Two months into quarantine, I reluctantly hopped onto the TikTok bandwagon and downloaded the app with hopes of curing my ‘bored in the house, in the house bored’ symptoms. I grew up in the era of Vine, a social networking short-form video platform where users shared six second-long, looping video clips. Originally, I had disregarded TikTok as I thought I was too old and wise to contribute to a culture dominated by bleach-haired Gen-Z teenagers desperately trying to become Internet famous, one Renegade dance at a time. Soon enough I became addicted, going as far as learning how to channel my inner VSCO girl, discovering what a tennis bracelet meant and suffering many failed attempts of throwing it back. TikTok, an app with an audience of over 800 million users is not only known for their catchy dances butits plethora of challenges which have swept their feeds.
Most recently, the #VogueChallenge has risen in popularity among the latest trends, in which creators share a collage of pictures mimicking a model pose or artistic edits with the “Vogue” magazine title at the top. The mock editorial covers have now transitioned throughout Instagram and Twitter. Even major celebrities and public figures, from Lizzo to YouTube beauty guru James Charles, have created their own take on the challenge.
It makes us all wonder—what’s the point? What is everyone trying to express behind all of these covers?
My first impression was that it was a marketing tactic for influencers and aspiring models, to showcase their best pictures in an effort to try getting a foot in the door behind the world’s most renowned fashion magazine. In fact, fashion macro-influencers such as Chriselle Lim and Jamie Chua have thrown themselves into the trend, with their luxurious, professional blog photos closely mimicking Vogue’s past archives. This seems like a pretty valid argument because well, it’s unequivocally every one’s dream to be featured on the cover of Vogue once in her lifetime—right?
But I quickly learned that the #VogueChallenge is more than a hashtag.
The challenge has become more and more prevalent among members of minority and LGBTQ communities who are coming forward to share their perception of what Vogue covers should look like, along with the themes Vogue regularly fails to portray. Vogue has been a magazine championing white privilege throughout its countless editions, the glossy pages mostly featuring skinny, beautiful, Caucasian models. Anna Wintour, the famed Editor-in-Chief of American Vogue for the past 32 years, has been widely acclaimed for her impact on fashion influences across the nation. However, although she’s had the power to change inclusivity and diversity within the fashion runways and editorial spreads, she simply chose not to. She most recently made a public statement apologizing for any inadvertent promotion of racism, citing her commitment to providing more inclusivity and diversity within the Vogue offices and within the pages of her fashion encyclopedia. In a way, the #VogueChallenge promotes a continuous amplification of the Black Lives Matter Movement.
Many TikTok users aren’t simply posting with the hashtag for social media clout or to feature on the #fyp pages but rather, as a response to Anna Wintour’s ill-fated apology. It raises awareness that the world of print media publishing needs to modernize and change in response to the racial justice movements occurring across the country.
As television companies and musical artists have stood in solidarity with BLM, as well as to remove any derogatory implications targeted towards the Black community, magazines and digital social networking communities must commit to doing the same. In an industry where two of the largest publishers (Condé Nast and Hearst) are owned by prominent white male businessmen, the magazines with the biggest financial backing such as Vogue or Harper’s Baazar have been run by white women in executive roles, for decades. Although magazines catered to the minority class do exist, they rarely, if ever, receive the same financial backing as of Conde Nast and Hearst, or equal publicity.
Anna Wintour, among other privileged editors, must come together to change the historical stigmatization and underrepresentation of minority and LGBTQ communities. Change is happening around the world, and changes in print media need to happen right now. The #VogueChallenge is just the beginning.
[Image Description: IN the top left corner the a scene from Love Simon: two boys lean in to kiss each other. In the top middle a black boy looks directly. In the top left corner a brunette woman and blonde woman kiss. In the bottom corner a dishevelled asian girl looks confused. In the bottom right corner two men stand back to back with their eyes closed.]
Happy Pride Month! To spread some queer cheer, we’re sharing a list of our favorite TV shows and films featuring LGBTQIA+ characters. So call up your friends, your boo, cuddle your plants and pets closer to stream the ultimate Pride watch list!
1. The Half Of It
[Image description: Ellie Chu watching movies with her dad and best friend] Via The Half Of It
What it’s about: Ellie Chu is a small town loner, helping her father with his station master duties and running a business writing essays for her classmates. She insists on keeping to herself until Paul Munsky, a jock, asks her for help writing a love letter to their classmate Aster Flores. Here is our full review of the film.
[Image description: Soonam Kapoor anxiously gazing at her reflection] Via Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga
What it’s about: The film title translates to “I Saw A Girl And Felt This Way,” and is Bollywood’s first rom-com starring lesbian love interests. Sweety Chaudry must juggle living in conservative Punjab, impending expectations of marriage (to a boy) and a playwright who develops a crush on her (not realizing he’s not Sweet’s type).
[Image description: Juan, played by Mahershala Ali, teaching Chiron how to swim] Via David Bornfriend/A24
What it’s about: Split up into three parts, this coming of age film follows the main character through different phases of his life in Miami, Florida where he struggles with his sexuality and identity. Moonlight won several awards, including the Academy Award for Best Picture and stars Mahershala Ali, Janelle Monae, and Trecante Rhodes.
[Image description: Simon leaning in for a kiss underneath the mistletoe] Via Love, Simon
What it’s about: Simon Spier is a closeted 16-year-old, secretly writing letters to an anonymous friend he’s fallen in love with online and carefully hiding his sexuality from everyone. Simon’s carefully crafted life is endangered when a blackmailer threatens to out him to his whole school.
[Image description: Rue staring at Jules] Via Euphoria
What it’s about: HBO’s Euphoria follows a group of high schoolers. The main story is that of 17-year-old Rue, a drug addict fresh from rehab with no plans to stay clean. Circling in Rue’s orbit are Jules, a transgender girl searching for where she belongs; Nate, a jock whose anger issues mask sexual insecurities; Chris, a football star who finds the adjustment from high school to college harder than expected; Cassie, whose sexual history continues to dog her; and Kat, a body-conscious teen exploring her sexuality.
[Image description: Lili Elbe, played by Eddie Redmayne staring at her reflection] Via The Danish Girl
What it’s about: Loosely based off of one of the earliest recipients of sex reassignment surgery, this film tells the story of 1920s Danish artist, Lili Elbe, played by Eddie Redmayne. It follows Lili’s transition as husband Einer Wegener to the wife of Gerda Wegener, a tentatively supportive painter.
[Image description: The cast of OITNB standing in the prison cafeteria] Via Orange Is The New Black
What it’s about: A dramedy set in a minimum-security federal prison, this series follows various prisoners as they navigate life under lock and key. Piper Chapman is completely unprepared to see her ex-girlfriend locked up with her, as she is responsible for tearing Piper away from freedom and her fiance, Larry.
[Image description: Eve, played by Sandra Oh, a knife pointed at her by rival Villanelle] Via Killing Eve
What it’s about: This UK thriller comedy show tells the story of two female spies and their increasing obsession with each other. Eve, played by Sandra Oh is a bored MI5 agent until she is recruited by MI6 to hunt down international assassin Villanelle. Both women begin to lose focus in their initial assignments and become more interested in learning more about each other.
[Image description: The sensates cheering and dancing in victory] Via Sense8
What it’s about: A sci-fi Netflix series, Sense8 tells the story of eight individuals inexplicably connected to each other from birth. Called “sensates” for their extraordinary ability to experience what the others in the group are living through, they must stay alive long enough to find out why a secret government organization wants them dead. Shot on-location in cities like Berlin and Mumbai, Sense8 boasts diversity and an inclusive cast.
[Image description: the student body shocked and amused in Sex Education] Via Sex Education
What it’s about: Otis, played by Asa Butterfield, is an insecure virgin and the teenaged son of a sex therapist. After successfully administering sex therapy to a fellow classmate by accident, Otis becomes his school’s most sought after resource as everyone seems to be struggling with “sex problems”. Helping him navigate this new attention is his openly gay best friend Eric and savvy new business partner, Maeve Wiley.
[Image description: Dr. Frank N Furter and castle servants performing] Via The Rocky Horror Picture Show
What it’s about: A musical comedy production like no other, this film opens on a dark and stormy night when a naive, newly engaged young couple’s car breaks down. They seek help from a nearby castle, whose owner turns out to be Dr. Frank N. Furter, a mad scientist and alien trans woman that has managed to create a muscle man. Dr. Frank N. Furter and the castle servants begin to seduce the innocent couple separately.
[Image description: Rob, played by Zoe Kravitz] Via High Fidelity
What it’s about: A Hulu original starring Zoe Kravitz, High Fidelity follows the romantic life of Brooklynite and struggling record shop owner Rob. Freshly full of heartbreak, Rob cracks a scheme to come to terms with her love life, determined to track down her Top 5 failed relationships to ask her partners why they left her.
[Image description: The Fab Five of Queer Eye] Via Queer Eye
What it’s about: This Netflix reboot launches a new Fab Five, queer makeover experts that tour the US in search of nominees in need of a confidence boost. Tan France serves as the stylist, Antoni Porowski is the food expert, Karamo Brown is the culture extraordinaire, Bobby Berk is responsible for design and Jonathan Van Ness is the team groomer.
[Image description: The cast of the mockumentary assembled in the living room] Via Modern Family
What it’s about: A mockumentary following an extended American family, this sitcom is set in suburban Los Angeles. So named “modern”, among the show’s family members are a gay couple on their journey to becoming fathers. Mitchell and Cameron were one of American TV’s earliest depictions of wholesome gay dads.
