11-11-20

46 Ashton Crawley, Rebecca Johnson, Jon Moss and Mary Rose O’Donnell

The Pitt News Staff Joe Biden claimed his place Saturday morning as America’s 46th president after surpassing 270 electoral votes, defeating President Donald Trump in a historic high-turnout election, according to The Associated Press.

Biden, a Democrat and vice president under President Barack Obama, won by rebuilding the electoral “blue wall” of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, as well as building support in the southwestern states of Arizona and Nevada, to ultimately put him over the top. Biden and Trump presented vastly different views of the nation, from how to handle the COVID-19 pandemic to confronting systemic racial inequality, among other critical issues.

NOVEMBER 11, 2020 |­ Volume 111 | Issue 48

The Pitt News

See Biden on page 2

Sarah Cutshall visual editor

Biden, pg. 1

“

A lot of people [were] very enthusiastic, showing up right at 7 a.m. or shortly thereafter … and we cleared the line completely by 9 a.m.

Tim Parenti

Election judge at Posvar Hall

“

I voted for Biden, but not necessarily because he was my first choice, but I couldn’t stand having Trump for another four years.

Bea Amsalu

Sophomore economics major

“

I was excited honestly, just to be able to have my voice heard, finally, and it’s been weird this year with the pandemic.

Luke Barnett

The race call arrives after several days of the nation being on edge due to results from many states either being unclear or too close to call since polls closed Tuesday night.

Record numbers of Americans voted using mail-in ballots, which take longer to count than in-person votes. Pennsylvania was one of these states, where more than 2.6 million people voted by mail, likely due to the ongoing pandemic.

Biden said he is “honored” and “humbled” that Americans elected him and Kamala Harris, and that it’s time to come together as a nation after the election.

“With the campaign over, it’s time to put the anger and the harsh rhetoric behind us and come together as a nation,” Biden said.

“It’s time for America to unite. And to heal.

We are the United States of America. And there’s nothing we can’t do, if we do it together.”

Meera Tikku found out the results of the presidential election in true 2020 fashion — while scrolling through TikTok. “Someone had sent a message that they had announced him as the winner and I was like, ‘Yo, I think Biden won!” Tikku, a senior communications major, said.

Madison Myers, a graduate student in the School of Public Health, said she was “overwhelmingly happy” when she found out Biden won, but added that things still need to change in America.

“I mean, a lot of people’s lives were hanging in the balance there,” Myers said. “It’s good that Biden got elected and that’s all settled, but I feel like there’s still a lot of issues our country is facing, and one candidate isn’t going to fix that. So we still need to be active and show up.”

The Biden-Harris campaign made history in more ways than one. Biden received the most votes ever cast for a presidential candidate, and Harris will be the first woman — and woman of color — to serve as vice president. Tikku said it’s extremely inspiring to see a South Asian and Black woman in such a powerful position.

“It’s pretty motivating that we can make a space for ourselves,” Tikku said. “It kind of feels like we can put a band-aid on and start healing as a country. We can somewhat start

on a road to recovery. I know it might take longer than that, but at least we can start somewhere.”

Myers said she hopes the next four years will help bring Americans back together.

“I hope that Joe Biden can unify people, because the Trump administration was so divisive,” Myers said. “I’m hoping some of those wounds can heal and there’s progress toward big social issues in our country, like systemic racism. I also have a feeling electoral politics as a whole are going to change over the course of our generation’s lives.”

Pittsburghers brought a similar excitement to the streets Saturday afternoon after the race was called for Biden. What was originally planned as a “Count Every Vote” protest in the City’s South Side neighborhood quickly turned into a celebration with speeches, music and dancing. Several hundred people marched down East Carson Street and over the 10th Street Bridge to the City-County Building in Downtown, while making stops along the way to hear from speakers from several local organizations.

Tammy Hepps from the progressive group Bend the Arc Pittsburgh spoke during a stop on East Carson Street. Hepps, a fifthgeneration Jewish Pittsburgher, reminded the crowd that this week marks the second anniversary of the Tree of Life massacre, according to the Jewish calendar. She said she hopes Saturday’s race call marks a transition from a time of “darkness” to a time of “light” in America.

“I have to tell you today, it feels like this week is from … darkness to light,” Hepps said. “From despairing that we would have more and more years of this to the day where we can celebrate that maybe, with all of us, we can bring light to this country from where there’s been darkness.”

Jacquea Mae, a community worker from Homewood, sang to the crowd and encouraged everyone to “celebrate” and “party.”

