Ok, the world is going through a lot right now: basic human rights are being threatened and violated, there’s the increasingly plausible threat of the next World War looming over us, everything feels like it’s getting more expensive, and we all seem to hate each other; sometimes we really do, and sometimes (sometimes. In my belief, this shouldn't be normalized) with good reason. Some may say we have collectively lost the plot. Some of us––so many of us––are just plain tired, anxious, and/or scared.
The idea of a “perfect victim” is a racist, sexist, outdated myth. Life is messy. Relationships are messy. Victims can be any age, any race, and any gender. Combs’ certainly are.
With the arrival of Summer also comes, for many (myself included), feelings of anticipatory dread for what’s ahead. Summer is but a brief interlude, after all––as much as one may love this season, everyone knows that it won’t last forever. For students, especially, it feels so temporary, because it is. It is but a blimp, a pause from what society tells us (and I’m not necessarily arguing) really matters: hard work, perhaps in the form of academics, employment, or various duties that one may be subject to fulfill throughout the year. For people who dread such things, for various reasons, this can make Summer nothing more than a season of anxiety and apprehension. It can be hard to live in the moment when you aren’t looking forward to the future.
Ok, the world is going through a lot right now: basic human rights are being threatened and violated, there’s the increasingly plausible threat of the next World War looming over us, everything feels like it’s getting more expensive, and we all seem to hate each other; sometimes we really do, and sometimes (sometimes. In my belief, this shouldn't be normalized) with good reason. Some may say we have collectively lost the plot. Some of us––so many of us––are just plain tired, anxious, and/or scared.
The idea of a “perfect victim” is a racist, sexist, outdated myth. Life is messy. Relationships are messy. Victims can be any age, any race, and any gender. Combs’ certainly are.
Queer people have expressed it’s potential performative perception, and straight fans have expressed discomfort at the songs “unnecessary” nature. Yet at the end of the day, Swift’s advocacy, performative or not, always comes back with a positive effect.
25-year-old Deja Foxx is an American politician and activist who runs on dreams, ambitions, and eight hours of sleep. After gaining viral fame at 16 for standing up to former Senator Jeff Flake, a Republican who voted to defund Planned Parenthood centers in Arizona, Foxx crossed a threshold into a world that desperately needed a fighter. Now, as a candidate in the special election for Arizona’s 7th congressional district, she’s fighting for a better future.
Hailing from South Texas, Mexican-American author Gabriella Gamez is an artistic soul who replenishes her creative streak by immersing herself in all kinds of stories, which is proven by her bestselling series, Librarians in Love. In her latest novel, Kiss Me, Maybe, Gamez introduces librarian Angela Gutierrez, who finds herself in an unusual predicament: at 27, she’s never been kissed. After posting a video about her situation, and her asexual identity, Angela unexpectedly becomes an influencer. To take control of her narrative, she launches a scavenger hunt where the winner earns her first kiss. But things get complicated when Krystal Ramírez, the charming bartender and Angela’s longtime crush, enters the picture. As the hunt gains momentum and her relationship with Krystal deepens, Angela starts to realize she may be falling for someone who doesn’t believe she’s capable of love.
This summer, my little library card became more than just a card. It became a reminder that the things we love never really leave us.
Ego death is the undoing of everything you ever believed made you, you. It is not graceful. It is not cinematic. It is terrifying in its quiet unraveling, the slow peeling away of identity until you don’t know where your skin ends and the air begins.
There are many companies that have caved to the administration’s ideology this year out of fear, and there are also companies that have done and continue to do genuinely great work for the community. Both things can be true. But remember: if you want to support the LGBTQ+ community during Pride Month, and all year round, spend your money at a local queer-owned business rather than a trillion-dollar company.