[Image description: host Mawaan Rizwan standing in a crowded street of Pakistan] Via How Gay is Pakistan?
What it’s about: This BBC documentary film investigates gay culture in Pakistan, where the punishment for being openly gay is up to ten years in prison or the death penalty. In spite of the law, this film follows eager and comedic British Pakistani Mawaan Rizan on his quest to find the gay scene in his homeland. Along the way, we learn about Pakistan’s gay dating culture, the large trans community, and meet various gay rights activists.
[Image description: Two young women stare at the camera, shocked.] via Lionsgate Films
What it’s about: When Megan’s friends and family begin to suspect she’s gay, her parents intervene and enroll her in a weird residential conversion therapy program. It’s a camp ’90s classic of John Waters-like proportions with a message of self-acceptance and community at its heart.
[Image description: A pair embracing framed in sunlight] Via 52 Tuesdays
What it’s about: This Australian coming-of-age film shares the experience of a teenage girl struggling to deal with her mother transitioning to a male identity. Billie is sent to live with her father, whom her mother Jane divorced for the year that Jane is transitioning to James. The only time Billie gets to see James is on each Tuesday of the week.
[Image description: Elio and the graduate student he falls in love with] Via Call Me By Your Name
What it’s about: Starring Timothee Chalamet, this film is set in the summer of 1983 in Northern Italy. 17-year-old Elio becomes involved with his father’s 23-year-old graduate student. As the summer goes on, the two fall in love with each other, remaining closeted and keeping their relationship a secret, despite everyone knowing.
[Image description: Ilana Gazer and Abbi Jacobson] Via Broad City
What it’s about: This television sitcom follows the lives of two twenty-somethings as they try to “make it” in New York. Based on a popular web series and inspired by the leads’ real-life friendship, Broad City explores the bonds and sometimes-cringe humor between the women.
[Image description: NYC’s ballroom culture in the 90s] Via Pose
What it’s about: Featuring a largely Black and Latino cast, this series focuses on the ballroom culture of New York City in the 80s and 90s. Most notably the show centers the AIDS crisis of the 90s, showing how hard the community was hit by how frequently characters attended funerals. The series also traces the popularity of dance styles and the various contributions of the LGBTQIA+ community to mainstream pop culture.
[Image description: Anne Lister and Anne Walker] Via Gentleman Jack
What it’s about: Inspired by the real-life diaries of the lesbian landowner and industrialist Anne Lister, this historical drama series is set in Yorkshire in the early 1900s. While restoring her uncle’s estate, Anne Lister meets Ann Walker, an unusual lady landowner with whom she begins a secret and dangerous romantic relationship.
[Image description: Carol and Therese in Carol’s living room] Via Carol
What it’s about: Set in 1952 New York City, this romantic drama tells the story of Therese Belivet, an aspiring photographer and the glamorous Carol Aird. Therese and Carol are both struggling with their respective male partners when they meet each other and instantly have a connection. Against the charming backdrop of Christmastime in New York, this film tells the story of a budding romance.
[Image description: An LGBTQ+ march for equality] Via Before Stonewall
What it’s about: Before Stonewall: The Making of a Gay and Lesbian Community is a 1984 documentary film about the LGBTQIA+ community before the events of the Stonewall riots. This film outlines the struggles and challenges the lesbian and community faced leading up to Stonewall.
[Image Description: Two women embrace each other just about to kiss.] via Portrait of a Lady on Fire
What it’s about: Set on a remote shore in Britain in the 18th century. Marianne, a young painter has been commissioned to paint a portrait of a young woman named Heloise, who will soon marry. The director, Celine Sciamma, doesn’t hold back while she explores the growing passion between Marianne and Heloise.
[Image Description: Two cowboys content in each other’s arms.] via Brokeback Mountain
What it’s about: During the summer of 1963, two cowboys start a sexual relationship after they are both hired to look after sheep in the secluded Wyoming mountains. The movie follows the rest of their lives as they attempt to forget their romantic past and move forward in their respective heterosexual relationships, despite an enduring and intense infatuation with one another.
[Image Description: A man in a suit stands with his hand on his hips worried.] via A Very English Scandal
What it’s about: This incredible TV series is based on the true story of 1970s British politician Jeremy Thorpe. He has a secret: he’s gay. Like many men in his position he solicits sex from naive victims then dumps them when he’s done. However, the mini-series takes a twist when he’s charged with conspiracy to murder.
[Image Description: A pride march going through London Bridge. A man in a leather jacket sits on other protesters’ shoulders with a megaphone.] via Pride
What it’s about: After Joe is cast out of his family home, he joins an up-and-coming activist group led by a charismatic gay rights campaigner, Mark. Based on a heartwarming true story, the group correlates their struggle with that of the striking miners and head off to a mining village in Wales to try and establish a political coalition against the Thatcher government with them.
[Image description: Angry men and women stand together in an array of different clothing colors and identities.] via Sony Pictures Releasing
What it’s about: Loosely based on Puccini’s 1896 opera La Bohème, seven friends living in the East Village of New York City in the ’80s form a group bonded by economic hardship, a love of the arts, and an ongoing battle against the AIDS crisis. It swings from sad to absurd, and has a killer soundtrack full of iconic musical favorites!
[Image Description: A woman with long blonde hair and a microphone performs on stage.] via Hedwig and the Angry Inch
What it’s about: This rock musical explores the life of Hedwig Robinson, a trans East German rock singer, who tours the US with her band while she tells her story. It explores the origins of love, sexuality, and the ever-fluctuating gender of its campy yet endearing title character. Hedwig assists all who watch, in guiding them through what finding that “other half” really means, whether it be love, identity, or a punk persona within all of us.
[Image Description: A man and drag queen sit on a bench facing away from each other.] via Dallas Buyers Club
What it’s about: Set in 1985, this film tells the story of Ron Woodroof, a Texas cowboy whose life is turned upside down when he finds out he is HIV-positive. He ends up establishing a way for fellow HIV-positive people to get access to treatments for the disease.
[Image Description: Courtroom scene. Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington sitting next to each other.] via Philadelphia
What it’s about: This movie was one of the first Hollywood movies to acknowledge HIV/AIDS, homosexuality, and homophobia. The story is to-the-point yet powerful: fearing it would compromise his career, lawyer Andrew Beckett hides his homosexuality and HIV status at a powerful Philadelphia law firm. But his secret is exposed when a colleague spots the illness’s telltale lesions. Fired shortly afterward, Beckett resolves to sue for discrimination, teaming up with Joe Miller, the only lawyer willing to help.
[Image Description: A man with a painted face and red lipstick, clutches his tie in worry.] via The Birdcage
What it’s about: This hilarious, over-the-top comedy centers on a gay cabaret owner and his drag queen partner, who agree to pretend to be straight so that their son can introduce them to his fiancee’s conservative parents. The results of this, as might be expected, is a hilarious disaster.
[Image Description: Hilary Swank looks off into the distance, sitting on a bench.] via Boys Don’t Cry
What it’s about: This movie is based on the tragic true story of Brandon Teena, a 21-year-old trans man who lost his life after his gender identity was outed by the woman he’d fallen in love with. The story flows in a gritty and hard-hitting style, and makes sure Brandon’s life and impact will never be forgotten.
[Image Description: A young man looks intensely in the distance.] via Mysterious Skin
What it’s about: “The summer I was eight years old, five hours disappeared from my life. Five hours, lost, gone without a trace…” These are the words of Brian Lackey, a troubled 18-year-old plagued by nightmares and under the belief that he was the victim of alien abduction. On the other end is Neil McCormick, a young man that moves to New York in an attempt to forget the childhood memories that haunt him. Now, 10 years later, Neil’s pursuit of love leads him to New York City, while Brian’s voyage of self-discovery leads him to Neil — who helps him to unlock the dark secrets of their past.
[Image Description: A young boy wearing a white dress wears a veil.] via Ma Vie En Rose
What it’s about: In this Belgian movie, six-year-old Ludovic believes that he was meant to be a little girl, and waits for the mistake to be fixed. Where he waits for the miraculous, Ludo finds only rejection, isolation, and guilt from those in his family and community. It’s a truly powerful movie, and one that comes with its own difficult backstory.
[Image Description: Colin Firth looks despondently at a bookshelf.] via A Single Man
What it’s about: Colin Firth plays an English professor unable to cope with his day to day life after the death of his boyfriend. He decides to commit suicide, but the story changes as his day unfolds. As he tries to survive, he encounters a Spanish immigrant, then his best friend, who just so happens to be in love with him. As a result, he begins to rethink life.
[Image Description: A man on the phone looks to the distance.] via High Maintenance
What it’s about: This TV show provides a glimpse into various New Yorkers who are all linked by a common thread: their weed deliveryman. Each episode focuses on clients from every class and borough as they call on The Guy for deliveries.
[Image Description: A woman sucking on a curly straw.] via Margarita with a Straw
What it’s about: A young woman with cerebral palsy moves from India to New York City to attend NYU on a semester abroad. There, she meets a blind girl of Pakistani-Bangladeshi descent and falls in love.
[Image Description: Two friends sit on a bed laughing and having fun.] via Life Partners
What it’s about: Leighton Meester and Gillian Jacobs play codependent friends whose friendship is tested when one of them starts to get serious with a guy. Sasha, played by Meester begins to feel neglected after her best friend’s love life seems to be doing better than her own.