While upbeat, some members of the crowd noted that progressive organizing should not halt just because Democrats control the White House again.

“Hatred is still alive, it does not go away because we have a Democrat in office,” activist Chrissy Carter said. “Our organizing does not stop because Joe Biden is in office.”

“

People need to come vote. They need to know that it’s safe and they need to know that everyone’s welcome to come vote and cookies are a great way to show that.

Emelia Sargent

Sophomore environ. science major

“

People have fought for the right to vote and I feel like it’s very important. Our future depends on it. I know we’re young, but I feel like as students we should have a voice and I’m glad we have that opportunity.

Anton Tamkovitch

Senior CS & IS major

“

I saw different requests for people to come out to be poll workers so that some of the older people might not be able to be poll workers this year.

Vijai Jaitley

Poll worker at Soldiers and Sailors

Sophomore mech. engineering major

Photos by: Frank Bassani, Nate Kohler, Dalia Maeroff and Pamela Smith the pitt news staff

pittnews.com

November 11, 2020

2

‘A FOUR-YEAR EXHALE’: DEMOCRATIC ORGANIZERS REFLECT ON BIDEN’S WIN Elizabeth Primrose Staff Writer

Sophia Shapiro, co-president of Pitt for Biden, said Joe Biden’s presidential victory was a relief that pushed away stress and anxiety from the last four years.

“It was such a sigh of relief — it’s like a four-year exhale,” Shapiro, a first-year political science major, said. “It felt like the anxiety and stress of the last four years were being pushed aside.”

Student leaders of Democratic political organizations at Pitt said they were a little nervous while awaiting the results of the presidential election, yet ultimately felt relieved once the Associated Press called the race for former Vice President Joe Biden on Saturday morning. Shapiro said she believes that Biden’s ability to get in touch with the average American and their issues led to his victory.

Christian Resch, president of the Pitt College Democrats, said he knew Pennsylvania would be a key factor in deciding the presidential election. Resch, a junior political science major, said what he has seen in his work in politics since 2016 made him confident Pennsylvania would turn blue this presidential election.

"I've always felt that Pa. was going to turn blue since 2016,” Resch said. “I've been working in politics since then, and I've seen all the different activists, all the different organizations formed.”

But Alex Nelson, a volunteer coordinator for Pitt for Biden, did not have this same confidence about Pennsylvania on election day.

“I’m not gonna lie, I was nervous,” Nelson, a senior chemistry major, said. “I wasn’t sure how it was going to turn out, especially in Pa.” Shapiro said she and others in Pitt for Biden felt nervous as well, yet also optimistic as they knew the results may favor President Donald Trump at first.

“Trump told all of his supporters to vote in person. So, we were expecting the results not to look great at first,” Shapiro said. “But with the work that we had done and the work that the organizers all across that state had done, we were feeling nervous but very optimistic.”

Despite any nerves from earlier in the week, Nelson said he felt relieved after the an-

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nouncement of Biden’s victory. Nelson, who learned of the results while working at Hillman Library, said the victory made him emotional.

“It was a very cathartic feeling,” Nelson said. “I was very emotional. I came to tears at least three times during that segment of my day.”

Resch said Biden’s victory felt like a weight had come off his shoulders, as Trump’s election four years ago got him into politics in the first place.

"I came into politics because I was so in despair by Donald Trump being elected,” Resch said. “He was the original thing that brought me into politics, so to see Donald Trump be defeated and have Biden put into office was like a weight had come off my shoulders."

According to Ron Rineer, co-president of Pitt for Biden, Biden’s action to mobilize young voters played a key role in his victory. Rineer, a senior political science and economics ma-

jor, also said Biden’s ability to make personal connections, such as when he visited Pitt’s campus, contributed to his victory and set him apart from his competition.

“He got out of the car and walked up and started talking to college students,” Rineer said.

“That’s something that the opposition didn’t really do so well. You know, [Trump] had those big rallies, but he never really made that personal connection, and I think Joe Biden did that.”

Shapiro said she thinks Biden’s focus on connecting to the average American and his message of being a president for everyone also played an important part of his victory.

"He really focused on kitchen table issues and connecting to the average American, letting everyone know Joe Biden is going to be a president for everyone, not just Democrats,” Shapiro said. "I think that's something that's really important in a candidate, to really be able to empathize and just recognize the prob-

lems that people are going through."

