You’re hurting the children, actually — It’s Banned Books Week, and this country is facing some serious censorship issues. For those who may not be in the know, book banning is the process of removing or restricting literature due to objections from individuals or groups about its content. In most contexts, this means taking them off…

This generalized disdain for all things male and/or masculine is hurting the most marginalized among us — I would like to preface this piece by assuring you the sentiment here isn’t the same “Not All Men” rhetoric that’s plagued Twitter, or any preference towards #PickMe culture that’s designed to put down women who are having the necessary conversations about sexism and gender roles in society. At this…

“Have you tried…?” and other things people with chronic conditions are tired of hearing. — I have chronic conditions and comorbidities. It’s a hard thing for me to talk about. It has a name, but I struggle to say it. And to be honest, to further prove the point of this article and avoid the very thing I’m denouncing in the comments, I won’t be…

How she gets it right when so many others fall short — If I can be honest, I’m not big on music videos these days and haven’t been for a long time. I see two women flicking their tongues at each other, eyes turned towards the camera — a proxy for a presumably male viewer — rubbing each other’s bodies while simultaneously…

Why are Black people only expected to thrive under duress? — My partner recently completed a training program for a technical field that introduced them to the first Black instructor they’ve ever had in all of their educational history — and they have a Bachelor’s degree. All the trainees were low-income, in the age range of 18–24, and most were Black…

I’m not in the business of arguing with strangers online — I write about a lot of “controversial” topics. Social justice. Feminism. Blackness. And for the most part, I’m having a good time. Reading other articles and doing the research that goes along with writing has been enjoyable, if a lot of work at times. But overall I would describe my…

Sub-genres I started reading that changed my worldview — Like a lot of people I know, I spent my formative years immersed in fictional worlds. I was a regular at the local library. I was sneakily reading trilogies under my desk when I should’ve been doing calculus. I rarely spent more than a few days per book and blew…

Gender’s not a fact. The man is transphobic. Can we move on? — Can we move on? Please? I’m so tired. Ever since The Closer dropped on October 5th, the internet has kind of sucked. More so than usual, anyway. The comedy special was immediately trending as one of the top programs on Netflix, and ever since I haven’t managed to escape it…

“I like to f*ck and I’m really good at it” has become its own genre of music among Black female artists — I recently saw comedian and 2 Dope Queens co-creator Phoebe Robinson do a live set in which she joked about being bad at sex. Just straight up honesty about how she’s a little bit lazy and likes missionary. It was funny, but also gave me the flooring realization that I’d…