[Image Description: A young man looks away while another man tries to kiss him.] via 120 BPM
What it’s about: It’s the early 1990s in Paris, and anti-AIDS pressure group ACT UP is fed up with the government’s lack of interest and active censorship of the AIDS epidemic across France. We closely observe the group and their radical acts of protest, whilst also following the brief but beautiful relationship between HIV-negative newcomer, Nathan, and HIV-positive veteran, Sean.
[Image Description: Two Indian women hold each other warmly while smiling.] via Fire
What it’s about: Two women abandoned by their husbands find love in each other. This movie caused much controversy when it first came out in India, and theatres were attacked by Hindu fundamentalists because of the lesbian storyline.
42. Faking It
[Image Description: A blond and brunette girl embrace and kiss each other.] via Faking It
What it’s about: A romantic comedy TV show about two best friends who love each other — in slightly different ways. After numerous failed attempts to become popular, the girls are mistakenly outed as lesbians, which launches them to instant celebrity status. Seduced by their newfound fame, Karma and Amy decide to keep up their romantic ruse.
[Image Description: A man with gay written in red multiple times on his body.] via This is not Berlin
What it’s about: It’s 1986 in Mexico City, and we meet seventeen-year-old Carlos. He doesn’t fit in anywhere: not in his family nor with the friends he has chosen in school. But everything changes when he is invited to a mythical nightclub where he discovers the underground nightlife scene: post-punk, sexual liberty, and drugs that challenges the relationship with his best friend Gera and lets him find his passion for art.
[Image Description: Three women wearing luxury dresses.] via The Bold Type
What it’s about: This amazing show is inspired and produced by Cosmopolitan editor in chief Joanna Coles. Revealing a glimpse into the outrageous lives and loves of those behind the global women’s magazine, “Scarlet”, this incredible show centers around the rising generation of women finding their own voices in a sea of intimidating leaders. Inspired by the life of former Cosmopolitan magazine editor-in-chief (Joanna Coles), the series weaves together the stories and struggles of some truly badass women.
[Image Description: Whoopi Goldberg sits on a chair with her hands on her face.] via The Color Purple
What it’s about: An epic tale spanning forty years in the life of Celie, an African-American woman living in the South who survives incredible abuse and bigotry. After Celie’s abusive father marries her off to the equally debasing “Mister” Albert Johnson, things go from bad to worse, leaving Celie to find companionship anywhere she can. She perseveres, holding on to her dream of one day being reunited with her sister and finding her identity in the meantime.
[Image description: Taylor Swift putting her hair behind her ears and looking to the side. She has pink highlights in her hair, a unicorn earring and a blue and white dress.] Via Google
Taylor Swift may be a polarizing figure, but you can’t deny that she’s created her own space within the music industry’s revolving door.
Point blank PERIOD.
1. Her lyrics.
[Image description: close up of Taylor Swift singing and getting emotional while singing, “and you call me up again just to break me like a promise, so casually cruel in the name of being honest” from her song All Too Well.] via Giphy
Who has ever been heartbroken and not cried to a Taylor Swift song? Taylor Swift’s lyrics are always incredibly honest and to the core. She writes about her personal experience and creates songs that everyone can relate to. She is also the queen of bridges. If you doubt me, check out theAll Too Wellbridge.
2. The Man song and music video.
[Image description: Taylor Swift in a movie set talking to another Taylor dressed as a guy in a sports outfit. Next to them is a director chair.] via Wikimedia
3. She invites fans to her house and bakes for them.
[Image description: Taylor Swift in a black dress holding a plate of chocolate cookies to a group of girls of different ages.] via Wikimedia
When Taylor was about to put out 1989, she was worried about what her fans would think about this full-on pop album. She decided to invite 89 of them to her house and play the album for them in a secret session.
Since then it has become a tradition for Taylor to choose fans from social media and play them her albums before their release date. She even bakes cookies for them! To date, these sessions have never resulted in her songs being leaked, which is a real testament to the love her stans have for her.
4. She filed and won a sexual assault lawsuit – all for a $1 settlement.
[Image description: Taylor Swift in a concert wearing black and singing, “if a man talks shit then I owe him nothing.”] via Giphy
If you don’t know the story, this is how it goes: Taylor Swift went to court in 2017 against the Denver DJ David Mueller. Mueller had sued Taylor for defamation and losing his job after the singer had complained to his employer that he had grabbed her inappropriately during a photoshoot. The moment was caught on video and there were witnesses.
He asked for $3 million in compensation. Taylor filed a countersuit in response, claiming assault and only requested $1 in compensation to make a point.
I still get chills reading her testimony, especially in light of the fact that she won.
5. She was a ‘nice girl’ that learned to make her voice be heard, and let’s be real: we’ve all been there.
[Image description: Taylor Swift wears red lipstick and a red shirt, saying, “thank God I don’t do that anymore.”] via Giphy
Her recent Netflix documentary, Miss Americana, is a reflection on how Taylor went from wanting to please everybody and being seen as a “good girl” to learning to be happy despite other people’s opinions.
The documentary — which has already reached critical acclaim, according to review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes — touches on a multitude of issues. And most of those issues aren’t pop star problems. They’re human problems.
6. She flipped the script on the bullying that people put her through, reclaiming the “snake” sign they used for her new signature.
[Image description: Taylor Swift in a red dress drinks tea and acts surprised while snakes appear from behind her.] via Giphy
After Kim Kardashian West “exposed” Taylor Swift’s supposed lies in a tweet about National Snake Day, Taylor’s social media was flooded by snake emojis. People used that emoji to call her fake.
Taylor disappeared from social media for a year after that but came back with a whole era based around snakes. She claimed an image that people used to bully her and turned her into her personal brand: there’s nothing more badass than that.
7. When she used the attention from Kanye’s leaked call to ask for donations, instead.
[Image description: pictures from Taylor’s Instagram stories replying to the Kanye West controversy.] @taylorswift / via Instagram
Continuing with the Taylor vs. Kim feud, in 2020, the full call between Kanye West and Taylor was finally leaked. It resulted in proving that she was telling the truth all along. Kanye never mentioned the line “that bitch” in the call.
Taylor then used all the media attention that she was getting because of the leaked call to ask people to donate money to Feeding America and The World Health Organization.
8. The Easter eggs. All the Easter eggs.
[Image description: Taylor Swift with pink highlights and a blue sweater smiling with a series of pastel Easter eggs in front of her.] via Entertainment Weekly
If you’ve ever followed the release of Taylor Swift’s music, you know that it is very similar to a treasure hunt. Taylor loves to leave clues and Easter eggs in her posts, songs, and music videos for her fans to find. And we love looking for them!
9. Taylor’s hard-hitting points in her acceptance speech during Billboard’s Women of the Decade Award.
[Image description: Taylor Swift against a pink background pointing at herself with both hands.] via Wikimedia
Taylor Swift was awarded Billboard‘s first-ever Woman of the Decade, thanks to the singer’s vast musical accomplishments over the course of the 2010s. During her acceptance speech, she used the opportunity to call out sexism within the music industry.
She spoke out on the barrage of criticism typically accepted around women’s bodies and relationships. She called out Scooter Braun and the role of private equity in the music industry. It was an empowering and honest speech where she spoke out about issues of the music industry that are not commonly brought up.
10. The song Ronan and the story behind it.
[Image description: Taylor Swift in a red dress tries not to cry.] via Giphy
One of Taylor Swift’s saddest songs is Ronan. She wrote this song using phrases from the blog of a fan that had lost her 4-year-old son, Ronan, to cancer. Taylor credited the fan, Maya Thompson, as co-writer and donated all the proceeds from the song to cancer charities. Taylor has only performed this song once, during a Stand Up To Cancer gala.
11. She has been honest about her struggle with her body image.
[Image description: Taylor Swift with her hair undone singing to a microphone.] via Giphy
One of the most shocking scenes within Miss Americana is the moment that Taylor confesses that she had an eating disorder. She even pulls out a picture of herself and points out all that she hates about it before stopping herself.
“This would cause me to go into a real shame, hate spiral. I caught myself yesterday starting to do it and I said, ‘Nope. We don’t do that anymore. Because it’s better to think you look fat than look sick.’ There’s always some standard of beauty that you’re not meeting,” she said. “It’s all just fucking impossible.”
It shows that the biggest star on the planet is feeling the same insecurities and pressures that millions of people face. It’s important we reject society’s unrealistic expectations.
12. The “Taylor Swift effect” in voter registration.
[Image description: Instagram post of a polaroid black and white picture of Taylor Swift sitting on the sofa with her head resting on her arm.] @taylorswift / via Instagram
In 2018, Taylor Swift broke her long-held silence with a post on her Instagram urging people to vote for the Democratic candidate in the Tennessee primaries. She stated all the reasons why she was voting for this candidate and reminded people to register if they wanted to vote.
In the next 24 hours, 65,000 people registered in what the media called the “Taylor Swift effect.”
13. 13 is her lucky number.
[Image description: a young Taylor with curly hair showing the number 13 painted on her hand.] via Wikimedia
Who chooses the only number that everyone else considers unlucky as their personal lucky number? Only a queen. And she uses it everywhere.
14. Taylor’s Equality Act petition.
[Image description: Taylor in a concert with her hands in the air and wearing a rainbow outfit.] via Wikimedia
However, many forgot that the song went along a Change.com petition for the Senate to pass the Equality Act, a law against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation that had been approved by the House.