Resch said Biden’s visits to counties in Pennsylvania that voted for Trump in 2016 played a key role in his victory. Biden cut into Trump’s margins more than Hillary Clinton did four years ago while he also flipping some counties, Resch said. According to Resch, Biden’s trip to Erie was an important factor in flipping Pennsylvania. Resch, who drove one of the cars in the motorcade when Biden visited Erie, said everyone in Erie stopped to wave and smile when the motorcade drove by, as if they were “finally” acknowledged by a presidential candidate.

“It was like they were finally being recognized,” Resch said. “Biden made an effort going there and showing them, ‘Hey, I’m here fighting for you,’ and that was really big.”

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3

REPUBLICANS REFLECT ON TRUMP’S LOSS, DOWN-BALLOT WINS

Colm Slevin Staff Writer

While Joe Biden supporters celebrated his Saturday victory in the 2020 presidential election, President Donald Trump’s supporters had to face the reality of the Republican president losing reelection.

With predictions of a close presidential race, many forecasters saw Pennsylvania being a deciding state in this election.

Trump won Pennsylvania by 44,292 votes, or 1.2%, in 2016, while Biden won the commonwealth this election by 47,582 votes, or 0.7%. While Biden may have turned Pennsylvania blue, Republicans still won congressional seats, giving Pennsylvania Republicans something to celebrate for themselves.

Corey Barsky, vice president of the College Republicans, said he thinks there was a large part of the Republican party who didn’t support Trump but still supported the Republican congressional candidates.

This is evident in the down-ballot election results — Republicans gained seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and statewide offices.

“You have people like Carrie DelRosso, Devlin Robinson and Rob Mercuri,” Barsky said. “These are all people who are running against well-funded Democrats from the Democratic machine with a lot of money against them, changing demographics of their district, and they all really weren't given a snowball's chance in hell.”

All but Mercuri beat an incumbent for a seat in the state House or Senate. DelRosso beat Frank Dermody, a Democrat, to represent the state House 33rd District, which Dermody has done for 29 years. Many Republicans had smaller victories even though the party did not win the presidential election.

Barsky said he was surprised to see Pennsylvania vote Democratic in this year’s presidential election considering it was red in 2016. Barsky also said there was an insurgence of more than 100,000 people registering as Republicans in Pennsylvania, making him think the commonwealth would re-

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main red again this year.

“Knowing that statistic going into Election Day and seeing the numbers rolling in was a little bit crazy, because typically when you're registering those new voters, that's the way they're going to vote,” Barsky, a senior neuroscience major, said.

John Crone, a sophomore math major, grew up in Pennsylvania’s rural York County surrounded by a lot of other Republicans.

But he said since coming to Pitt, he has been able to meet people whose views fall all over the political spectrum. He said he is still surprised to see Pennsylvania flip blue

ing for recounts, but does not think they will ultimately flip any state.

“There's needle traps that trigger [recounts] automatically,” Barsky said. “But the Trump campaign is well within its right to ask for recounts where they see them. I obviously understand why they're doing it.

What that will change I don't know, but I guess that's the purpose of filing them, to check.”

Cassidy Dujmic, a junior dental hygiene major, said she is not surprised that Trump is asking for a recount.

“I guess just second nature,” Dujmic

After stepping off of his plane at Pittsburgh International Airport, then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump waved a Terrible Towel and threw it into the crowd before his speech on Nov. 6, 2016. tpn file photo

in the presidential election.

“I’m slightly surprised, especially from the 2016 election being mostly red,” Crone said. “Even though Philadelphia and Pittsburgh are really densely populated, a lot of Pennsylvania is rural and pretty Republican.”

While many states have rules that require recounts when the gap between candidates is within a certain percentage, the Trump campaign is asking for recounts in some states where the automatic recount process hasn’t been triggered. Barsky said he understands the Trump campaign ask-

said. “You're human, you want to get the most accurate count, especially in this new system of doing things. I think if it wasn't him it would have been someone else I think who would have been asked for a recount.”

No matter the outcome of the Trump campaign’s litigation, Dujmic remains hopeful that while Biden may not have been her candidate of choice, he will be a good president. “[Biden’s] gonna be a good president,” Dujmic said. “And I know four years is a long time to make a lot of huge decisions,

November 11, 2020

but I have faith that he's gonna put his best foot forward and be honest and listen to voices, other than his own, just like I hope any other president would.”

But Dujmic said she feels Biden’s environmental policies, of which the Green New Deal is a “crucial framework,” make her hesitant about Biden’s presidency.

“I think [the Green New Deal] can be a good thing. I know that a lot of American jobs can be at stake,” Dujmic said. “And that hits close to home, especially for me because my dad and his side of the family work in the coal mining business, and not that coal isn't a great thing for the atmosphere, but it holds … American jobs. That's what provides them with an income, that's what provides them with a way of living.”

