Demanding Diversity

If one more human tells me that my biological clock is ticking, I am going to take off my size 5 shoe and throw it at them as hard as I can. Since I am about to graduate, I'm getting many questions about what I am going to do with the rest of my life. Understandably so. But I am tired of people telling me my plans sound incomplete because they don't involve any miniature humans. I guess it is a weird concept for people to understand that a woman is capable of not wanting kids. It's not even really that I don't like kids. I don't mind kids. Kids today are scary. They are growing up in such a hard time. They are growing up attached to phones by the age of two and capable of picking up vast life concepts by five. One of my best friends has a two year old and a five year old. The two year old screams bloody murder if you won't let him have a tablet and the five year old was greatly concerned when Trump was elected. A five year old. He asked me if he was going to...

The 2017 Women's March took place on Saturday, January 21st between 9:00 AM and 4:00 PM. Over 5 million women worldwide participated, which an emphasis of over 2 million women who marched on Washington D.C.. They marched, they spoke, they chanted - but most of all, they inspired. They gave those who lost hope on November 8th a glimmer of what is on the other side of the next four years. They gave those who were silenced on November 8th, a voice.   (Photo taken from: http://nytlive.nytimes.com/womenintheworld/2016/11/11/million-women-march-being-planned-for-january-21-2017-in-d-c/)  The Women's March changed how women approached resisting the election of Donald Trump into office. It changed how women were able to make their voices heard. It encouraged them to speak out against injustice and helped the silent find a voice. Many celebrities attended the March and inspired many with their speeches. Natalie Portman was among many celebrities who spoke, declaring that ...

In the midst of all the activism taking place since the United States' most recent President has unleashed a wave of bigotry and hatred across the country, there are several companies that are outspoken in their support of marginalized groups - such as the LGBTQIA community. Companies both big and small have thrown their support towards ending discrimination and persecution of LGBTQIA individuals.  These companies are vital to ensuring the future of activism in corporate America stays alive.  A short list: Oreo Betty Crocker  Cheerio's  Levi's Disney World American Apparel Wheaties Starbucks Tide Microsoft  Pampers Home Depot Safeway Pepsi Old Navy Crest Toothpaste Macy's JC Penny Target Walgreen's  Pillsbury  Ford Gap Green Giant  Lush Cosmetics  Apple Facebook NIKE Ben & Jerry's  eBay  Google  AT&T Instagram  Johnson & Johnson  Marc Jacobs Citi Orbitz Goldma...

Like any of well-off, privileged, 20-something year old girl, before last week I owned 4 leather handbags. I've made the decision to get rid of my leather goods. Which includes all my handbags, wallets, boots, and anything else that could fall under the 'I feel like an asshole when I wear it' category. I'm an advocate for animal rights. I harp on people all the time for cruel practices that are still used today, but are often disregarded due to being unseen. The worst of the worst usually happens outside the U.S., in places like China or India - where there are virtually no laws regarding the treatment of animals, or the laws are rarely enforced. Cows, sheep, and even domesticated animals like dogs and cats are killed for skin. They need their skin more than I need a leather handbag.   I am dedicated to using companies that are clear on their stance against animal cruelty. Not all designers use leather, there are several that have made the move to using faux fur. C...

"If you are black or you are brown or you are gay or you are lesbian or you are trans, or maybe you're just a sissy singing boy from Tennessee, anyone who is treating you unkindly, it's only because they are afraid or they have been taught to be afraid of how important you are. Because being different means you make the difference, so fuck 'em." Justin Timberlake gave a heartwarming inclusion speech while accepting the Song of the Year award for 'Can't Stop the Feeling' at the 2017 iHeartRadio Music Awards. My heart absolutely melted. Like it usually does when Justin Timberlake does... basically anything. This was such an inspiring message JT delivered to the iHeartRadio audience on Sunday. He picked a huge platform to share his message and it has millions of RT's on Twitter to share with the world.  He is embracing being different. Though he isn't much different himself, being a straight white boy from Tennessee, it is inspiring t...

Ciara McElveen.  Chyna Doll.  Mesha Caldwell.  Jamie Lee Wounded Arrow.  Jojo Striker.  Jaquarrius Holland.  Keke Collier.  At least 7 transgender women have been murdered so far in 2017.  Their names need to be known. But this goes beyond a hashtag. This goes beyond cries of anger and sadness on Twitter. This is a wave of hatred and fear spreading across the United States.  We know that we most often fear what we don't understand. We must create a society where everything tries to understand. I don't think anyone is asking for the 60+ year old's in the retirement community to suddenly have a clear understanding of all the progression we've made regarding sexual orientation and gender. But we can sure as hell ask them to try.  We can ask everyone to feel compassion.  We can ask everyone to feel empathy. We can ask everyone to feel open to new concepts and ideas.  The future of the trans community dep...