5 Transgender Media Creators to Know About

Photo from Pixabay.com

By Travis Gray

The internet is a vast and wild world, and it was the first place I learned the term ‘transgender.’ Throughout my teenage years, I started to see more and more people that I related to and made me able to say, “Oh hey, I feel like that, too!” Here are a few influential trans people who helped me find my identity, hear different perspectives, and have people that I can see myself in in the world. 

Miles McKenna (he/they) was the first (as of when I found him) lesbian YouTuber I found. 6 years ago, I had an inkling of what transgender meant, but no living, breathing examples. The L and the G of LGBT were pretty self-explanatory to me, and just like Miles, I also identified as a lesbian. When I found his YouTube channel, he was an out and proud lesbian, and I got hooked on his videos. They were high energy, ridiculous, and perfect for a middle schooler. I related a lot to him- being very gender nonconforming or ‘tomboyish,’ not caring about body hair, and wanting to wear men’s clothing because “Hey it’s comfortable and has pockets.” On January 30^th, 2017, he posted a video titled “SO I’M TRANS*” where he came out as trans, shared his new name and pronouns, and started the journey of uncertainty. In my own journey, I had been starting to get a feel for what transgender meant and what it was, but I just wasn’t confident in what I knew or even what I felt. His video thrust it into my face and as he kept posting with this new confidence, energy, and happiness, I knew it was something I wanted, too. I was able to see someone who was already a role model to me go through the transition process and it helped me immensely. His “I AM MILES” video was athe biggest help, since it outlined his transition process and made them feel feasible! Honestly, I used that video and others of his after I came out to my parents to show them that, “Hey, this person did it and here is his journey.” We also learned that we had a family friend who was also transgender; the world is much smaller than you may think. Miles McKenna currently has a book called Out!: How to Be Your Authentic Self highlighting his transition, which is described as an “ultimate coming-out survival guide.” 

Miles’ 1 year transition video discussing testosterone and top surgery

Inspiration by Impact: A Highlight of Three Modern Female Musicians

Left to Right: Liz Harris, Quay Dash, Kelly Moran

By Remington Jensen

For decades the work of female musicians has been undermined by the work of their male counterparts, yet in the 90s, 00s and now the 10s that will soon move into the 20s the music industry — and music as a whole — is straying away from an ongoing landscape that has been long dominated by men. The transition however could not be possible without forward thinking and passionate musicians, and in this article I have decided to take note of a few of these creative female producers that to me are pioneering this changing battleground of sound!

Has it Gotten Any Better?

Measuring tape on a womans waist

By Delaney Hopen

In America’s fashion industry,  the “plus-size” identity has always been a prominent component. This “size” range is considered sizes 8 and above, and isn’t carried in every store. From my perspective, I never noticed any sort of shaming or disrespect towards women that don’t weigh 100 pounds in the media, but of course how could I? I was only a young teen in the grocery stores looking at the covers, I couldn’t possibly notice all the praise of major weight losses that are just subtle conditioning set in our societies to convince us losing weight is a good thing.

Don’t get me wrong, adjusting your life in order to be a healthy you is a great thing. Me being an exercise freak, I think it feels amazing to set a body goal and achieve it but I’ve never been told I had to change like a lot of women have in the fashion world. There are all types of trends today in the beauty and health industry that I’m sure the older generations might not legitimately believe are popular because advancements in makeup, skinny teas and dieting techniques, and online weight loss plans have become so accessible.

Friday Craftivism in University of Idaho.

Picture Courtesy: WC Facebook Page

By Samragyee Gautam.

Have you all heard about Friday Crafternoon organized by Women Center (WC) every Friday on campus at UofI? During one of my Friday visits to the WC, I witnessed a bunch of students and some staff hanging out in the lounge area engaging in various crafts and painting activities. With some research I came to know about this unique weekly event, which is an amazing opportunity for all the students as well as faculty and staff on campus to meet new people as well as to learn and explore about art.

Iris Alatorre who is the office manager at WC, often leads these crafternoons. According to her, this program started last January with a goal to offer students some weekly space to hang out in the Women Center and help them get to know the staff as well as the services provided by the office. Because of the Women’s Center’s current location, the ground floor of Memorial Gym, not a lot of students are aware of this specific program or resource provided on campus to help and promote women equality. One of the services the Women’s Center provides is this free crafting activity every week. Anyone is welcome to come and do some crafting or just spend some time with friends every Friday anytime between 12pm to 2pm with the exception of Finals week.