Biden was first elected as a Senator for Delaware in 1973 and has been criticized for his political past. Barsky said Biden’s policies have ebbed and flowed over his career.

“I think we have to take Joe Biden in segments,” Barsky said. “1990s Joe Biden was OK. He was no Kennedy Democrat but he was who he is projecting himself to be now. I think 2020 Biden is very different from the Biden we knew while he was in the White House. I am a little nervous in terms of foreign policy, in terms of China, in terms of a lot of other things.”

Crone said even though he is Republican, and voted for Trump, he isn’t very upset by Biden being the president-elect. But he said he is still skeptical of him since he has been in politics so long.

“I personally don't mind [Biden] much, the only questionable things I have with him is how much is he actually going to get done,” Crone said. “Because he's been a career politician for many years and was in the Senate. He kind of knows how to play the government game.”

While Barksy has his issues with Biden, he said he sees a lot of Republicans who may not have voted for Trump, but still are loyal to their party.

“New Republicans might have rejected Trump, but they didn't reject the party,” Barksy said.

4

Opinions from the editorial board

Pitt’s mandated ‘shelter-in-place’ is inadequate, dangerous Although it was originally scheduled to commence this Thursday, Pitt instead decided to start its mandated “shelter-inplace” Sunday night. The University is also moving back to Elevated Risk posture, citing the stark increase in campus COVID-19 cases following Halloween weekend.

Pitt reported at least 40 new cases since Friday alone, which makes campus an especially high-risk environment right now.

This comes right before students return home for break — some to high-risk family members. Pitt implemented this shelter-in-place largely to protect the people students were returning home to, though it’s unclear how much the mandate will

pittnews.com

actually help. Unfortunately, Pitt’s shelterin-place mandate doesn’t much emphasize sheltering, and even less staying in place.

Though students can no longer eat in dining halls or use communal dorm areas, students are still permitted to attend any of the few in-person classes left operating under the Elevated risk. Students are also allowed to study in the library and hang out with their “pods.” Like the mandate at the beginning of the semester, this one is not being tracked. This is all to say that, while the mandate might do a bit to protect students, it doesn’t do nearly enough.

A proper shelter-in-place mandate would discourage students from socializing with friends who aren’t roommates. It would

close all Pitt facilities — including the library — and it would certainly not involve in-person instruction.

It’s true that under almost any scenario, a single person’s COVID-19 safety decisions affect a larger community — whether that’s through work, or even grocery shopping. But on campus, it’s even more potent. Most students — on or off campus — have some sort of housemate.

Many first-year students, and a fair share of sophomores, live in dorms and share a room with another student. Most first-year students also use communal bathrooms, shared by everyone on their floor.

This is all to say, it’s more than a matter of a student saying “I am going to keep

Novmeber 11, 2020

myself safe for my family and not leave.”

The level at which students follow the shelter-in-place mandate has a trickle-down effect. Students are affected by what their roommates and even floormates choose to do. This doesn’t just put individual students at risk, but their families, too. It’s true that college-aged students have judgement, and can make choices for their own safety, but it’s also confusing when leaders — in this case, Pitt administrators — are saying “shelter-in-place,” but are also saying, “you can still go to class and the library.”

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5

Dalia Maeroff

PLEASE, JUST TAKE A BREAK

Staff Columnist

We have all had that one professor that you email on a Friday evening, and doesn’t get back to you until Monday morning. Sure, this can be annoying sometimes, but pause to consider that maybe you should do the same.

I know, it seems outrageous to think that we, as busy college students — with those exams next week and that paper due on Tuesday and that one work thing and that Zoom call with friends — could possibly take the weekend off. Since this pandemic started we are seeing a shift in society that we have never seen before — a shift to an online classroom and workplace. Everything from our school to work to friendships have moved from in person to a screen to prevent the spread of COVID-19. With that shift comes a change in our working habits, and especially our work-life balance.

I know I’m not the only one who has noticed a tipping of our work-life balance toward work instead of life. Days blur together, the homework piles up and we are stressed out. Weekends are no different than weekdays, and our holidays and vacations are nonexistent due to COVID-19. There seems to be nothing better to do than to work, and it provides a great distraction from all of the problems we are facing right now. When the news headlines are stressing us out too much, we can just switch to doing homework — that feels more productive anyway.

The imbalance between our work and our lives is unhealthy in so many ways.

We as students and employees need to reclaim our evenings, weekends and breaks.

