By Katya Mushik I am the first-generation daughter of a Ukrainian Jewish immigrant. There are many lessons I’ve painstakingly had to learn of what Post-Soviet motherhood is really like. Lesson one: don’t date Slavic men. One evening in Ukraine, I walked into a modern, multi-colored apartment with my mother. We’re in Obolon, the upper echelons of Post-Soviet suburbia. For the first time, I meet my … Continue reading Lessons from Post-Soviet Motherhood
My grandmother tells me that when you’re pregnant, your children, and the eggs of your grandchildren are grown within you. The future of the future. When I’m pregnant, I’m pretty sure I won’t want to think about eggs. But if I do, I’ll ask the great-great grandmother of those eggs within me, my grandmother, how she did it. How did she keep her uterus healthy … Continue reading A Uterus That Wants to Share
I was lost in the Forbidden City in a sea of familiar strangers. Beijing’s vibrant reds and yellows assaulted my eyes. Under the watchful eye of Chairman Mao, whose portrait hovers over the entrance, I traveled to another world. I had never seen such ornately decorated buildings as those at the Forbidden City. Fantastic stone carvings created bridges spanning man-made moats. Gardens blossomed with a … Continue reading Sea of Familiar Strangers
My name is Mia Cai Cariello And I want you to know, I was born in China, Guangxi Province As 吴彩卓 I wasn’t even old enough to know That my own government wanted me to go It would take a year for them to ship me out People would have you believe my life would blossom and sprout That the stars aligned when I was … Continue reading My Name Is…
By Charlotte Rich In April 2018, crowds gathered on Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue to watch the dismantling of the statue of J. Marion Sims (1813-1883), the so-called “Father of Gynecology.” [1] The monument was constructed in 1892 to celebrate Sims’ contributions to gynecological research, including developing groundbreaking surgeries to treat women from Alabama to New York City to Europe. [2] For over one hundred years, the … Continue reading “The Poorer Sick”: American Gynecology and its Irish Subjects in Mid-Nineteenth Century New York City
By Marian Phillips Warning: This piece contains sensitive subject matter pertaining to the legal processes that minors face when requesting abortion access. There are mentions of abuse (physical and sexual) and abortion. Reproductive rights are constantly debated within the political arena whether at the state or federal level. It is imperative to continually adjust and reformat legislation that dictates the rights that minors have over … Continue reading Their Body, a Judge’s Choice: The Kansas Judicial Bypass Process Must Be Revised
By Rachael Nuckles Before I devoted my life to full-time graduate school and academics, I was working hands-on in the world of technical theater as a stage manager and designer. It’s a world I hope to get back to after obtaining my degree, though maybe in a different capacity than before. Stage management often requires a considerable amount of emotional energy that isn’t always part … Continue reading A Backstage History: Reflections on Stage Management and Gendered Labor
By Sidney Wegener Every time I visit a doctor, I am asked a series of questions which include those about my sexual health. “Are you sexually active?” Yes. “Do you need a pregnancy test?” No. Oftentimes, a physician responds by informing me that even if I use protection I can still get pregnant. My response triggers confusion and a moment of awkwardness: I’m a lesbian; … Continue reading LGBTQIA+, Race, Class, Disability, and Region: The American Healthcare System
By Rachael Nuckles For the past few months, somewhere beneath the surface, I have been experiencing an unnamed emotion struggling to make itself known. This semester, I made it a goal to find my voice and let it be heard; staying true to that goal, I have been wrestling continuously with questions and concerns about my newfound identity as “women’s historian.” Doing history is not … Continue reading Mad and Valid: On Finding a Voice as a Women’s Historian
By Madison Filzer Oftentimes I’m bombarded with the question, “Why would you get a master’s degree in Women’s And Gender History?” As if the work of Women and Gender Historians is insignificant and unnecessary with little to no place in a world outside of academia. This question suggests that I have done something wrong by choosing this path rather than attending law school straight out … Continue reading A Response to Everyone Who Asks me “Why Women’s and Gender History?”
