By Emily Laptad
Photos by Travis Young
When 12-year-old Sav Rodgers discovered the 1998 film Chasing Amy, it quickly became his life raft while growing up in Johnson County, Kansas. Not only did the film include LGBTQ+ representation young he desperately needed, but the queer characters were good, intelligent, funny, and out—something Rodgers had very little exposure to.
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By Ayanna Smith
Art by Maddy Best
If you type “male gaze” into the search bar on Twitter or TikTok, you’ll be met with thousands of hot takes on the issue. From videos questioning whether a new TV show really gives depth to the female protagonist to explanations of why a beloved 90s film is actually super misogynistic, they all call for more media that showcases the female gaze. Let’s dive into what that means.
You know the male gaze when you see it. It’s when a female character’s purpose is to pleasure the male protagonist. We barely know anything about her or her objectives, she’s just there to help the protagonist achieve his goals. Take most of the James Bond movies as an easy example of this: his female co-stars are often objectified and seen as passive helpers.
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By Sophia-Joelle McDowell
New 32 Productions is a small, woman and queer-owned independent film company based in North Carolina. The company bases its decisions on values and is hell-bent on creating better conditions for creators in indie film.
With New 32 Productions, they focus on developing small crews of people who are treated well and are good at what they do. And their team is stacked.
Raven Angeline Whisnant wears a lot of hats. She leads the team, films, produces, directs, edits, writes, and constantly needs to be ready to deal with whatever the day calls for. Co-founder Charlie Monroe is another woman of many talents. Monroe is even starring as the title character in the upcoming comedy Bernard Gets Famous. Additionally, she wrote their new short film debut, Biters & Bleeders.
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By Sophia-Joelle McDowell
When Trump campaigned for president in 2016, he rejected feminism. By the end of his presidency, the list of sexist comments he made was lengthy. His views on women fueled the growth of many feminist activists. Madigan and her previous co-host Keegan of the Your Angry Neighborhood Feminist podcast were no exception.
After attending a march the day after Trump was elected, the two wanted to make a more significant statement. Eager to keep the conversation going, Your Angry Neighborhood Feminist was born to create a space for support, education, and growth.
We spoke with Madigan about the podcast and goal to create a community of loving and like-minded intersectional feminists and a place for support.
By Max Sheffield-Baird
CW: discussion of domestic abuse, sexual assault, incest, victim blaming
Trauma is both a personal journey and a community reckoning. Survivors understand better than most that the abusers lurk amongst the illustrious, the trusted, and those who are seen as leaders in their community circles. This bears out in headline after headline, but even deeper and closer to home for so many of us.
Dr. Judith Herman’s book Truth and Repair gives us a roadmap for truth, accountability, and healing as a community that does more than pay lip service to survivors. How many of us have been made to feel that it was our speaking our truth that was the problem instead of those who would use and abuse their authority against us? I wanted to know how survivors can navigate the personal and political, and Dr. Herman brings a lifetime of insights and experiences to this work.
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Catcall 