Teachers and employers need to allow for that so they can do the same. Evenings, weekends and extended vacation time, as well as just limiting our work and screen time in general, are essential not only for our mental health, but also for our physical health.

Even before our shift to virtual everything, the negative effects of screen time had been researched at length.

Screen time is associated with one of the most central mental health and physical health risks in America today — a sed-

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entary lifestyle. As little as two hours of screen time a day can increase the risk of anxiety, depression, weight gain, diabetes, cancer, heart disease, pulmonary embolism and venous thromboembolism in adults. Along with staring at a screen all day long, a sedentary lifestyle can contribute to less sleep and generally bad eating habits when watching a screen. Chronic neck and back pain can also come from poor posture when using screens, as well as “computer vision syndrome” from staring at a screen for too long.

As this pandemic has taken hold of

Suddenly the place that had been a sanctuary from work has become the place of work. Leaving the office no longer means that we’re done with work for the day because we never really leave the office.

Data shows that people working from home are likely to clock an additional 60 hours a month in overtime as a result of COVID-19. Owl Labs found that those who work remotely were 43% more likely than on-site workers to clock more than 40 hours a week.

Even though the amount of time spent working is on the rise for most remote workers, there are diminishing returns —

Dalia Maeroff | Senior Staff Photographer our lives, our ideas about screen time have changed. Screen time was something many of us tried in the past to limit, but now that seems near impossible.

When we need a computer to attend class and meetings, complete homework and to work a job for endless hours every day, after which it becomes a likely source of entertainment, this can lead to a variety of problems.

We are digitally connected now more than ever, a blessing and a curse in this age. All of our work has moved online, allowing us to work from home, but that also means we have to work from home.

stress from work and from the pandemic lead to a decrease in productivity. For many, these new levels of connectivity and hyper-communication are resulting in information overload, constant distraction and burnout. Some signs you’re overworking yourself are fatigue during the day, neck or back pain, feeling depressed and drinking more.

Lots of those signs may seem familiar to students and employees during COVID-19. That means that it’s time to take breaks. Breaks from work and breaks from screens are absolutely essential to maintain both physical and mental

November 11, 2020

health.

The same signs are present in many studies about working long hours, which is why it’s extremely important to limit your working hours on a day-to-day basis. It has been shown that outside of the aforementioned symptoms, there is also an increased risk of cardiovascular disease that has been linked to working long hours. Working long hours during the day can also affect your sleep, something that during this stressful time — or any time, for that matter — is absolutely essential to keep on a healthy schedule.

Taking longer breaks over the weekends or even three-day weekend breaks is also extremely beneficial. It helps to combat symptoms of declining physical and mental health due to overworking, avoiding burnout and increasing satisfaction. It has even been shown that a threeday weekend break may even be better for your mental health than a longer vacation and can help to renew motivation for short- and long-term goals, as well as improve productivity.

During COVID-19, a weekend break or even a three-day weekend break doesn’t necessarily mean that vacation time is the same as it used to be. Although getting away for the weekend has shown to be extremely beneficial for mental and physical health, that isn’t always possible, nor is it always the safest idea. There are still many things you can do from home to give yourself a much needed break.

Taking that time off will do wonders for that quarantine burnout. Digital detoxes, investing time into doing activities that you love away from screens and scheduling your days based on your priorities as a person, not a worker, can all improve the overall quality of life during COVID-19. Let’s face it, this is the last time you want to distract yourself with work. I can almost guarantee that we’re never going to have this much time to spend time with your family, pick up a book and read or do all the hobbies you forgot you loved.

Dalia Maeroff writes primarily about issues of psychology, education, culture and environmentalism. Write to her at DAM291@pitt.edu.

6

Culture

FILM PITTSBURGH FALL FESTIVAL WRAPS FOUR EVENTS INTO ONE

Charlie Taylor Culture Editor

Director Sarah Gurfield didn’t have the budget to hire someone to do the special effects for her zombie flick “Boy Eats Girl.�

Instead, she made intestines from vegan sausage casing, tofu and mochi for her actors to feast on. “I love my actors, so I wanted to mitigate the gross factor as much as possible,� Gurfield said. “I tried a couple of different recipes.

I put soy sauce on some of it, and they seem to like that.� “Boy Eats Girl� is one of 167 films streaming at the virtual Film Pittsburgh Fall Festival, which begins Wednesday and runs through Nov. 22. Interested attendees can buy allaccess passes, as well as tickets to stream individual films or blocks composed of several short films, on the festival website.

