Winter Trabex

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By Winter Trabex • 12 years ago

The Right of Women to Protest

As near as I can tell, the ultimate goal of feminism is the removal of all patriarchal boundaries that work to restrict individual choice with regards to gender. All genders are supposed to be equal, the feminist will say, and we utilize the ballot box as a means of securing our own liberty. Of course, women didn’t always have the right to vote. For a very long time, women have been seen as second-class citizens while pecking away at each separate issue that holds them down. Getting burned at the stake for wearing men’s clothing is no less a relevant issue to women than is being unable to find safe abortion care in the event of a medical complication. Let’s face it: women have always had a tough road to travel.

Only, does voting really serve the ends of gender equality? During the deliberately atrocious Republican Party statements (deliberately to keep people talking about them, which is a kind of campaign strategy) made in this past spring’s candidate debates where people like Herman Cain and Michelle Bachmann embarrassed themselves, everyone who paid any mind had to listen to the usual party rhetoric. Gay marriage is a sin. Immigrants don’t deserve anything. Abortion should be illegal. And so on and so forth, all the similar statements recited from a playbook given to them by the people holding the purse strings. A feminist will say that voting for a Democrat is the better choice because the ...

By Winter Trabex • 13 years ago

A Letter to My Sixteen-Year-Old Self

All right, get up off the couch, put down the Super Nintendo controller and listen for a second okay? Although, since this a letter, I suppose “read” would be more appropriate. You know those feelings you have of not fitting anywhere, feeling like you have to kill yourself just to find some kind of release from the constant tug of war you feel at school? I’m here to tell you that you don’t need to die, there is another way out.

It’s called graduating high school. Yes, that’s right, although it seems hopeless for you, stuck in the worst institution your country has to offer with no support and no one to explain to you what it is you are feeling, ...

By Winter Trabex • 13 years ago

Book Review: Fighting the Crusade Against Sex

The paperback book I held in my hand on a Friday afternoon was white and pink. It had the smell of freshness about it, the olfactory sensation that told me it had received a minimum of use by human beings. I paid for the book on September 23, 2011 on a pre-order sale. I had to wait three months later until I had my purchase in my hands. When I finally did receive it (from the author herself during her November visit to Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania), I went through it in three days. The best descriptor for this book is: addicting.

I knew a little bit about Jill McDevitt going in. She owns a female-positive sex shop in West Chester, ...

The paperback book I held in my hand on a Friday afternoon was white and pink. It had the smell of freshness about it, the olfactory sensation that told me it had received a minimum of use ...

By Winter Trabex • 13 years ago

Lessons from a Nude Blogger

Aliaa Magda Elmahdy, a female citizen of Egypt, took a picture of herself in the nude and posted it on the internet. The blog contains not only images of herself in the nude, but drawings of women, a picture of a nude man, a picture of a cat and a picture of George W. Bush and his wife stylized as Simpsons characters. One picture she posted shows her image side-by-side three times, each image with a yellow stripe across a part of her body. The stripes were placed across her vagina, her mouth and her eyes. The blog is not merely an exhibitionist frolic across the internet, it is a form of artistic expression. This fact seems lost on ...

Aliaa Magda Elmahdy, a female citizen of Egypt, took a picture of herself in the nude and posted it on the internet. The blog contains not only images of herself in the nude, but drawings of ...

By Winter Trabex • 13 years ago

Women In Need

On a Tuesday evening, I hopped in my car, turned on my GPS device and drove to Chambersburg. I had been invited to take a tour of a shelter for women who have been victims of domestic violence. The shelter is called Women in Need.

I sat on the sidewalk, having arrived a half hour early. Much to my surprise, the address I had been given was for the shelter’s office. The shelter itself is in a secret location. The person who came to meet me drove me there in her car.

I noticed right away that the stairs leading up to the building were not in compliance with handicap regulations. They were steep and required some effort to ascend. Inside, ...

On a Tuesday evening, I hopped in my car, turned on my GPS device and drove to Chambersburg. I had been invited to take a tour of a shelter for women who have been victims of domestic ...

By Winter Trabex • 13 years ago

You Deserve It

At first glance, Lloyd Banks’ song “I Don’t Deserve You” might appear to be a regurgitation of pop-culture or a song that was made because some people got together and decided they could make a song. Certainly, the song does not reflect on the often-felt (and usually female-owned) feeling that one person in a relationship between two people does not deserve to be with their partner. Unfortunately for Lloyd, his featured artist (Jeremih) doesn’t add much value to the song. In fact, Jeremih’s contributions are downright misogynist. At one point he says, “And yeah, you’re finger-lickin fine.”

Oh please. Women are not chickens and you are not Colonel Sanders. Let’s get that clear from the outset, shall we?

What the ...

By Winter Trabex • 13 years ago

It’s Not a Game (Even Though It Is)

If you’re female and have ever played games in which people could type to each other across the internet, you’ve likely encountered the whole “I bet you’re a guy” thing. Grossness. I mean, c’mon guys, do you really imagine that women have no inclination towards playing games whatsoever? It’s not as though there isn’t a magazine dedicated solely for female gamers or a website dedicated to posting pics of gamer girls doing what they do best. (Yes, there are pics so it definitely did happen.) Instead, males want to assume that there is no gender variation within online gaming communities at all- this despite the fact that developers have been trying to develop games that appeal to women, ...

By Winter Trabex • 13 years ago

A Clearing in the Forest

When I first came out as transgender in the spring of 2009, I didn’t really know what it meant beyond the academic definition of the word. I knew that this fit me, this was a good way to describe who I was. That summer, as I lived on campus to do classwork, I wondered whether or not I should come out to my roommate. He was an early freshmen and I don’t know what all they teach in high school these days, but I’m pretty sure Queer Theory isn’t one of the subjects. It’s a very hard sell to get taxpayer dollars used to teach people about LGBT things- despite the fact that the taxes are going to be deducted ...

When I first came out as transgender in the spring of 2009, I didn’t really know what it meant beyond the academic definition of the word. I knew that this fit me, this was a good way ...