15. She was the sole writer in her third album, Speak Now.
[Image description: Taylor dressed in a golden jacket talking to Jimmy Fallon about having written a song by herself.] via Giphy
Taylor’s greatest talent has always been songwriting. When people criticized her second album, Fearless, saying that such a young girl could not have written those songs, she decided to write her third album, Speak Now, all by herself. It is a masterpiece and shut up critics everywhere.
16. Taylor does free meet-and-greets for her fans.
[Image description: Taylor and two fans with unicorn headbands and pretending to be cats.] via Wikimedia
Instead of requiring fans to pay for meet-and-greets, Taylor finds them on social media and the audience. Then she spends hours before and after every show hanging out with the Swifties. Know any other mega celebrity that does that? No? Thought so.
17. She calls out sexism.
[Image description: Taylor Swift with short hair complaining about sexism in music.] via Giphy
She actively speaks out about sexism in the music industry, particularly how people criticize her for writing about her love life yet don’t do the same to male artists.
18. The Apple Letter and her defense of artists’ rights.
[Image description: a series of tweets by Eddie Cue in response to Taylor Swift, saying that Apple’s policy will change.] via Wikimedia
For years, Taylor’s used her influence to support artists. In 2015, Taylor wrote an open letter to Apple explaining why she was going to pull her albums from Apple Music. She criticized the policy of not paying artists during the free-trial period of the app. Apple changed its policy less than 24 hours after that.
The latest? In Taylor’s recent deal with Universal Records, she included a clause that stipulates that all of Universal’s artists will be compensated if the label sells its Spotify shares.
19. She is a proud cat lady.
[Image description: a Taylor riding a giant cat with a unicorn horn in a forest and throwing glitter.] via Giphy
Taylor’s cats are almost as famous as she is. Who could resist Dr. Meredith Grey, Detective Olivia Benson, and Benjamin Button?
20. She doesn’t take herself seriously.
[Image description: Taylor Swift on a running track and falling from it suddenly.] via Giphy
Taylor Swift is hilarious. Who else would allow an ad like this one to air?
21. She wrote songs for both The Hunger Games and Hannah Montana: The Movie.
[Image description: Taylor Swift playing the guitar and singing. At the top there is the Hannah Montana logo.] via Wikimedia
Two movies that symbolized our teenage years feature the musical genius of Taylor Swift. Who could forget about them?
She wrote You’ll Always Find Your Way Back Home for Miley Cyrus, and wrote and performed Crazier. For The Hunger Games, she co-wrote and sang the masterpieces that were Safe and Sound with The Civil Wars and Eyes Open.
22. She made being 22 cool.
[Image description: a close-up of Taylor wearing a black hat and red lipstick and mimicking the number 22.] via Giphy
Who hasn’t sang along to Taylor’s song 22 on their birthday? Before her song, turning 21 was the biggest highlight of your early 20s. Then Taylor came along and reminded us that you can still party and have fun, no matter your age.
23. She taught Zac Efron how to play the guitar.
[Image description: Taylor Swift and Zac Efron sitting on a red couch and holding guitars.] via Wikimedia
Vote for Taylor to star in a High School Musical remake?
24. THAT Miss Americana scene.
[Image description: Taylor Swift sitting with her legs crossed on a sofa saying “I need to be on the right side of history”.] via Giphy
During Miss Americana, Taylor shows the moment when she stood up to her team and her own father and decided to make her political views public. It is a very emotional moment and I still cry every time I watch the scene.
25. Taylor is the first youngest woman in history to win two GRAMMY Awards for Best Album of the Year (plus a couple of others!).
[Image description: Taylor Swift holding four Grammy awards in the red carpet and looking shocked.] via Wikimedia
The first album was awarded to her when she was just twenty, making her the youngest person to win this award (until Billie Eilish). We love us some successful women.
26. She stalks her fans on social media (in the nicest possible way!).
[Image description: Screenshot of Instagram account with a message from Taylor saying: SABRINA I LOVE YOU.] via Buzzfeed
Taylor Swift recently offered financial help to fans who were left without work amid the COVID-19 pandemic, sending them $3,000 each.
She also has secret social media accounts where she follows her fans and sends them monetary help or concert invitations.
27. She made country music cool and then switched into a whole new music genre.
[Image description: Taylor Swift dressed in a purple dress and jacket shrugging.] via Giphy
Taylor was a successful country artist and could have continued being one for years. Instead, she decided to take a leap and switch to pop, teaching us to not be afraid of change.
28. Her self-awareness.
[Image description: Two Taylor Swift looking at each other dressed in costumes from her tour. One of them is crying because the other one is calling her ‘fake’.] via Giphy
Songs like Blank Spaceand Look What You Made Me Doare great examples of how Taylor parodies the image that the media has created of her in a brilliant and catchy way.
29. She taught me that it’s okay for people not to like you.
[Image description: Taylor Swift singing to the camera ‘Haters gonna hate’.] via Giphy
At the end of the day, the only person that needs to like you is yourself.
30. Her constant reinvention.
[Image description: Taylor Swift’s style evolution.] via Universal Records
Any Taylor Swift fan will be able to recognize the year and album it is whenever Taylor posts a throwback photo. Taylor changes her style, hair, and aesthetic for every era she enters.
31. That time when she learned to apologize for apologizing and showed us that it’s okay to be angry.
[Image description: Taylor Swift sitting in a couch apologizing and then apologizing for apologizing.] via Giphy
During the last scene of Miss Americana, Taylor is seen ranting about sexism. Then she stops herself and apologizes for getting angry. A woman behind a camera tells her not to apologize because she is allowed to be angry. At that moment, Taylor recognized her moment to learn and took it to do so.
32. Last, but definitely not least, I’ll always love her for just how imperfect she is.
[Image description: Person cries into the camera with the text, “LEAVE TAYLOR ALONE.”] via Youtube
She hasn’t always used her voice, and she’s been involved in drama. But no one is perfect, and Taylor genuinely is someone who treats her fans and everyone the way they want to be treated — with respect.
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[Image Description: Headshot of Janelle Monae, dressed as a femme robot with her face covered in a silver chain standing eyes-closed in front of a blue background with an orange sun in the center]. Via Atlantic Records.
Let me tell you the story of how Janelle Monáe’s Dirty Computer literally helped me come out.
“[Redacted] takes her straight (unless you have something to tell me) friends to Pride.”
When I saw the name of the group chatmy best friend had added me to organize a group of us “straight friends” to accompany her to Pride the summer after my sophomore year of college, I knew I had a decision to make.
I had first thought that I was maybe bisexual in late middle school or early high school – but I hadn’t had an oh shit, I’m definitely queer moment until I was surrounded by people who were openly queer and comfortable in who they were in college. Even then, I’d only said the words out loud once or twice, preferring to stay in the safer space of being a slightly too enthusiastic “ally” to the queer community on campus.
I knew I had a decision to make.
After mulling it over, I exhaled a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding and typed out a message to my friend: “Lol ok so…”
It was one of the best decisions I’ve made – having someone else to talk to about being both queer and Asian helped me find power in the intersection of my identities instead of conflict. Coming out to the rest of my close friends was easier after that. But I still wasn’t out out, and definitely not to the Muslim community. I had loosely toyed with the idea of coming out around graduation but hadn’t given it much actual thought.
That changed after I met Mohammed Ramzan, a fellow student who started as a freshman at Northwestern my junior year. Mohammed was loving, exuberant, intensely curious, and proudly Muslim. He was the first openly queer Muslim I’d met, and I found myself wondering why I was so afraid.
Being Muslim and being queer weren’t just not contradictory identities – they were complementary. They gave him a level of empathy for the oppressed and motivation to answer Qur’anic calls to strive for justice that was unparalleled. When he was taken from us in a rowing accident after just a few short months of our knowing him, I promised myself – for Mohammed, for myself, for my community – I was committing to coming out.
“Serendipity” is a funny word. It’s also exactly what I felt was at play when, in the spring of my senior year, just before my self-imposed deadline, Janelle Monáe dropped her iconic “emotion picture” album, Dirty Computer.
Monáe’s music had hinted at her queerness for quite some time, but her unabashedly sweet crooning about the raw power of vaginas on the album in songs like “Pynk” and “Django Jane” and her “Make Me Feel” video celebrating bisexuality left no room for questions.
I cried my eyes out watching Dirty Computer. Seeing Monáe boldly proclaim her Blackness and her queerness gave me the jolt I was waiting for. Listening to “Crazy, Classic, Life,” it felt like the burden of the many hyphens in my identity was weighing on me. Seeing friends I hadn’t come out to yet losing it over the energy of the album further pushed that weight damn near the verge of exploding out of my throat.
I finally did the thing and slipped my bisexuality in the middle of a Facebook post about my upcoming thesis poster presentation about a month after the album’s release.
Later that summer, I went to Monáe’s Chicago show, feeling immeasurably affirmed as she once again reiterated her messages of queerness being a central code in our makeup, and the pride we should take in being “dirty computers” in a country with leadership dead-set on viewing our identities as a “virus.”
Two years later, I once again find myself on a precipice.
I thought of Mohammed again and his firm belief that Allah makes no mistakes. No computer viruses, no mistakes – I came home and came out to a few cousins, and eventually my sisters.
Two years later, I once again find myself on a precipice.
