Kristen Shrewsbury is an instructional faculty member at JMU who teaches the special topics course WGSS 300: Queer Families. She’s a Harrisonburg native who went to JMU for her undergraduate degree from 1996 to 2001, and began working at JMU as a professional in 2007. She’s married to a same sex spouse and has two […]
Read More An interview with JMU professor Dr. ShrewsburyRecently, the topic of what’s being taught in K-12 schools has been making national headlines. From topics such as “critical race theory” to book bans, lawmakers have turned the classroom into a political battleground. This has garnered attention from not just parents of K-12 children, but celebrities, social justice advocates, students, businesses, and more. The […]
Read More Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” Bill isn’t actually about protecting childrenBeing queer in both straight and LGBTQ+ spaces can be mentally taxing I work with a close-knit group of fellow college students. We talk about our personal lives, complain about classes, and occasionally go out together on weekends. Some of them, like me, identify as queer. At the office, I made a lighthearted joke when […]
Read More Too much, but also not enoughColorado is changing LGBTQ+ lives. They have announced a new plan to incorporate gender-affirming care as an essential health care benefit. This is a huge win for the LGBTQ+ community. It has not been an easy road to getting equality in healthcare and we are still very far away from that but it is always […]
Read More Colorado is changing health care for the LGBTQ+ communityMoving through the world as a queer human being has it’s struggles. I would like to shine some light on what I and many others deal with every damn day of our lives, and hopeful show people that it’s more than just rainbows and sunshine. One of those struggles that absolutely drives me crazy is […]
Read More Situations queer people deal with everydayDisclaimer: I am a current tour guide here at JMU. I have spent the past two years trying to make our training more inclusive for our guides after reflecting on the centrality of privileged identities in our tours. But even after an overhaul, there is still work to be done. It’s a sunny afternoon, the […]
Read More A Campus Tour Through a Queer LensContemplations on sensuality, sexuality, and the erotic.
Read More Twerk to HealThere have been a lot of first for women over the many years of our history. Let’s take some time and look back at some of the women who laid the ground work for the future.
Read More First WomenWhile my love of reading for pleasure may make it plausible for me to read during school, I understand that college students already have a plethora of information dumped on them, and may not have the energy nor time to read an entire memoir. However, this book, Sissy: A Coming of-Gender Story, has been transformational […]
Read More The Memoir Every Gender Should ReadDear Future Father-In-Law, Surprise! I bet you did not think you would be getting a letter from me, did you? Well, that is just how I am, full of surprises. I wanted to start this letter off by saying thank you. Thank you for being truly awful when talking about me and how you “don’t […]
Read More An Open Letter to My Transphobic (Future) Father-In-Law