The gun crisis in America is so severe that people would actually have a child elsewhere with solid gun regulations, just not here. TW: this article contains descriptions of murder and gun violence. On October 28, 2000, I was with a dear friend when we were held at gunpoint during a robbery. The assailant shot my...
Author: Sezin Koehler (Sezín Koehler)
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Please Stop Telling Depressed and Suicidal People to “Reach Out”
If you think someone is in trouble, you should reach out to them. Not the other way around. [TW: this essay contains descriptions of suicidal ideation, attempted death by suicide, abuse, trauma, and depression.] In 2002 I moved from California to Switzerland, back in with my family, after attempting suicide. It was actually my second attempt,...
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What You Need to Know About Abortion Doulas and Their Vital Work
Abortion doulas work to normalize the termination process from start to finish. While most people have heard of birth doulas and generally understand their support role during pregnancy, labor, and after, very few have heard of abortion doulas and know even less about what they do to support people terminating pregnancies. Gina Martinez Valentín first...
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14 Self-Care Tips for Sexual Assault Survivors Suffering from PTSD
In honor of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, here are some important self-care tips for when things become too much. For those suffering from acute or long-term post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression, there are often times when these become so overwhelming that it can be difficult to even accomplish the basic functions of daily living....
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Frida Kahlo Was a Communist, So Stop Capitalizing Off Her Likeness
Frida isn’t a commodity, she was a person who fought against materialistic consumerism. As someone who has spent almost 20 years studying the life and art of Frida Kahlo, I’ve mused for hours over what her doll version would look. Here’s the Frida doll I’ve imagined: Since she spent so much time in a wheelchair...
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Why Are Awards Shows Still Even a Thing?
As the veil began lifting, I started to see that award shows are an integral cog in a misogynistic media machine driven by capitalism. And it started to make me sick. When I was young and an aspiring actress all I wanted was to have my work honored at an awards show one day. This fairy...
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Honoring Asma Jahangir, Pakistani Feminist Trailblazer and Human Rights Activist
Asma’s life and work is the very definition of South Asian feminism and in many ways is also a blueprint for future human rights and feminist activism in Pakistan and beyond. Fierce and fearless Pakistani human rights activist, feminist trailblazer, and democracy advocate Asma Jahangir died on Feb. 11, in her hometown of Lahore, but...
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The #MeToo Backlash and United States’ Disintegration of Rule of Law
What’s becoming clear as crystal is people are realizing just how many men would be behind bars if sexual assault and coercion were treated as the serious crimes they are. One of the most disturbing things that emerged from the debate around “Grace” and Aziz Ansari’s date was how normalized coercive sexual encounters have been,...
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What Aziz Ansari Did Was Coercion, Not Consent
Coercion is not consent. It is sexual abuse. It is sexual assault. It is rape. And “no” is a complete motherfucking sentence. [TW/CW: Descriptions of sexual assault, violence and rape culture.] With each 24-hour breaking news cycle I wait for the inevitable fall of another admired hero. I’ve almost gotten used to the gut-punch that...
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P.T. Barnum Was Not A Romantic Hero, He Was A Capitalist Exploiter
P.T. Barnum was a wicked man, and deserves to be remembered as such. Every so often pop culture affords us the opportunity to subvert a paradigm, promoting diversity and inclusion through storytelling—the upcoming “A Wrinkle In Time” and “Ocean’s Eight” are perfect examples. But unfortunately and most of the time, like in Hugh Jackman’s new...