I’m out to all the most meaningful people in my life, except for a few notable ones, including my parents. I sit next to them every night as we watch the news and listen to how our government is once again attacking the LGBTQIA+ community, which is particularly dangerous for my trans loved ones.
I talk to my dad about how we’re in the middle of a pandemic that is disproportionately affecting BIPOC, as the Black community rises up across the country to dismantle white supremacist institutions that have no regard for the humanity of queer people, in particular Black trans folks.
And I know that even as I have these conversations with my parents – who have been understanding and accepting of every point I’ve made so far – that I am not being entirely truthful because I am treating these discussions as hypotheticals, rather than as personal to me.
I’m, as Monáe sings, “So Afraid” – of hurting them, of losing them. But I’m also afraid now, more than anything else, of not honoring them by being my full self with them. I owe that to them more in this political moment than ever before.
So this strange yet momentous Pride – what was meant to be my fifth as a proudly queer, clinically depressed, Bangladeshi-Muslim-American woman – I’m removing the final layer of my privacy settings and publicly stating for the record: I am bisexual.
And I’m ready to fight for my communities and those of my loved ones.
I’m listening to Dirty Computer while I’m writing, actually – it’s taken four and a half loops through it to figure out exactly what I’ve been trying to say and how I want to say it because I’ve never fully taken ownership of my identity and written something about it with my name on it.
It’s terrifying because I know as soon as my editors hit “Publish” on this piece, it’s going to be out there, and there’s not really any going back from it.
I’m also afraid now, more than anything else, of not honoring them by being my full self with them.
But I also think that’s exactly what this moment in history needs more of: No more going back, just reckoning and honesty and difficult conversations, over and over, until we build anew. We’ll make mistakes – many of them.
But as Monáe herself says: “We need to go through this. Together… I’m going to make you empathize with dirty computers all around the world.”
[Image description: an image of all Disney villains] Via as.com.
Have you noticed that most Disney villains have queer characteristics?
For example, male villains like Hades, Captain Hook, or Jafar tend to have effeminate mannerisms or appearances. They get easily scared, are very expressive when they speak, have high pitched voices, and are preoccupied with their looks, usually wearing make-up and looser clothes, similar to dresses. Basically, they do not conform to typical heteronormative codes of conduct, and they are made fun of and criticized because of it.
This is called queer-coding. And it’s a problem.
The problem with queer-coding comes from the historical tendency of queer-coding villains.
Queer-coding is defined as the process by which characters are depicted as having physical or behavioral traits that are usually associated with the LGBTQIA+ community, even though the sexual orientation of the character is not specified. These characteristics usually include more effeminate traits for male characters and more masculine characteristics for female ones.
Queer-coding originated in the America of the 1950s and 60s, where the representation of LGBTQIA+ characters was heavily discouraged in cinema. It is usually associated with the Hays Code, enforced from the 1940s, a set of moral guidelines that regulated the censorship of American movies. Among other things, the code banned ‘any inference of sex perversion’. Sex perversion being anything that is not heterosexuality.
The problem with queer-coding comes from the historical tendency of queer-coding villains.
Depictions of LGBTQ+ characters were only acceptable as long as it was not specifically mentioned, and the characters in question if they were defeated at the end and ‘their sins’ were punished. The sexual orientation of the character was then expressed through mannerisms, fashion, and speech. Moreover, queer characters were associated at the time with immorality, and, by extent, with the evil that the heroes have to defeat.
Disney subtly teaches children that non conforming to heteronormative constructs is bad.
The queer-coding of villains served to create a psychological association in people’s minds (particularly children’s) between ‘queer’ and ‘evil’.
In Disney’s Renaissance era, when the company set out to create villains with more personality than the ones from the previous movies, they used queer-coding constantly. Moreover, they didn’t hide it.
Úrsula from The Little Mermaid is based on a real drag queen, who was also a referent of the LGTBQIA+ community of the time: Divine. Úrsula’s eyebrows and make-up resemble those usually associated with drag queens. Her behavior is very sexualized and she even has a much lower-pitched and husky voice.
[Image Description: image of Ursula from The Little Mermaid next to a black and white photo of the drag queen Divine.] via Twitter.However, queer-coding is more obvious in male characters, creating the common trope of the ‘sissy villain’. Characters like Hades, Jafar, Scar, Captain Hook, and King John all fall under this trope.
Governor Ratcliffe from Pocahontas is a great example. He is very vain, wears bows on his hair, is obsessed with gold and glitter, and hates physical labor. He even wears pink!
Male villains like Hades, Captain Hook, or Jafar tend to have effeminate mannerisms or appearances.
The queer-coding is even more obvious when comparing the heroes and villains. If you look at the contrast between Úrsula and Ariel, Governor Ratcliffe and John Smith, Hades and Hercules, or Aladin and Jafar, you can see how the heroes are hyper-masculine and the heroines sweet and wholesome. The male villains, on the other hand, are effeminate and weak, and the female ones devious and corrupting.
The issue is not whether these characters are gay or not. The problem is that these films make fun of the characters that don’t conform with the standard gender norms.
[Image Description: Governor Ratcliffe from Pocahontas singing while dressed fully in gold and holding his hands up in the air.] via Tumblr.Children’s movies, and particularly those that are so popular as Disney’s, are meant to teach children. They emphasize what is good and bad, and what behaviors are moral and immoral. The fact that Disney movies CONSTANTLY portray villains with a series of stereotypes associated with the LGBTQIA+ community promotes hate and opposition towards everything that doesn’t conform to gender norms.
And yes, queer people can be bad, the same way that straight people can. However, the non-existence of heroic characters that are queer-coded makes the queer-coding in itself highly problematic. While straight people can be good and bad, queer-coded characters are ALWAYS the bad ones.
The problem is that these films make fun of the characters that don’t conform with the standard gender norms.
The fact is that Disney villains are amazing characters, and some of the most loved by Disney fans. Moreover, the LGBTQIA+ community accepted these characters, and was even thankful for them, because it gave visibility to the community, even if it was in the form of a villain. Howard Ashman, the lyricist of The Little Mermaid, who was also heavily involved in its casting and production, was openly gay.
It isn’t that much of a problem that characters are queer-coded, although, in this day and age, it is about time that some of them are made explicitly queer. The issue comes when only the villains are queer-coded, therefore perpetuating the internalized association between queerness and immorality.
Let’s celebrate Disney villains for the representation that they gave to the LGBTQIA+ community back in the day. But let’s stop this trend and create some LGTBQIA+ heroes instead.
[Image description: A dark-haired woman in a red dress in a graduation cap.] Via Rochelle Nicole on Unsplash
I never thought I’d be writing a letter to college graduates, but considering the world that we live in today, and the many terrifying fears I remember going through in the day of and weeks/months/year after graduation, I think it’s definitely more than time for me to plunge into this.
I’ll lead with a disclaimer: take these nuggets of advice and see whether they apply to your life. Not everything will.
I’m not a fan of writing blanket statements, and hell, it’s okay if you’re not in the place many are today. If so, kudos!
1. I know everyone and their mother is already asking what your next steps are, and it’s probably reached a fever pitch, now that you’ve got your diploma in hand.
Here’s the truth: if you don’t know yet, that’s okay. One of life’s biggest secrets is that even the people asking you don’t know what their next steps are. Hell, sometimes they’re just asking in a desperate attempt to get some sort of advice or validation about their lives.
Another secret: once you graduate college, life is fluid. You don’t have to do what others are telling you. Which leads me to my next point…
2. Everyone has a plan for your life post-graduation – but the only one that has the real power is you.
I get it – I’m the oldest child of parents who have big, big dreams for my siblings and myself. I faced a lot of heated discussions the weeks leading up to and following graduation, all of which had the same tone: why aren’t you doing anything with your life?
Know what that means? It means that your value is inherently determined only if you’re doing what your parents/relatives/friends/strangers deem to be appropriate. And that’s a load of crap.
Know that there will be a different future out there.
It’s a known fact that I worked at Princeton University for two years after graduation, but the thing I didn’t tell those who knew me was that I worked in Staples, struggling to apply to jobs and keep my head up, for the summer following graduation. I had even put in an application for a second job at Chipotle when I received the job offer from Princeton.
I do want to make this clear: in no way did my time at any of the three locations matter more or less than the other. Ultimately, it came down to keeping my head up, surviving incoming bills, and trying to still go after my dreams.
I was okay with every moment, grateful for the opportunity – even if those who knew, weren’t – because I knew that there’d be a different future out there.
3. Your life in the year after graduation does not determine your worth or future or opportunities.
Yeah, we all know about that wunderkind that’s got four incredible job offers, acceptance at five Ivy Leagues and a Truman Fellow. Want to know something? They’re just as unsure and insecure about what’s going to happen next, just as you are. And that’s okay.
The reason “roadmaps” after college don’t really work is because – to be frank – you don’t know how your self and life will shift and morph and grow post-graduation.
You are incredible, no matter how you might feel right now.
What intrigued you during college won’t make you blink in the year after, or five years after. I graduated with a minor in education studies.
Newsflash: I haven’t really used it since then, but that’s okay.
I take it for what it was.
4. It’s okay to be afraid of what happens next.
I’m going to repeat it, just in case you haven’t really understood it: it is more than alright to be afraid of what life looks like ahead.
The biggest crime you could commit in this scenario is to let that fear hold you immobile, hold you back from trying. Don’t let that happen.
