Emerging Voices
Our voices matter. For too long, the narratives and expertise of young queer and trans people of color in the South and Midwest have been ignored or talked over. URGE showcases young content creators and storytellers who have the opportunity to gain skills in writing for a variety of blogs and media outlets, creating engaging digital content, while using social media to amplify their work. EmURGEing Voices highlights the views of young people on issues related Reproductive Justice and gender equity. Explore their work here.
We've Freed the Pill. It's Time to Free Sex Ed.
As a Georgian, sex education in school primarily consisted of graphic photos of sexually transmitted infections (STIs). As a Latina, at home, sex education was nonexistent and as a Catholic, my sex education was full of shame. I learned what I could from friends, the internet, and pamphlets I’d sneak from my pediatrician’s office, but …
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Trans & Intersex Are Separate Categories, But Our Fates Are Inextricably Linked.
In a world increasingly polarized by debates about LGBTQIA+ rights, it is more important than ever to recognize the fundamental human right to bodily autonomy. Unnecessary and non-consensual surgical interventions on intersex children and bans on gender-affirming care for transgender youth emerge as a reminder of the United States’ lack of protection for this fundamental …
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Stop Labeling Every Form of Gender Transgression Drag. Drag is Black Queer History
On March 2nd, 2023 Governor Bill Lee of Tennessee signed Senate Bill 3, also known as the Tennessee Adult Entertainment Act. The bill makes engaging in “adult cabaret” in public or “in a location where the adult cabaret could be viewed by a person who is not an adult” a punishable offense. The bill goes …
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Finding Reproductive Justice: “No Más Bebés” & The Limitations Of “Pro-Choice”
I’m proud to be a Latina, but I wasn’t always. Growing up in a predominantly white community in Georgia, my family and I were often targets of incredibly ignorant and hurtful microaggressions. I’ve lost count of how many times someone has made assumptions about how my parents arrived to the United States, or where I’m …
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To be young, houseless, and pregnant
When Beyoncé wrote “America Has a Problem,” she was likely talking about many things in this country, from economic inequality to the frequency of mass shootings. But perhaps one of the U.S.’ most alarming problems is its sustained housing crisis. Black and brown maternal health is one of the many reproductive justice issues that first …
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HIV Stigma and Queerphobia in Pop Culture and Public Health
May 16, 2023
/ Quasheba A
/ Our Folks
Disclaimer: Mentions of HIV Stigma, anti-LGBTQ+ stigma, and healthcare discrimination As I entered adulthood, I began having more access and space to talk about sex. Being raised in a household where sexual health was not discussed, and there were anti-LGBTQ+ attitudes, talking about sex and expressing curiosities about dating were new to me. One thing …
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Who Taught You, You Weren’t Worthy of Joy? Who Taught You, You Weren’t Deserving of Pleasure?
I’d like to begin this essay with a couple questions. Who is deserving of pleasure, and who has the right to joy? How can we begin to obtain this pleasure and joy? And what happens when we center our actions, activism, and resistance around this pleasure and joy? Community Organizers and the activists who center …
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When it’s “Errbody Business”: Bbymutha’s Sex-Positivity
May 01, 2023
/ Quasheba A
/ Our Folks
Disclaimer: References to sexually explicit content and imagery. One of my favorite rappers is Chattanooga native Bbymutha. Bbymutha transforms the dimensions of Black queerness, motherhood, and womanhood in her music through her skillful lyricism that seeks to reclaim sexuality, pleasure, and agency. I was particularly drawn to Bbymutha for being unapologetically Black and Queer and …
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Towards “Good” Sex: Concepts from Music and Pop Culture
Apr 06, 2023
/ Quasheba A
/ Our Folks
Disclaimer: This blog includes references to sex, genitalia, and implicit erotic and nude imagery. For the purposes of this blog, the context of “sex” will only encompass sexual experiences outside of sexual violence. In her hit single “Tragic” from the album Heaux Tales, Jazmine Sullivan details an unsatisfying sexual experience with a casual sex partner. …
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