This year’s virtual fall festival encompasses selections from four previously separate festivals. Three Rivers Film Festival and Pittsburgh Shorts showcase feature-length films and short films, respectively, while JFilm focuses on the Jewish experience and ReelAbilities features work related to disability.

According to Kathryn Spitz Cohan, executive director of Film Pittsburgh, the organization originally decided to combine Three Rivers, Pittsburgh Shorts and ReelAbilities when it acquired the operations of Three Rivers from its previous host, the Pittsburgh Center for Arts and Media. Film Pittsburgh added JFilm to that list after it cancelled the April festival due to COVID-19. “It became clear in July that we would not be gathering, but up until then I think we were all holding out hope that we would be able to gather in November,� Spitz Cohan said. “We wanted to make it as easy and smooth as possible for our patrons to participate in the festival at home.�

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“Boy Eats Girl,� part of Pittsburgh Shorts, has won awards at other festivals in categories for both rom-coms and horror. Over the course of the seven-minute film, two zombies fall in love while sharing a meal of a woman’s intestines.

According to Gurfield, the film is a mildly gross, light-hearted comedy, but it also has feminist undertones. She said over half the film’s cast and crew are women, and the female zombie’s desires drive the plot forward. “It is a woman's appetite, both literal and sexual, that's driving the narrative,� Gurfield said. “She's the one who's kind of making these choices, and she's getting real messy

doing it.�

Opening night of the festival marks the Pittsburgh premier of “Freeland,� part of Three Rivers. Kate McLean and Mario Furloni won Best New Directors at the 2020 Nashville Film Festival for the piece, which tells the fictional story of an aging marijuana farmer, Devi (Krisha Fairchild), navigating legalization in Humboldt County, California.

Furloni and McLean said the inspiration for “Freeland� came about while the pair were filming “Pot Country,� a 2011 documentary that also takes place in Humboldt and addresses changes in the counterculture community due to the legalization of can-

nabis. Furloni described Devi’s character in “Freeland� as “a composite of a lot of people that [the directors] met in Humboldt.� “[Fairchild] went to the farmers’ market one day, when they had a day off on the shoot, and she almost got picked up at the farmers’ market, in the little town where we were staying,� Furloni said. “We were like, ‘Yes, it’s perfect, she's in character.’�

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November 11, 2020

8

AUTHOR DISCUSSES REPRESENTATION OF SEX WORK IN POST-APOCALYPTIC FICTION Diana Velasquez Senior Staff Writer

Not every apocalypse comes "Mad Max" style, with a hot dude on a movie screen driving out across a wasted desert to kick butt. According to Tina Horn, author of the graphic novel "SFSX (Safe Sex),” that “straight white guy” portrayal has played out for too long.

Horn spoke to Pitt students about her book at a Zoom event Monday. PJ Patella-Rey, a visiting lecturer in the gender, sexuality and women’s studies department, invited her to speak after teaching the graphic novel in his Introduction to Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies courses.

"SFSX", published in its entirety in July, takes place in a post-apocalyptic San Francisco, where the governing party is a kind of quasi-religious group aiming to control the general population’s sexual habits and force sex workers into even further obscurity.

The book’s main protagonist, a former sex worker named Avory who worked at a club called The Dirty Mind, finds her way back to her former coworkers when her husband is captured for violating chaste sex laws. She spends much of the book working her way back into the group, especially since the club has gone underground to escape persecution.

Horn said she wanted to write a genre-fiction story where sex workers aren’t relegated to the background, while at the same time introducing readers to the vernacular of sex workers, who she said have reclaimed the words often thrown at them in insult.

“I wanted to write an action-adventure story where sex workers were the heroes,” Horn said. “And to sort of reclaim pejorative language, like to sort of have like whores, perverts, queers and sluts to have them all being the heroes.”

Patella-Rey said he teaches "SFSX" in Introduction to Gender, Sexuality and

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Women’s Studies in part because of how Horn treats the characters as multifaceted people who are more than just flat characters.

“When there are sex-working characters, they tend to be very stereotyped, very flat characters,” he said. “Yes they're sex workers, but there are also multidimensional characters who have friendships and have relationships and have different personalities from one another.”

But "SFSX" explores more than the

these conflicts in the first place.”

According to Horn, the post-apocalyptic, science fiction and fantasy genres have long left people of color, members of the LGBTQ+ community and anyone outside of the “traditional” heterosexuality and gender binary in the dust. She said these books and movies rarely mention sex workers outside of objectification or as background characters.