Throw yourself into things that just might pique your interest. Try out that internship, pick up a job, do what you can to remind yourself of your value – but don’t give up.
It is okay to be afraid of what life looks like ahead.
Don’t let the fear swallow you up – and if it does, confide in a friend you trust, a mentor – or a therapist.
5. The best part about being done with college is you now have the ability to make your life truly your own.
Regardless of whether you’re back living with your parents, crashing with friends, or living on your own, this is it.
This is life. You’re in full control.
No matter what people might tell you/advise you/berate you/try to drag you down – you’re the one in the driver’s seat. Never let someone strip you of that power. You are incredible, no matter how you might feel right now.
You have your whole future ahead of you, to make of it what you will.
And that, that is truly empowering. I promise you.
But sometimes it’ll be lonely – which is okay. Hit me up on Instagram if you want to talk things through – even though I graduated years ago, I believe in helping those who need it.
[Image Description: Two people are walking in a pride parade, with their back towards the camera. One of them is wearing a pride flag as a cape] Via Unsplash
The government of Hungary has long held an anti-LGBTQIA+ ideology, and the COVID-19 pandemic has provided them the perfect opportunity to get away with erasing the trans community.
Last Tuesday (May 19th), the Hungarian parliament approved a law that ends the legal recognition of trans people. It stipulates that gender is defined at birth, based on a child’s chromosomes, therefore banning trans people from changing their name and gender in any official documentation.
The Hungarian government is using its power to take away people’s rights when it should be protecting its people from the pandemic. That is highly irregular and unethical. Nonetheless, it’s legal. And it’s happening.
On the 31st of March (Day of Trans Visibility), the Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orbán obtained the power to rule by decree and suspend elections, in light of the COVID-19 crisis. That same day the PM’s party introduced a controversial set of measures presumably aimed at fighting coronavirus. Among them was a draft law that stipulated that official documents only register “sex at birth”.
The pandemic has provided the perfect distraction for the government.
Orbán’s new power of ruling by decree, and the announcement of jail time for anyone who intentionally spread disinformation about the government’s response to the crisis eclipsed the policy change regarding trans rights. It buried it, under other political debates and a sanitary crisis.
European politicians and institutions (including the EU), human rights organizations, and international LGBTQIA+ associations all opposed the draft bill, with no success.
The news of this bill has shocked the Hungarian trans community. Ivett Ördög, a Hungarian trans activist, said that the passing of the law is “a tragedy” and has been very honest about its impact on the LGBTQIA+ community: “I struggled not to moan myself while trying to chat online with my peers who were just considering suicide”.
The Fidesz party, which has been in power in Hungary for the last 10 years, has long held an anti-LGTBQIA+ agenda. The Prime Minister himself made “traditional family values” the basis of his 2018 re-election campaign and promised to “build a new era” with major cultural changes.
Last year, the party’s Parliament speaker equated gay adoption with pedophilia. Moreover, in 2018 the Hungarian government faced severe criticism from the European Union after closing all gender studies courses that were offered by Hungarian universities.
In fact, trans people have had trouble changing their legal sex since 2017, and there are several court cases underway in relation to this situation. All of these cases and applications for name changes will now be rejected. Moreover, since the new documentation will show ‘sex at birth’ people fear that it will also affect trans people who have already had their gender and names officially changed.
Despite the country’s rigid LGTBQIA+ policies, during the past decade, the country was talking slow steps towards meeting the community’s demands. It is devastating news that a community that has fought so hard and has succeeded in obtaining the legal recognition of their own rights now has to see their identity questioned and even denied.
Homosexuality (above the age of 20) was decriminalized in 1961. Moreover, the Budapest Pride, first held in 1997, was the first Pride that took place in a country from the former Eastern Bloc. However, it was only in 2003, that the Act on Equal Treatment and the Promotion of Equal Opportunities banned discrimination based on gender identity. Same-sex couples were allowed to register for civil partnerships in 2009, although they are still unable to marry or adopt. Moreover, the right of trans people to change their legal gender was only accepted three years ago.
It has not been a steady fight, and there have been ups and downs. During the 2014 Pride, the political party Jobbik displayed a banner that read “The Parliament Does Not Want Any Deviants” and verbally abused attendees. This weeks’ law is one of the biggest pushbacks to date.
Legal recognition is fundamental because it demonstrates the state’s acceptance of an individual. If a state won´t even recognize the existence of trans people, it will be unable to guarantee their safety, or treat them as citizens of the country.
Ivett has been honest about the problems that she has faced because her gender did not match that assigned to her in the registry. She has issues trying to pick up packets in the mail or even medicines “because the pharmacist didn’t believe me that my name was on the prescription”. Her roughest case was however when someone “challenged me to the police because they thought I wanted to misuse someone’s documents.”
The Hungarian government is taking advantage of the fear of the population and their concern for their health in order to pass a piece of legislation that, in order circumstances, might have faced much stronger opposition. They are using the distraction that the pandemic provides, and the powers that they have obtained by declaring the state of emergency, to push their own anti-LGTBQ+ agenda. In doing so, they are also creating a dangerous precedent.
The passing of this law makes Hungary the first EU country to take away transgender rights. Will other countries decide to follow?
Hungary might become a dangerous precedent.
LGBTQIA+ people have their lives already threatened by COVID-19. A United Nations report establishes that the LGBTQIA+ community is more likely to be HIV+ or homeless, two factors that greatly increased a person’s vulnerability to the virus. Moreover, members of this community already experience stigma and discrimination when accessing health services and are more likely to be de-prioritized in the case of an overloaded health system.
Moreover, the UN has established that there are “reports of police using COVID-19 directives to attack and target LGBTI organizations”. Moreover, the report states that “in at least one country, the State of Emergency has been used to propose a decree that would prevent transgender people from legally changing their gender in identity documents”, probably referring to Hungary.
South Korea, for example, has reported a marked increase in online threats and discrimination against LGBT people who are being unfairly accused of spreading Covid-19, despite the pandemic there being much more under control.
If a country opposes the existence of a community, how can we expect it to protect it from a virus? The Hungarian government’s decision does not only attack trans people’s rights but also their lives.
We are living through critical times. However, we mustn´t let the medical emergency distract us from defending the rights that have been so hard to obtain. Human rights and the lives of people like Ivette are at risk.
(Woman wearing white crew neck T-shirt on bed holding silver MacBook)- Via UnSplash
An Amazon employee has recently gone viral for his remarks about dildos during a protest prompted by increased coronavirus concerns. He was advocating for the e-commerce company to pull back efforts on the manufacturing of unessential items.
He said that while shipments on essential items have been delayed, even sold out, employees were still working shoulder to shoulder processing items that were unimportant.
This makes it impossible for the workers to practice social distancing policies while at work.
Terrified, and frankly exhausted, from having to risk his own life and his families life for these non-essential items, this employee suggested that the company prioritize essential shipments and decrease staff as well as the number of hours worked.
He says, “They should not be selling non-essential items,” talking about the company’s policies. “If you go on the website, all of the essential items are sold out. Until you restock and until you close this building, shut it down.”
He added, “Dildos are not essential items. Books for kids, yes, but dildos? No.” He was obviously frustrated.
This @Amazon worker said he’d understand if they cut hours and stayed open selling essentials as they come in stock. But with all the non essential items they’re forced to work “shoulder to shoulder.” He says 3 co-workers are confirmed to have the virus. @JeffBezos comment? pic.twitter.com/H2Vb9sWacI
It is important to say outright that NO, dildos are absolutely NOT a top priority right now. Neither are fragrant oils, yoga mats, bathing suits, or picture frames. Though they certainly do serve some purpose in terms of self-care.
The obvious priority here is the lives of workers who are employed by Amazon. It is no secret that Amazon hires predominantly low-income people to work in its facilities, while also having a disturbing history of poor working conditions.
This makes it even more unsurprising that in the middle of April Amazon fired at least two employees who were outspoken about the mistreatment of warehouse workers and other safety matters surrounding COVID-19.
But, by May 1 Amazon VP Tim Bray resigned after much dismay about the firing of those whistleblowers who raised serious alarm, which is a notable sign of empathy and solidarity, and might even be something we can all learn from as we make our own shopping decisions.
Says Amazon “firing whistleblowers” is “evidence of a vein of toxicity running through the company culture. I choose neither to serve nor drink that poison.”
As consumers, it is imperative to understand our responsibility to those who are working despite their vulnerability. These people should not be forced into serving the lifestyles of those who don’t really care what happens to them.
Which brings me here:
As the COVID-19 pandemic has grown more intense, and people have become more isolated, it seems that they have fallen on dildos for some sort of salve. For many people, dildos are among the lists of items that are an absolute necessity to make it through times of crisis. And there’s a reason for that.
Dildos, and masturbation in general, are known to have outstanding mental health benefits. They have also been associated with improved sexual wellness and of course, self-love.
We can knowingly reach the big O from our own doing, and there is a lot of power in that. In some cases, dildos have also been known to increase blood flow in the clitoris, increase sexual arousal, help the body make it own lubricant, and therefore make more pleasurable sex possible.
Orgasms are good for your health, too. According to a Next Avenue report, sex that satiates a persons desire triggers hormones that help us to feel relaxed, less stressed, and more contented.
So, what can we do to keep exploring our personal sexuality at home without the possibility damaging the life of someone working in an Amazon warehouse? Well, for one, there are other e-commerce options to shop from that don’t have a cruel history like Amazon does. Or, we can buy small and local. Let’s face it, no one is going to stop ordering online, especially when all storefronts are closed. But we can be smart about what we order and who we order from.
