to know that we exist, and that we have resources, and that they are completely free,” said Wood. A Step Ahead truly opens access to all of their services by providing everything from appointment reminders to free transportation to those appointments. And in their interactions they often refer people to other community resources as well.

Maggie Wood, Executive Director of A Step Ahead Tri-Cities

Wood firmly supplanted the faulty expectation that abortion bans will actually lower unintended pregnancy rates, “If the priority is to lower abortion rates, then access to birth control and reproductive health education is exactly what does that,” she said.

Wood is a therapist and her previous job was working at an in-patient psychiatric hospital. She became pregnant with her first child on that job and came to some startling realizations that shaped her future with A Step Ahead, “It just became so crystal clear to me that the system is not really set up to support women and moms as a priority,” she said. “So I became passionate about patching together as best we could some solutions while I was at the hospital.” 31

Maggie Wood, Executive Director of A Step Ahead Tri-Cities

And family planning is still an elusive goal or a downright inaccessible one for many people in our region, “There are thousands of individuals in our community who are at risk of an unintended pregnancy,” Wood said. “And especially in parts of Tennessee that are more rural there are all these great barriers to access to care-not just reproductive care, but health care in general.” And a huge part of the foundation’s goals involve outreach and education, “We count unduplicated individuals who attend our reproductive health education classes and we usually hit about 1500 a year,” said Wood. “We’ve had great success in partnering with community organizations, who allow us to come in and provide health education to their participants like programs for teens, school systems, the library, recovery programs, Frontier Health, and all sorts of programs.” And a Step Ahead plans to work in the Washington County School system for their second consecutive year this fall to supply Family Life Education as stipulated by Tennessee law. “We go into Crockett 32

and Boone High Schools once a week for a fall term and a spring term. We teach curriculum that is passed by the Board of Education,” Wood explained. “We promote and focus on abstinence as the 100 percent effective method of pregnancy prevention and STI transmission prevention.” These classes serve high school freshman who have been extremely receptive to the curriculum so far, “We also talk about a variety of other issues. We talk about teen dating violence prevention, healthy relationships, sexually transmitted infections, we talk about on-line safety,” Wood said. “We talk about consent. We talk about human trafficking.” And ETSU Pediatrics contributes lessons on puberty, the anatomy of pregnancy, and much more, “It is nice having a doctor come in and provide that level of expertise,” Wood said. “And then (we) also try to prioritize prevention in general, such as regular checkups and vaccines, and screenings, and where to get them and how long to see your pediatrician, and when to get your first pap.”

Family Life students are genuinely interested in these carefully tailored classes for valid reasons, “It seems like most kids have already been exposed to some of this and they already know what is right and wrong,” Wood explained. “And they want to talk about it, and it’s really wonderful to provide an opportunity for teenagers to talk about reproductive and sexual health in a setting that is not shame based.” And so far the success of this program has been easy to measure, “We did a really simple pre-test on the first day and then we did a post-test after our last session, and (we had) the same ten questions on both,” Wood said. “And we saw an increase in knowledge of all of the subjects that we taught across the board.” Wood said she is grateful to have so many effective networks and systems already in place here to partner with; and she enjoys working with ETSU and many other affiliates, “So many folks do great work here and we just want to kind of slip in and help out as best we can, and work together.” And Ballad Health is stepping up to increase important healthcare access, “Ballad is retrofitting a mobile unit to do women’s health in the community. And they will be able to do preventative testing and exams and birth control,” Wood explained. “And if you don’t have health insurance, then it will be free through us.” Telehealth company Twentyeight Health is also partnered with A Step Ahead, “And if you want a prescription (contraceptive) method it will be free through our Telehealth partner Twentyeight Health with a Telehealth appointment, and they will send the prescription method straight to your house,” Wood said. “So we are just trying to remove as many barriers as possible. Let’s just make it as easy as possible for everyone.” Currently there is no legal restriction to accessing birth control. All birth control methods approved by the FDA are still available. But the comments made by Justice Thomas regarding reconsidering legislation that protects access to contraception have made many believe that birth control restrictions could be in the near future. Wood explained that since the SCOTUS ruling on June 24th, A Step Ahead has observed an over 500 percent increase in call/text volume for free birth control, and remains deeply committed to providing access to free, preventive, reversible contraception to anyone in our community. As a non-profit, A Step Ahead is always open to contributions from community members, “We always need volunteers,” Wood explained. “We have tabling events, we have outreach events, (and) we have in person fundraisers where we need volunteers. It is a wonderful thing that we absolutely need.” For more information visit: https://www.astepaheadtricities.org/