Horn said many of the narratives in the genre follow a similar pattern — one of the people in power, afraid of losing

Tina Horn speaks about “SFSX (Safe Sex),” which follows a former sex worker named Avory. Via Zoom inner conflicts of its characters — it takes place over the backdrop of an apocalyptic America. Horn said having this larger conflict in the background of her story allowed her to emphasize the conflicts brewing within the sex work community as a comparison.

“When there's so much infighting among the underclass that they’re too burnt out to actually stand up for what they believe in,” she said, “[or] stand up to the people that are actually creating the circumstances that are producing

their power — and she wanted to tell a story about individuals who have never known that fear.

“It's fine to understand the tensions or anxieties of the people who are scared to lose their throne,” she said, “but what about the people who have already been dealing with the circumstances that are the worst circumstances that you could possibly imagine?”

Patella-Rey said when sex workers have the oppurtunity to tell their own story, it starts a cycle of reclaiming their

Novmeber 11, 2020

lives after they’ve been negatively portrayed in media.

“Because when sex workers write and tell their own stories, they tend to do so with a level of nuance and understanding and three-dimensionality that's often lacking in other people's portrayals of sex work,” he said.

Horn has worked in the sex industry herself, and has even gone on to consult for "Pose," the award-winning FX show about the African-American and Latinx drag-ballroom scene in 1980s New York.

Horn said "Pose," which stars transgender and LGBTQ+ actors, has an extra level of authenticity because it employs members of those communities, as well as sex workers, to consult behind the scenes. She said “Pose” allows viewers to see an authentic portrayal of that life and time period.

“Because [director Ryan Murphy] gave [transgender writer] Janet Mock more opportunities and more power and creative control over the second season, I think that translates better into your experience as a viewer watching it when there's so much cultural specificity, even in the music,” she said.

Horn recognized that she has the privilege to talk about her sex work openly and use it to further portray sex workers in positive light. She said she hopes "SFSX" is one of the many stepping stones that helps other sex workers into the media and film industry, where they can tell their own stories uninhibited.

“My hope is that people, like me, can set a precedent so that when people who come into the industry who are more marginalized than me it will seem like a positive thing,” she said. “In terms of what they can contribute to the media industry.”

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Sports PITT STUDENTS ADAPT WITH PANDEMIC CHANGES TO PHYSICAL EDUCATION Stephen Thompson Assistant Sports Editor

Pitt students know that walking up Cardiac Hill in Oakland will find them swarmed by classmates in sweatpants and sneakers coming to and from the gyms in the Petersen Events Center and Trees Hall.

But now in a post-pandemic world, DeSoto Street is less crowded.

Pitt reopened campus gyms over the summer and, in an attempt to maintain social distancing, marked out personal squares around machines and benches to limit capacity. These precautions have changed how people work out, but some Pitt students enrolled in exercise classes are seeing their experiences changed dramatically.

Graduate student Paige Chalus teaches seven different exercise classes in weight lifting, personal fitness and cycling in between her work studying in Pitt’s Health and Human Development program.

Most of her classes are still in person, but Chalus has learned to embrace the challenges that virtual classes pose to a physical education course. She said her students were eager to hop back on the equipment once they returned to the weights in person.

“In the beginning I would say the weight lifting courses were definitely a little more difficult,” Chalus said. “Because … they were meant to be in the gym … But once we were able to get back in the gym, those were the classes they were the most excited about.”

That makes Chalus and her weight

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lifting students some of the lucky ones.

Not everyone has the option to go to the gyms for in-person instruction.

Emily Chen is a junior neuroscience major who enrolled in a cycling class with her four roommates and only gets to see the gym for half of her sessions.

Her class was split in two and attends in

find adequate space.

“It’s a little hard because there’s five of us doing it together and our rooms aren’t big enough [to do workouts],” Chen said. “So we do it in our kitchen and have to move out all of the furniture to make room.”

Other students like Chen are also

Some gym classes have resumed in person with modifications. tpn file photo

person on alternating days.

One group is allowed to use the stationary bikes in Trees Hall on Monday, the other on Wednesdays. The group not in the gym does workouts from home — led by an instructor over Zoom — which can be a struggle for Chen. She said it's been difficult for her and her four roommates, who take the class with her, to

making do however they can. Katey Devine, a senior majoring in political science and Arabic, is currently enrolled in Intermediate Weight Training. For the first four weeks, her class was relegated to Zoom while the University was in the Elevated risk posture.

This left Devine and her classmates without access to the proper equipment.

November 11, 2020

Students had to use backpacks, cans, furniture and other improvised exercise gear.