One alternative is Grove Collaborative, which sells a nice selection of household essentials and personal care items. This e-commerce site values social welfare and is known for being safe and environmentally friendly, as it is working towards being entirely plastic-free. All shipments from Grove collaborative are non-toxic, cruelty-free, and are carbon-offset before they reach your door.
A second option is Verishop, which is just as convenient as Amazon but offers a more curated selection. Most of its products are sustainable and natural, making it a more organic shopping experience. This e-commerce site usually ensure free 1-day shipping on most order made within the U.S., but during the pandemic this policy has shifted to free 2-day shipping. Which is not a bad deal in my book. Plus, its sexual wellness selection seems to be hand-picked and rather expansive.
With all of this in mind, we are better equipped to keep loving every part of ourselves at home while also making safe and compassionate online shopping decisions that protect workers and the environment!
[Image description: Standing in a field of yellow flowers, a woman with brown skin and brown hair wearing a white shirt hugs a man with brown skin and brown hair wearing a leather jacket and a camouflaged backpack.] Via Yash Raj Films
“Go, Simran, go. Live your life.”
These iconic words, spoken at the climax of the 1995 Bollywood classic Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (DDLJ), never failed to make me tear up as a teenager.
DDLJ is the story of Raj Malhotra (Shah Rukh Khan/SRK) and Simran Singh (Kajol) who both reside in the UK and fall in love on a trip across Europe.
They cannot marry, however, because Simran’s father has already decided she will marry Kuljeet Singh (Parmeet Sethi), his friend’s son, whom she has never met. Rahul then pretends to be Kuljeet’s friend and crashes Simran’s wedding preparations to try and win her family over.
I fell in love with DDLJ as a child.
I adored Raj and Simran. I admired Kajol’s unibrow. I recited the dialogues alongside the characters. Most importantly, I treasured the romance. Nothing could be purer than Raj’s love for Simran and what he was willing to do to win her father over.
On the face of it, DDLJ is the perfect rom-com. It presents an unlikely pair – opposites who attract and fall deeply in love – only for a parent to tear them apart. It makes you root for them and cheer out loud when they finally do unite at the end. Like millions of other girls, I also wanted a Raj who would be willing to fight the world to be with me.
Nothing could be purer than Raj’s love for Simran and what he was willing to do to win her father over.
However, as I grew older, rewatching it made me uncomfortable, and it took me some time to realize why.
Raj, it turns out, is the flag-bearer of the creepy guys you see at a store whom you avoid eye contact with because you know they’ll start following you around. He dangled Simran’s bra in her face five seconds after meeting her, and then kept pestering her even when she clearly told him, multiple times, she was not interested in talking to him.
Raj also lied to her about them sleeping together. After all, what girl doesn’t find it hilarious when she wakes up, disoriented, next to a stranger who jokes about sleeping together when she was too inebriated to remember anything?
Worse, when Simran starts to cry upon hearing this, he goes on a rant about how he couldn’t even imagine doing that to her because he knows that honor (chastity) means everything to a Hindustani girl.
What I despise more than Raj’s behavior is that like most Bollywood movies, DDLJ places Simran entirely at the mercy of the men in her life. Her father decided she is to marry a stranger, and before this happens she has to beg him to let her travel across Europe for one last hurrah.
Then, when she returns from a trip equivalent to the last meal, she is punished for doing something deeply unforgivable in her culture – falling in love.
Simran’s own fight and refusal do not produce any results.
As punishment, her wedding is moved up and she is taken to a village in India where her future husband lives. This is a man neither she nor her father has ever met. This is also a man shown to be an alpha male with no intention of staying loyal to Simran. Yet, the preparations continue.
Her future became dependent on Raj and his decision on whether she’s worth fighting for. Simran’s own fight and refusal do not produce any results.
The other women in the film also exist along the periphery. Simran’s mother supports her but is helpless because the only will that matters is that of her father. Simran’s sister teases her about Raj and helps facilitate their forbidden romance.
Simran’s aunt is there only for comic relief due to a potential romance with Raj’s single father. Worst of all, Kuljeet’s sister Preeti exists only as the punchline to a joke that is not funny. She falls in love with Raj who happily leads her along to hide his relationship with Simran.
Meanwhile, the decision to fight for Simran, our signature damsel in distress, is what makes Raj the hero. Thus, DDLJ takes a movie designed for female audiences, as rom coms are famous for, and makes it entirely about a man and his fight while the women are shown holding no agency over their lives. This only reinforces how marginalized brown women are in our real lives.
The movie is yet another reminder that the men in our life, be it our boyfriends or our fathers, are our priority.
The entire movie is a battle between the egos of two men. And like most Bollywood movies, the romance here would not be complete without the man literally fighting for love. Ironically, this aggression plays a role in convincing Simran’s father of Raj’s undying love.
What made me uncomfortable with DDLJ’s “romance” was, ultimately, that Simran had no choice. The grand gesture at the end of DDLJ is Simran’s father letting her hand go, telling her to live her life, only for her to immediately clasp onto the hand of another man.
DDLJ is not a bad movie. I would go to the extent of calling it a pretty good movie. It’s funny, emotional, and really panders to the Indian diaspora at the expense of the British (something the anti-colonialist in me appreciates).
The movie is yet another reminder that the men in our life, be it our boyfriends or our fathers, are our priority.
However, I don’t rewatch it for the romance because it reminds me of something deeply abhorrent in our culture; that we as women hold no agency over our lives, but especially over our love lives.
We are all Simran, begging our fathers to let us be free once before they marry us off to whoever they decide is suitable. We are all Simran as she pleads with her father to let her go; to let go of our hands and our lives. We are all Simran, now tied to another man, as our ambitions and dreams remain nameless and unimportant, all secondary to the concept of marriage and men.
I used to wish for a Raj. After rewatching the movie, I now only wish to be Raj, if only to have the agency of going wherever I want and marrying whoever I want (if I want), the way I know I could never do as Simran.
[Image description: Two women hugging each other.] Via Unsplash
Lately, most of my heartbreak has come from lost friendships, some of which I still haven’t gotten any closure from. In part, this is because I have bipolar disorder.
In the time that has passed, I’ve come to realize that I deserved better. I deserved to be surrounded by people who accepted me as I am and so do you.
There have been many situations where I have found myself among my friends, experiencing an episode — either depressive or manic — and felt completely alone in my suffering when a few acts of kindness could have made a huge difference.
1. Acceptance
[Image description: A girl sitting and looking out of a window.] Via UnsplashRegardless of whether someone is a lover or a friend, don’t ever assume that they can be fixed. They are not a broken tailgate or a leaking engine.
The assumption that a person can or needs to be fixed can destroy your relationship with them.
This is because people cannot simply ‘snap out of it’. This is because they are not doing it to themselves: it is happening to them.
2. Compromise
[Image description: Two girls talking.] Voa UnsplashSomeone’s mental illness is not about you unless you are abusing them.
So, expecting someone with a bipolar disorder to meet you at your physical, emotional and mental level is unrealistic. This is why you have to be the one who meets them halfway.
If a person cannot come to you, then you come to them, if a person during mania episode wants to jump off a bridge or out of a window, then suggest bungee jumping or skydiving.
At the end of the day, it is about finding a compromise.
3. Improvise
[Image description: Two women sitting on a rooftop while watching sunset.] Via UnsplashImprovising is very important. There will be times when the notion of order and routine falls out the window and all you can do is wait it out. In those moments, it’s best to simply be there for someone.
Sometimes, you’ll need to take it one day at a time, and if one day is too much then take it one hour at a time.
And if that feels like too much for them, go moment by moment because sometimes, you simply need to hold them through the pain.
4. Don’t retaliate
[Image description: A girl sitting down, looking sad.] Via UnsplashWhen someone is having a panic/anxiety attack, that is not the time to psychoanalyze them. That is not the time to pull out the receipts of all the times that you were unsatisfied with their behavior.
Simply telling someone to calm down is redundant because that person is already doing everything in their power to calm down.
So sometimes, if you can’t cope, the best thing you can do for them is to call someone they trust. Getting someone a bottle or a glass of water can be helpful regardless of the fact that it might not resolve the panic/anxiety attack.
5. Be patient
[Image description: Two boys hugging in a bar.] Via UnsplashPeople who have compulsive behaviors and various tics exhibit (tap toeing, pen clicking, thigh rubbing, pacing) ways to expel anxiety.
While these might be irritable and distracting to a normal person, rather than simply pointing out your annoyance, something you can do is provide the person with alternate forms of expression.
For example, if a person is pacing, you can both go for a walk; if a person is clicking a pen, you can give them paper to write on.
6. Be responsible
[Image description: A man and woman playing at a foosball table.] VIa UnsplashSocial anxiety is real. It isn’t when someone is being rude, or when someone has poor manners. If you have a friend that does have social anxiety, you’ll have to compromise. If you’re inviting them to a party, you have two responsibilities that you must uphold; the first is to respect the people they choose to interact with and the people they choose not to interact with.
And the next is to respect and accept when they want to leave and ensure they get home safely. Allow your friend to gravitate towards people that they find interesting.
Another option is to bring along games or cards, that way if they don’t want to interact but are interested in the games they can play them.
All relationships are hard work. While the representation of mental illnesses like bipolar disorder still has a long way to go, accepting the people among us for who they are, and helping them out goes a long way.
