About a month ago, I was out dancing with a friend of mine. It was just us two, and we were clearly content being on our own. Then, two guys came up behind my friend and made some lewd gestures, positioned where she couldn’t see. Lucky for them, however, I could see just fine. Me: […]
Read More I’ll Calm Down When You Start Listening: The Dangers of Tone PolicingThe other night I was sitting in the photo lab on campus, sorting negatives, when I started Speaking Up, one of NPR’s Ted Radio Hour podcast episodes. It began with the story of a queer, Bahrainian woman name Esra’a. She introduced herself to a crowd, describing her upbringing in Bahrain: “You were encouraged to be invisible, and […]
Read More Where are you, in the fight for unity?“I believe that telling our stories, first to ourselves and then to one another and the world, is a revolutionary act. It is an act that can be met with hostility, exclusion, and violence. It can also lead to love, understanding, and community.” Janet Mock, author of Redefining Realness, stated this in personal memoir, or […]
Read More Janet Mock: Transgender Identity and the Notion of “Passing”For centuries, collections of people have called up to Mother Nature, through dance, ceremony, or a desperate plea. Though, these days, it is far easier for most to bask in a beautifully sunny day outdoors than take steps to reduce the way they impact the natural world. Still, the cultural myth of nature as a female entity […]
Read More Don’t disrespect your Mother, NatureThe last page of Alison Bechdel’s graphic novel Fun Home is of a younger Bechdel jumping into the outstretched arms of her father in a swimming pool, a fully realized moment of connection that the two were often bereft of. The plot follows Alison Bechdel reflecting on her father’s supposed suicide, showcasing both her relationship […]
Read More A Review of Sexuality and Environment in Alison Bechdel’s “Fun Home”Apparently, JMU has a pride week. But, who’s hosting it? Madison Equality is JMU’s only Student Led LGBTQ+ organization on campus that focuses on intersectional education […]
Read More JMU Has A Pride Week?I grew up in a less typical American household, where my mother was the primary breadwinner. Working days and nights on end as a midwife, my mother pushed through sleepless days just to make it to school events, drive our family around, or sort through endless loads of laundry. Though, there were also many times when […]
Read More Super Moms: Having it allIt has been quite some time since the writers of ShoutOut! were brought up to date on current events, so we managed to cover a lot during class. Among the most popular? A discussion concerning the effects of regulation on the environment, a response to identity equality, and a review of Twitter for responses from the march, […]
Read More ShoutOut! Newsroom Update March 20th 2017The recent administration has left trans people upset and fighting for their exsistence as the administration has failed to stick up for their rights as a person. Here are 5 ways you can be a better ally to your friends who may identify as queer, like myself. Ask their pronouns. This may seem odd, but […]
Read More 5 Tips I Wish My Friends UnderstoodSince a young age, Emma Watson has enchanted me, and much of the public, with her wit, charm, and genuine nature. I know I am not alone in my admiration of the British actor, as the public has watched Emma grow from a curly-haired adolescent to an eloquent and striking woman. It seems that in a mutually […]
Read More Feminism, my dear Watson
ShoutOut! James Madison University 