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Dildo or Dildon’t – A Plug for Sex Toy Regulation in the U.S.

07.25.21

Abstract Despite the fact that most sex toys are intended to be used on some of the most vulnerable parts of the body, the sex toy industry continues to operate with no oversight or safety regulation, which puts sex toy consumers at significant risk for both acute and chronic injuries. Therefore, it is necessary to […]

How to Abolish Gender

07.25.21

      I.         Purpose The present structure which dominates gender in our society, patriarchy, is incredibly oppressive, and calls to dismantle it have rung for generations. However, these calls are often entrenched in an oppressive gender binary. What if we did not stop at patriarchy and dismantled gender hierarchies entirely? This article does not intend to make a […]

Transgender Oklahomans Sound Off on the Difficulties Created by the Covid-19 Pandemic

07.25.21

The Covid-19 Pandemic has transformed the lives of hundreds of millions of people across the world in 2020, with exacerbated hardships for transgender people in politically conservative states like Oklahoma due to regressive social policies. An abrupt halt to necessary resources, isolation from fellow transgender peers, and having to move back in with or spend […]

Let’s Call Chechnya’s Systematic Murder of LGBT+ Individuals What it Is

07.25.21

In 2018, Maksim Lapunov became one of the most widely known victims of a government-sanctioned purge of gay, bisexual, transgender, and other non-heterosexual men and those who did not conform to traditional gender norms in the Chechen Republic, Russia.[i] He alleged that for twelve days, the government of the Chechen Republic unlawfully detained him in Grozny, […]

Advocating for Intersectional Sex Worker Representation In Academia

07.20.21

The lives of sex workers and the obstacles they face are starkly unexplored in academic literature. Contrary to past connotations of sex work involving only prostitution, the digital age has inspired countless outlets for people to make money by selling their time, images, videos, or by webcamming (Amir, 2020). The normalization of sex work in […]

On Switzerland’s struggle with socio-political advance: the tedious path to the legalization of same-gender marriage

07.20.21

Introduction Switzerland is often viewed as a beacon of democracy and progress.[i] A half-direct democratic system allows the country’s citizens a high level of involvement in policy matters: as often as ten times a year, the Swiss population goes to the polls to vote about constitutional changes, initiatives and facultative referenda. In smaller cantons and local […]

Syrians need more than a compassionate plea to renew cross-border humanitarian aid

07.6.21

Over the past weeks and months, numerous think tanks and individuals have published reports and briefs on the looming humanitarian crisis in northwest Syria. [[1]] This déjà vu moment has not been lost on actors and agencies focused on aid in Syria. In mere weeks, the last remaining entry-point for humanitarian aid into northwest Syria […]

Syria Needs Cross-Border Aid. Washington Needs Focus.

07.2.21

The war in Syria continues to constitute one of the most complex contexts in the Middle East today, with few realistic policy solutions available to end the conflict. That said, the upcoming July 10 debate over the renewal of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2533 (UNSCR 2533) concerning cross-border humanitarian aid marks a flashpoint that […]

“Foundations: How to Do Better on Racial Equity?” Research Report and Recommendations

07.2.21

10 main observations, key challenges, best practices, and 7 recommendations innovatively presented thanks to 50 interviews of philanthropic leaders, to do better on racial equity.

Gender, Race and Identity

No More Stolen Sisters: America’s Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women

07.1.21

In the early 1600s, a 15-year-old Native American girl was kidnapped from her home in what is now called Virginia. She was raped and forced to marry an English adult, a process in which she had to convert to Christianity and adopt the name Rebecca. Ultimately, she died under mysterious circumstances in England, with some […]

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