“For some people I think that was a challenge,” Devine said. “I fortunately found some dumbbells at Goodwill that I have been able to use. So it’s been pretty easy for me, but there are definitely some people who had to adapt more than others.”

After spending the first month of class online, Devine and her classmates have been allowed back inside the gyms, alleviating concerns about space or equipment.

Pitt recently moved back to the Elevated risk posture, the same posture from the beginning of the semester, but exercise classes don’t appear to be under threat. Chen has not yet heard about the status of her class, but Chalus and Devine said they will still be in the gyms for the remainder of the semester.

But despite the challenges, Chalus feels that it’s still been a productive semester of classes. While not ideal, she said the hybrid model still allows instructors to connect with students and teach proper habits.

“I definitely still do think [students] are getting a lot out of these classes,” she said. “Typically at the beginning, particularly in the weight lifting and personal fitness classes I teach … we actually lecture at the beginning … So not only are these classes for showing them the exercises, but teaching them what’s important.”

10

NARDUZZI PRAISES YOUNG PLAYERS, PICKETT AND GEORGIA TECH’S ATHLETICISM

John Riskis Staff Writer

Pitt football faced a variety of concerns going into the Florida State game last week but emerged victorious from a team effort with senior quarterback Kenny Pickett back in the fold and younger players stepping up. Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi couldn’t help but express his pride in the team on Monday, after the Panthers came back from a 14-3 firstquarter deficit.“Great team victory for our kids,” Narduzzi said. “Just proud of the way they came out of that first quarter when things didn't look as good and they were persistent on what they came down and traveled to Tallahassee to do.”

Although the Panthers stomped out their opponent on Saturday with a clean offensive performance, mistakes and costly penalties stayed on the team’s mind this week. Redshirt freshman Brandon Hill threw the football into the stands after scoring an interception return touchdown, resulting in a taunting penalty after his first career pick.

“I was just happy with the details. Still not as happy with some of the after-thewhistle penalties that we had, whether it was a late hit on a quarterback or a celebration or taunting,” Narduzzi said.

“Some of those will drive me nuts and we’ll try to tie that up this week.”

A surprise came on gameday when Pickett entered the lineup. His presence and experience helped guide an offense that faltered in his absence under redshirt freshman backup quarterback Joey Yellen. Narduzzi emphasized Pickett’s time with the team as the key to the offense’s rejuvenation.

“Well, I think naturally everybody has a little bit more confidence in the guy that's done it for all those reps we just talked about, the million reps,” Narduzzi said. “So there's obviously the confidence part. But there's also the execution part that's huge, and it's different when you've been — that quarterback spot back there.”

Saturday’s roster featured some young, fresh faces in the secondary due to the opt-out of redshirt junior defensive back Paris Ford last week and senior defensive back Jason Pinnock’s one-game suspension. Narduzzi had plenty of names on his mind who will get opportunities on Pitt’s defense in the future.

“Deandre Jules is getting snaps at D-end. Haba Baldonado, you saw him come out — I think he missed a sack one time, and he's probably not 100%,” Narduzzi said. “Tyler Bentley continues

to improve, but Tyler Bentley didn't play Saturday. David Green hobbled out there — he hasn't been healthy.”

Sophomore linebacker SirVocea Davis in particular had a standout game with six solo tackles, including three tackles for loss. Saturday’s performance adds to an impressive campaign this year, recording 51 total tackles and 13.5 tackles for loss. Narduzzi praised Davis’ skillset, emphasizing his work ethic.

They’ll face Georgia Tech on the road this week, another team who’s struggled this year. The Yellow Jackets have the same record as Florida State but have spaced some tough competition so far.

Three of its five losses have come against ranked opponents, but a 73-7 loss to Clemson didn’t show too much promise.

First-year quarterback Jeff Sims leads the Yellow Jackets offense. He’s thrown for 1,346 yards in his rookie sea-

son, adding 277 yards and four touchdowns on the ground. Georgia Tech head coach Geoff Collins has focused on turning its defense into a formidable force, but the team has plenty of work to do. The defense impressed in its seasonopening win against Florida State but has given up more than 30 points in five of its last six games.

“They've got a young football player in Jeff Sims that's athletic. He’s a freshman from Jacksonville, Florida, that we recruited a year ago, so we know who he is,” Narduzzi said. “He's got a great arm. “And then defensively, again, Geoff Collins is a defensive guy and they play hard on defense. They're sound, and they make plays.”

Find the full story online at

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The Panthers will play the Yellow Jackets in Atlanta at 7 p.m. on the ACC Network Saturday. Thomas Yang | Senior Staff Photographer

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