A Passion For Learning: My Story

By Lindsey Heflin

Hi readers! My name is Lindsey Heflin, and I am a junior at the University of Idaho majoring in Advertising and minoring in Professional Writing, Marketing, Art, and Aerospace Studies. I am involved in the UI Honors Program, Greek life, the Department of Student Involvement, the UI Advertising Team, the Vandal Reps Tour Guide crew and more! I am a bit of a busy bee, and while it’s often hard to stop myself from committing to another club or minor, my friends and family inform of me of the sad and unfortunate truth: I cannot do everything.

Part of the reason I book myself to the brim with classes, is because I truly have a passion for learning. I am no Einstein when it comes to my subjects, but as I think about the world we live in today, I can’t help but reflect on how lucky I am to receive an education and get the opportunity to freely learn in the college of my choosing.

Tattoos and Women

By Kali Nelson

You are enough with a watercolor background. Photo thanks to Brooke Butters

One of my best friends got her first tattoo at 19. It was on her foot and it said Hakuna Matata. This set something off in me, a desire to do something permeant like that. But I was not brave like my friend, I stuck to poking holes in my ears. Then came the movement when thousands of women, all at once, went out and got, she persisted, tattooed on themselves. My friend was strange, exotic, how could she a young woman who still lived at home get a tattoo. No one else I knew lived life so dangerously. Women, it had always seemed to me, did not get tattoos; it was not only morally wrong but would also lead to regret. These women were not women you wanted to be associated with, they were sluts, they had no sense of foresight, they’re boring, or they’re just mentally ill or selfish.

The Waves of Feminist Art

By Olivia Comstock

Bengalis Ad by Lynda Bengalis (1974) is probably the most controversial feminist artwork ever.

HISTORICALLY

If you flip through any book about art, from any time, on any movement, the artists that will be featured are primarily men. Historically, women’s relationship with art has not been a good one. Women have been involved in art in one of two ways. The first is when women were subjects of paintings and objects of male desire. Nude portraits, which have been prominent since the Renaissance, are predominantly of women. In addition, the women in these portraits are presented as shy, demure, and pleasing to men. They do not look at the viewer, but instead look off to the side, which shows weakness. They are lounged in a way that displays their sexuality for the pleasure of the viewer, but they in no way own their own sexuality.

Gender Roles in Abstract Expressionism

Abstract Expressionist artist Jackson Pollock’s iconic painting

By Olivia Comstock

When we think of the 1950s today, we think of a time of extremely biased gender stereotypes and strict gender roles. This affected every aspect of life, including one’s daily routine, school, politics, culture, movies, and even art. However, there are more nuances to the gender dynamic in the 1950s than simply very masculine men and very feminine women. Within the Abstract Expressionist art movement, women were treated similar to how they were in general society, but the expectations on them were more complex. Being both women and artists allowed the social requirements for women to be placed on them while also having to play the role of the artist. Simultaneously, they were supposed to be mothers and wives because they were women, but at the same time were not supposed to be mothers or wives because they were artists. They were supposed to support their husbands, many of whom were artists, but if they wanted to be taken seriously then they should prioritize their own art. Additionally, because of the subject matter of Abstract Expressionism, women were not only navigating the art world and social world, but they were also featured as negative themes in many paintings by men.

Abstract Expressionist was a prominent avant-garde art movement in New York City during the 1950s in the United States. Even though this movement features primarily male artists, female artists complicated the expectations of their gender. The gender dynamics of the 1950s in America were deeply imbedded within Abstract Expressionism through interactions between the artists and through the art itself. Men, such as William de Kooning, Jackson Pollock, Barnett Newman, and Mark Rothko, dominated Abstract Expressionism. All of these artists projected extreme masculinity through their art practice and mannerisms. At the same time, several female artists, such as Elaine de Kooning, Joan Mitchell, and Lee Krasner, were aware of this and were trying to find a space for themselves and for success through their own work.

3 Poems

By Emily Alexander 

Drawing of different people standing close to each other.

I have been struggling to figure out what to say about the election, and what kind of post I wanted to write for this week. There is so much hurt right now. I am one of the lucky ones, whose circumstances have put me in a place of relative privilege that allows me to search for and find love. So mostly I want to listen. For this post, I decided to share three of my poems; the first two are about the most important women in my life, and the last is a love poem. I am hoping that I am lucky enough to have this little bit of light, and to give it.

Positive and Negative Liberty and The Handmaid’s Tale

By Kate Ringer

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood is a novel dating from the late eighties that I read recently with my book club. I’ll be honest, it wasn’t the most fantastic book I’ve ever read, but it certainly made me think. It tells the story of Offred, a middle aged woman who is struggling to find her place in a society in transition. This novel was fairly dystopian, but what made it different than other dystopian novels that I’ve read is that I felt like this is something that I could see happening in my lifetime, practically at any moment. It was realistic, and it said something about American culture that scared me.