Elsa’s arc in Frozen 2 is a beautiful and moving depiction of a trauma survivor finally embracing herself for who she is. This essay contains spoilers for Frozen and Frozen 2 By Roslyn Talusan I walked out of the theatre after Frozen 2 with tears streaming down my face, stunned and breathless at its emotional...
Tag: trauma
Post
Trans Sex Workers Help People Transform Through Intimacy
I’m here to tell you that trans sex workers are in fact unrecognized therapists for some of the most powerful people in the world. By xoài phạm I was in a beautiful room at the W Hotel drinking a glass of wine with a tall, white man who was sporting a navy blue suit and...
Post
I Hate Christmas and I Don’t Want You to Change My Mind
I don’t want to pretend that I like Christmas. I don’t want to pretend to enjoy my family’s company. I want to be alone and that is perfectly acceptable. TW/CW Mentions of death and depression. By Adrie Rose I fucking hate Christmas. That’s probably too blunt but I’m not sorry because every time I try...
Post
How BoJack Horseman (and Men) Heal From Trauma At The Expense of Others
BoJack could easily be replaced with a number of men who are continually allowed to be violent as a mechanism for “healing” regardless of who they hurt. TW/CW: This essay contains discussions of drug and alcohol addiction By Gloria Oladipo The T.V. show, BoJack Horseman, is the slapstick, anthropomorphism version of how trauma and mental...
Post
Why Can’t I Cum? A Survivor’s Quest For An Orgasm
Survivors of sexual assault deserve spaces to discuss sex and desire. Without them, we’re left alone in our quest for an orgasm. This essay contains discussions of sexual violence, and mentions r/pe and molestation. By Indigo “Did you cum?” Without thinking, I said, “Yes.” I took a deep breath. And confessed. “Okay, I didn’t. I...
Post
Blackness is Heavy: Attending A Conversation Between Kiese Laymon and Tressie McMillan Cottom
Kiese and Tressie both wrote for, to, and about those of us who carry Blackness with us everywhere we go. The thin white woman beside me folds her legs all the way up and gathers her knees to her chest. Her elbow is in my way and it nearly pokes me. “I’m so tiny,”...
Post
I Am Tired of Overcoming Trauma: Does Healing Exist For Queer People of Color?
It seems likely that “overcoming” is a continued exercise without any end in sight and that the exhaustion from it is a part of our lives and our DNA. TW/CW: discussion of depression, suicidal ideation and mentions of sexual assault, emotional abuse and trauma. Depression used to be something I didn’t know I was experiencing...
Post
No, Mental Illness and Trauma Don’t Excuse Us From Accountability
Trauma and mental illness do not abdicate you from responsibility for your relationships with others. By B.B. Buchanan Too rarely do we discuss mental health and trauma in our movement spaces. That said, when it is talked about there are some common tropes, standard ways of talking about disability and trauma, that fail to both make space...
Post
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....
Post
Stop Using Sexual Addiction To Cover Up Abuse
Sex addiction is a serious mental illness that makes the lives of people who suffer from it difficult. [TW: sexual assault and addiction] By Sami Kevin Spacey and Harvey Weinstein, among dozens of other powerful men, are being exposed for sexually harassing and abusing people. Each have left a trail of victims and tears. Survivors...