Athlete and activist Gwendolyn Berry is taking a stand in the opposite direction of the American flag. At the Olympic trials on June 26th, the newly qualified track and field Olympians were standing on the podium when “The Star Spangled Banner” began to play. Gwendolyn Berry (at bottom center in photo above) turned to face away from the flag and draped a t-shirt with “activist athlete” printed on it over her head. The hammer thrower and 2016 Olympian, known for her political activism, has been demonstrating during...

There are 4 elements of the tarot: Fire (wands), air (swords), earth (pentacles, or coins), and water (cups). Each element is lauded over by a King and Queen, who represent the most righteous form, the pinnacle, of each element’s power. Kings are great and all, but yawn, patriarchy. The Queens of the tarot channel feminine energy and are known for approaching problems with intuition and inner strength, rather than the blunt force of the Kings.   In this new four-part weekly series, we feature one Tarot Kween...

On Saturday, Sha’Carri Richardson was named the fastest woman in America. The 21-year-old hailing from South Dallas burned up the track with her fiery orange hair and as she completed the 100-meter dash in 10.86 seconds. Thirty meters before the finish line, Richardson pointed at the clock, knowing what she was about to accomplish. After completing the race, she went to the stands and straight into her grandmother’s embrace. In an interview with NBC immediately after her race, Richardson revealed that her biological mother passed away last...

June 22 is Octavia E. Butler’s birthday! Butler was a renowned Black author who wrote groundbreaking science fiction, Afrofuturist, and feminist books. She received a MacArthur “Genius” Grant and PEN West Lifetime Achievement Award for her work, among many other notable recognitions and accolades. She was the author of several best-selling, award-winning novels, including Kindred (1979), Parable of the Sower (1993), and Fledgling (2005). Butler passed away at the age of 58 in 2006; she would’ve been 76 years old today. In honor of Butler’s birthday, here...

Women on social media are outraged after a leaked draft of the World Health Organization’s, WHO, Global Alcohol Action Plan for 2022-2030 discussed the importance of “prevention of drinking among pregnant women and women of childbearing age,” as reported by Newsweek.  Preventing pregnant women from drinking is reasonable given the damaging effects of fetal alcohol syndrome, but preventing the majority of women from drinking because they are simply able to have children at some from the age of 14 (or so) to the age of 54...

There are 4 elements of the tarot: Fire (wands), air (swords), earth (pentacles, or coins), and water (cups). Each element is lauded over by a King and Queen, who represent the most righteous form, the pinnacle, of each element’s power. Kings are great and all, but yawn, patriarchy. The Queens of the tarot channel feminine energy and are known for approaching problems with intuition and inner strength, rather than the blunt force of the Kings.   In this new series, we feature one Tarot Kween each week...

It turns out that many non-white and Indigenous cultures have historically been pretty progressive when it comes to sexual and social behaviors that strayed from the binary. In fact, many of these cultures didn’t have a strict binary to begin with! It wasn’t until European colonizers arrived that the queer, Indigenous traditions began to be replaced with things deemed appropriate by their conquerors, such as Christianity, slavery, and golf. Here are three fantastically queer cultural practices from around the globe that said “fuck you!” to...

Many terrifying statistics have come out due to the COVID-19 pandemic, one of them being an alarming increase in suicide attempts among adolescent girls.  According to a new study by the Center for Disease Control, visits to the ER as a result of suicide attempts have risen 50.6% among girls ages 12-17. In males, the number, while still serious, increased by 3.7%.  "The mean weekly number of these visits was 26.2% higher during summer 2020 and 50.6% higher during winter 2021, compared with the corresponding periods in...

Alicia Keys posted a video to her Instagram yesterday in which she discussed how her morning routine in front of her mirror changed her life. In the video, she reveals how every morning, she stands in front of a mirror and takes in what she sees while playing the song “I Am the Light of the Soul.” “You are supposed to look at yourself with no judgment, just acknowledge," says Keys, "and get used to seeing you.”         View this post on Instagram                       A post shared by Alicia Keys...

Girls Just Wanna Have Rum Want to enjoy the kitschy glamour and delicious refreshment of Tiki cocktail culture without the gnarly colonial aftertaste? Women are leading the way, creating a tropical drink revival for a more enlightened generation The room glows amber, its walls papered with gold-leaf palm fronds. Bird calls emanate from the speakers, buoyed by the soft lilt of vibraphone. Revelers sip orchid-laden elixirs while topless, brown-skinned women, painted on backgrounds of black velvet, smile demurely from their frames. The menu boasts an array of...