The Body Positivity Movement Yesterday and Today Written by Briar Worley

ody positivity is a term most people recognize today. Although the strict definition varies from person to person, one of the most widely accepted uses of the phrase refers to the notion that everyone deserves to feel beautiful in their body – regardless of their size, shape, skin tone, gender, age, physical abilities – or any other of the countless biological idiosyncrasies that contribute to human diversity. Many argue the traits that are determined to signify physical attraction are arbitrary, and entirely socially constructed; across cultures and through millennia, the only consistency in beauty norms has been that there are none. So, how do you measure up and compete with standards that are constantly shifting? Despite the present prominence of the term body positivity, the concept was almost unheard of in the United States’ modern society until a relatively short time ago. The emergence of social movements surrounding civil rights in the 1960s sparked a nascent attempt to shift the public perception of beauty – and so an effort that eventually grew into what we now view as the body positivity movement began. Originally known as the Fat Acceptance Movement, early advocates encouraged ending the culture of fat-shaming and spoke out against discrimination on the basis of body size or weight. The term “body positive” itself did not make an appearance until 1996 when Connie Sobczak and Elizabeth Scott founded The Body Positive, a website created to offer resources designed to combat extreme, unhealthy weight loss habits and foster self-love and acceptance. Additionally, it took another 15 years for the movement to begin its transformation into the narrative that most people recognize it as today. Around 2012, people began to attribute additional meanings to body positivity – while the first 50 years primarily concerned weight – the reach of social media allowed the movement to encompass a far broader message: All bodies are beautiful. This message was developed, primarily, to address the fact that societal perception of our bodies can affect not only our mental and emotional health, but also affect our physical well-being. Emory Ward, who is a social justice advocate and fat liberationist with tens of thousands of followers across various social media platforms, often shares anecdotes from their childhood to promote awareness of how even seemingly “harmless” comments can impact our self-perception. “I’ve always been naturally fat,” said Ward. “As a kid, every day was filled with constant reminders that I was too much, and that I took too much, whether that was time, space, or food; especially food.” “I was at a birthday party in third grade when someone else’s mother took my slice of cake away saying, ‘Oh honey, you don’t need this,’ and I sat and watched other people eat. I came to understand how undesirable it was for other people to see me eat as a fat child, and it wasn’t long until my behavior started to reflect the shame.”

At the tender age of eight Ward said they began exhibiting signs of a restrictive eating disorder. “It started with hiding my food, but it slowly escalated,” said Ward. “I didn’t eat normally for years. I got thin. Everyone praised me, encouraged me to not be fat again. Even when I was thin people that knew me before still commented on sweets I ate, like they were terrified I would gain weight again. The ones that knew I wasn’t eating told me it was worth it. I was 10 years old. It makes me so angry. It was never about my health, nothing about starvation is healthy. Though I eventually regained weight, it wasn’t until I was an adult that I felt happy in my fat, healthy body.” Born in the early 1990s, Ward was not alone in their struggle with disordered eating habits in childhood. A review in 2002 found that up to 66 percent of girls and 31 percent of boys admitted to attempting weight loss in the past, and that review was conducted well before the boom and subsequent impact on body image that came with social media. And it’s not just children; surveys suggest general dissatisfaction with one’s appearance seem to extend well into adulthood and beyond. Ward uses this fact to cast doubt on the effectiveness of a movement meant to uplift our perceptions of our own bodies, and break down what society’s standards for beauty. “Personally, I don’t think the answer is hard to find,” said Ward. “The body positivity movement doesn’t usually tackle the root issues or actual causes that make people unhappy. In my experience, it’s only a response to poor conditions, not the solution to them. We can tell ourselves we’re pretty all day long, but we’re still getting bombarded with message after message of what ‘good’ bodies look like, or how we need to constantly improve parts of ourselves that are out of our control.” Meanwhile, other members of our community have a different perspective to the one that Ward has to offer. Brianna Vargas was born with a limb that did not function in a way that best suited her, and she had an elective amputation about four years ago. “Some people incorrectly assume that I feel worse about my body after the surgery,” said Vargas. “Maybe under different circumstances, they would have been right, but the body positivity movement uplifted a lot of people that I credit to helping me make the decision that I did.” “I made social media accounts and followed a lot of people online that used prosthetics. Being able to see them in their day-to-day lives helped me so much I don't think I can put it into words. Basically, I was able to take a peek into a future that was waiting for me. They were happy, and I was going to be happy, too. Just seeing them existing, and yeah, looking good doing it, made me more comfortable going forward with the surgery.” Vargas is not the only one who feels this way. Proponents of the body positivity movement say representation and depiction in social media matters. And this is true. When individuals feel like they can see themselves portrayed (positively) in their social feeds, it fosters a sense of belonging and community. In Vargas’ case, it also provided validation and support to individuals that may feel isolated in their struggles when they are not acquainted with anyone going through similar experiences in their personal lives. Vargas said social media influencers who wore their prosthetics “loudly and proudly” had the deepest impact on her, but one specific account left her with one of her most significant changes in attitude towards prosthetics. “One day, I found an Instagram account by someone named Sophie De Oliveira Barata, who makes prosthetics that are also art pieces. Everyone should check out her account. The aesthetics of these prosthetics are next-level.