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Ellen Degeneres at the Television Critics Association. Image by Lucy Nicholson via Reuters.
On the first weekend of October 2019, there was a football game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Green Packers. The cameras captured the game, the roars of the crowd and the celebrities that were in a stadium suite. This in itself is nothing unusual. Yet spotted in these photos were none other than Ellen Degeneres and Portia De Rossi, seated alongside George W Bush and former First Lady Laura Bush, laughing and smiling. There were immediate comments, mostly ones expressing disappointment. As Ellen, herself said on her TV show as a response to the uproar, “why is a gay Hollywood liberal sitting next to a conservative Republican president?”
She continued in her usual sunny manner to remind the audience in front of her and those of us watching at home that she’s friends with lots of people who don’t share the same beliefs that she does. She ended the segment by stating that it’s important to be nice and kind to everyone. Not just those that share our beliefs.
Everything that Ellen said in that short segment in response to the bewilderment and disappointment online is what has made Ellen…well Ellen. She was the woman who taught middle belt America that lesbians are not monsters or “strange girls from the city.” But instead that they are every woman and everywhere. In doing so, she weathered many a difficult storm including the cancellation of her TV sitcom.
George Bush, on the other hand, built a considerable part of his political base on being anti-LGBTQ. By refusing to classify crimes against gay people as hate crimes and standing firm on agreement on a constitutional amendment that would have defined marriage as strictly between a man and a woman.In the context of the performative “uh shucks, we’re all one and the same,” that has made her so successful, being friendly with George Bush makes sense. Ellen’s kindness as she’s shown over and over again extends to everyone, even when it makes her look stupid.
Thankfully, the world has changed profoundly since Ellen became a household name in 1997. In our society today, unfettered and more importantly uncritical niceness is not seen as a virtue.
We simply cannot afford to continue to rehabilitate the image of a person that invaded Iraq. Or trampled on our civil liberties (ahem, Patriot Act), or his terrible response to Hurricane Katrina and a plethora of other issues.
The presidency of Donald Trump has been one of the best things to happen to George Bush’s image. Charming interviews with Jimmy Kimmel and appearances on Ellen’s day time show haven’t hurt either.
Neither has the much-discussed friendship between him and Michelle Obama. Respectability politics have shown us that George Bush is a nice man; charming, even, but it doesn’t absolve him of his crime.
But being nice and being polite is not the same thing as being good and just. Plenty of racist and homophones have the best manners, but it doesn’t mean anything. This is what Ellen and many moderate boomers can’t seem to grasp in the waves of criticism of their actions.
Not one person expected Ellen to remove herself from that box in a dramatic fashion. Instead, her dissenters were asking her the value in elevating a run of the mill exchange with a famously anti-gay and very pro-torture Republican leader. What do we gain painting this encounter like some sort of Kumbaya or come to Jesus’ moment?
This encounter can be a learning moment if we let it. Not just for Ellen but for ourselves. Too many of us focus on surface-level politeness and cordiality. It’s the first thing we are taught as children. And to a degree, it’s necessary for civil society (in fact it can make your career). But what we really need in order to create a just society is goodness. It is honesty and the ability to hold people and ourselves accountable.
Ellen had the opportunity to approach the criticism of her and Bush being (seemingly) bosom buddies differently. If Ellen is so committed to being kind, maybe she should be a bit kinder to the most vulnerable in our society. Not the person who aided in making them so in the first place.
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[Image description: Ramy smiling into a mic. The Golden Globe award backdrop is behind him.] via Youtube
First-generation Muslim American Ramy Youssef isn’t your typical actor. He’s made waves by taking home a Golden Globe for best actor in a comedy or musical television series, for his role in the Hulu series Ramy.
As the co-creator and star of Ramy, 28-year-old Egyptian-American actor, and stand-up comedian Youssef set out to tell stories about a kid from an immigrant family who wants to hold on to his culture. He based the main character on his own experiences growing up in suburban New Jersey as a Muslim who considers himself religious.
“I felt like a lot of narratives I saw [of] first-generation children…or anyone from a strong faith background was watching them kind of try to erase where they come from.”
“It shows someone engaging with their faith in an honest way. I felt like a lot of narratives I saw [of] first-generation children…or anyone from a strong faith background was watching them kind of try to erase where they come from and distance themselves from the tension of their parents and culture,” Youssef said in an interview with The Tempest. “I wanted to make something that reflected my experience. [That experience saw me] trying to honestly engage and identify with my background, but still asking questions about it.”
With a 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, Ramy is built around Ramy Hassan, played by Youssef, a Muslim unsure of what type of Muslim he is or ought to be. The show breaks stigmas and barriers in the Muslim community by addressing topics like sex and dating in Islam, as well as post 9/11 feels.
During our interview with Youssef, we discussed Muslim American representation in the media, his character and spoke of the importance of diverse and authentic representation in the entertainment industry.
The show’s trailer premiered in March, racking up more than 5.6 million views on Youtube. Muslims, in particular, have reacted strongly, with many feeling represented, while others criticized the show’s portrayal of American Muslims and the absence of Muslim women.
Youssef acknowledges the critiques, explaining that Ramy isn’t meant to represent all Muslims. “[As Muslims,] we take a burden on to try to represent everybody and that’s not fair, that’s not something other creators have to do in the same way. It’s important to tell the most specific story to you, don’t worry about any of the feedback or blowback because your job is to actually make something that you can grow from.”
When it came to the importance of representation, particularly the media’s often inaccurate and harsh portrayals of Muslims, Youssef explained his thought process while developing the show. As an Arab-Muslim, he represented the identity he could best depict.
“This is just one piece of representation. This is a small slice of an Arab Muslim family, most Muslims in America don’t even fall under that category,” Youssef said. “Most Muslims in America are Black, while many are South Asian. So this isn’t an antidote to a 24-hour news cycle or years of propaganda and war literature on Muslims. It’s simply just one piece of the puzzle.”
According to Youssef, there are a lot of differences between the Ramy he plays and his real life. He spoke about the family in the show as compared to his own and described how in real life he has a creative outlet to express himself, whereas Ramy, the character, does not.
“This isn’t an antidote to a 24-hour news cycle or years of propaganda and war literature on Muslims. It’s simply just one piece of the puzzle.”
“This character, this family talks a little less to each other and this character has less of an outlet so he’s more stuck. But the thing that I really love about this character and something that really resonates with me in real life is that when he has a problem or when he’s trying to figure himself out or get the best version of himself he prays,” Youssef said.
“He turns to God. That is where he goes, that is how he feels comfortable expressing himself and trying to figure himself out. This was something that was really important for me to put out there and that I wanted to have seen,” he added.
Youssef aims to depict the reality of Muslims in his show. He wants the audience to see that Muslims have the same problems, values, and desires other Americans do.
[Image Description: Three men, Youssef, left, with Mohammed Amer and Dave Merheje, are seated in prayer, while Youssef looks up and to the sky.] Via Barbara Nitke/Hulu
“I want the audience to see that Muslims have vulnerabilities. I want them [the audience] to take a look at the types of problems that this family and character face and understand that our problems are very much like anybody else problems.”
Through this show, Youssef hopes to recontextualize words and spaces, while also demystifying the tropes about how Muslims are and operate. “When you hear ‘Allahu Akhbar’ in America it means something violent, but when you watch this show, you realize that is something people say when they are looking to find a calm moment- when they are looking to reflect, just an act of worship that is tied to being a human.”
“Dehumanization here is what’s most important. Anything else is just very specific to this story and not really indicative of anything more than that,” he added.
When asked about the advice he would give to fellow Muslim Americans seeking to follow in his career path, Youssef spoke of the importance of taking risks.
“Try to pray and drink a lot of water.”
“Take risks, don’t be worried about the feedback that you may or may not get. Just know, that if you’re young and want to be something, you just have to be as authentic as you can. Be yourself,” Youseff said.
He finished his advice off with a practical note: “Try to pray and drink a lot of water.”
The first season of Ramy is available on Hulu. Earlier this year, the network announced that the show had been renewed for a second season.
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![[Image description: all the animated Disney villains together with a filter than goes from purple to red on them ] via as.com.](https://thetempest.co/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/disney-villains.jpg)
![[Image Description: image of Ursula from The Little Mermaid next to a black and white photo of the drag queen Divine.] via Twitter.](https://thetempest.co/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/ursula-divine.jpg)
![[Image Description: Governor Ratcliffe from Pocahontas singing while dressed fully in gold and holding his hands up in the air.] via Tumblr.](https://thetempest.co/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/ratcliffe.jpg)
![[Image Description: Two people are walking in a pride parade, with their back towards the camera. One of them is wearing a pride flag as a cape] Via Unsplash](https://thetempest.co/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Hungary-transgender.png)
![[Image description: Standing in a field of yellow flowers, a woman with brown skin and brown hair wearing a white shirt hugs a man with brown skin and brown hair wearing a leather jacket and a camouflaged backpack.] Via Yash Raj Films](https://thetempest.co/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Template-Featured-Image-2020-04-04T132200.275.png)
![[Image Description: Three men, Youssef, left, with Mohammed Amer and Dave Merheje, are seated in prayer, while Youssef looks up and to the sky.] Via Barbara Nitke/Hulu](https://thetempest.co/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/merlin_153228045_8f7de98d-89a8-4280-82c1-6e5e72da86ea-superJumbo-1024x683.jpg)