It inspired me to buy some patterned sleeves for my own. Sometimes, I even match them to my outfits.” While some view the body positivity movement in either a negative or positive light, others tend to approach it from an angle that focuses somewhere in-between. Travis Smithson tends to view himself as someone relatively unaffected by the movement, though he can certainly see the appeal. “I’ve never quite been someone that I feel needs the body-positivity movement,” said Smithson. “In fact, I don’t think we should measure any of our worth by beauty at all.” Smithson is an advocate for body neutrality, and he has plenty of company. The body positivity movement often faces criticism that it places too much emphasis on the importance of beauty. This argument insists we should not be working to expand the definition of beauty. Instead, we should be working to abolish the narrative that one needs to be physically beautiful to flourish. The body neutrality movement embodies this position. Coming into existence within the past few years as a direct result of what some say is the “toxic positivity” of the body positivity movement, the phrase was launched into popularity primarily thanks to Anne Poirier, a certified intuitive eating counselor and eating disorder specialist. The movement aims to remind us that we are more than our bodies, and that a large portion of our physical attributes are outside of our control. It focuses on the role one’s body plays in the environment in which it is in; it removes the pressure of loving the appearance of our body. It shifts focus to appreciating the experiences we are able to have in our physical forms, such as the sensation of hugging our loved ones. “I believe the experiences we have in our bodies are more important than the way they look,” said Smithson. “But that doesn’t mean I think we shouldn’t put effort into feeling good about ourselves. If someone feels good because they saw a post on social media, or they feel good about their own posts on social media, that's great. So long as they aren’t hurting anyone, how people come to be happy shouldn't be as important as them being happy in the first place. Life is hard; no sense in making it harder by implying there’s only one correct way to find peace with yourself.” Fundamentally, the body positivity movement is designed to foster acceptance and love of our bodies. While some argue that the pressure to “love yourself” can be a strenuous burden, others believe that with time, the feeling can be contagious and evolve into true feelings of self-admiration. There are, however, statements that both sides seem to come to an agreement on. “Focusing on your health is an important step to meaningfully feeling positive about yourself,” said Ward. “Nourish your body, not because you want to lose weight, but because you respect your body and what it needs to function.” “Even if other people think you don’t need to honor those needs,” they added. In addition to a nutrient-rich diet, establishing a daily exercise routine is another way for people to deeply connect with their bodies in a healthy way. “I couldn’t really get into running until I started using prosthetics,” said Vargas. “I was incredibly lucky in that my limb loss was anticipated. Unlike many others, I had a choice in the matter, and time to acclimate to the decision. All of that forethought didn’t truly prepare me for the actual experience and disconnect I struggled with towards my body at first. Running has brought me closer to my body than anything else. Training my muscles and experiencing 36

the sensation of running in my body reminds me that being whole is not an idea that’s tied to the way our bodies are.” The concept of self-care embodies the belief that individuals should make decisions to enable themselves to feel better in the present moment; For example, pursuing a moment of rest or relaxation after a stressful day. But also be careful not to fall into the opposite pattern which can cause great harm. Experts advise against making plans anticipating a future version of ourselves that does not yet exist. Purchasing clothing that does not fit, for example, only serves to support the notion that we are not acceptable as we are. But plans to change our bodies aren’t always negative. “I gained a lot of mass when I started working out,” said Vargas. “At first, I bought some shirts I thought would look really good if I could fill them out. I ended up not being able to fit into them, which I almost let bum me out. But, progress gained is progress gained. I ended up getting some clothes that showed off my work in a much better way.” Finally, betterment of our lives, including through body positivity, does not necessarily find its culmination in physical needs. Mental health is a core focus of the movement. It aims to improve a person’s emotional environment, and can be a massive assist.

Curating our social media experiences is one way to begin; purging negative accounts is one small step to ensure a better chance at happiness. Experts also suggest blocking accounts that tempt individuals into comparing themselves to others. Instead, follow accounts geared towards specific hobbies and interests, rather than the aesthetics of the human body. And avoid fat biased medical providers. “Once, when I was sick, I went to the doctor for a check-up,” said Smithson. “After my blood was drawn, the doctor walked in, took one look at me, and told me I had diabetes. She then accused me of lying about not previously having been diagnosed with diabetes. The weirdest part? She was holding the results of my bloodwork, which came back completely normal with absolutely no indicators that I was diabetic. She decided this based on weight alone. Needless to say, I do not go to that doctor anymore.” Finally, choose your friends wisely. “We need to take care to ensure that the people in our lives love us, care about us, and are good to us,” Smithson said. “If there are people in your life, no matter who they are or what role they play in it, that don’t treat you well - they don’t need to be in it.”

Address: Phone: Fax:

109 Burgin E. Dossett Hall P.O. Box 70705 Johnson City, TN 37614 423-439-4445 423-439-4543

Website: Facebook: Instagram: Twitter:

https://www.etsu.edu/equity/ https://www.facebook.com/etsuequity/ etsu_equity etsu_equity

For questions and contributions contact: Elizabeth Cloyd:

cloyde@etsu.edu