Voice XXI Issue 05

1 February, 2018

thescrippsvoice.com

The Scripps Voice

Tig Notaro

since 1996

Your School. Your Issues. Your Paper.

looked directly into my eyes, and I will never be the same

By Zizzy Murphy ’19 Media Analyst

most famous: her mother’s death, her breast cancer, and her chronic illness. It is hard to capture how a show that deals with such heavy topics manages to feel so light and sweet, but leave it to Tig to have you laughing at a graveyard full of women explaining the predatory nature of their first time. One Mississippi is also one of a very few shows depicting b u t c h lesbians as fully-fledged h u m a n beings, the other two most notable being Take My Wife, w h o s e s e c o n d season is left in limbo after the streaming service hosting it, Seeso, was shuttered, and I Love Dick, which was also casually pulled by Amazon in the same swipe as One Mississippi.

Tig clearly feels the sting of this cancellation, and righteously so, as she noted to the audience at Garrison theatre during the Q and A portion of her visit that the writing staff of One

Mississippi was tackling sexual misconduct in the workplace far before any of the Weinstein pieces came out. Despite the desires of the network execs to focus on the romance rather than continue to add deeper and darker shades to One Mississippi (season 2 also touches on the legacy of slavery, child sexual assault, and the rekindling of explicit homophobia and racism since the 2016 election), it seems that it never occurred to Tig to pull the plotline about a radio producer who has taken to masturbating in the presence of his female colleagues without their consent. “I know what’s true, I believe my friends,” she stated without hesitation, continuing “I have this truth, and I’m gonna move forward with it.”

There seems to still be at least a

spark of hope that One Mississippi will find a new home - enough that Tig refused to give away any plot points of the already-planned season 3. She noted that, even to someone who has had a double mastectomy and lives with C. diff, an infected finger is still incredibly painful, Watching her on stage, it seemed enough in the moment to be thankful that Tig continues to show us how to mine comedy from pain in whatever platform she has.

Page 2 - Government Shutdown

Page 3 - Metrolink Update

Page 6-7 - Pronouns Guide

“I have this truth, and I’m gonna move forward with it.”

-Notaro

Inside This Issue:

Get the Voice’s recap!

Claremont students show up in protest of possible shutdown

Photos courtesy of Getty Images .

Whatever anxiety I may have had about whether seeing Tig Notaro live could measure up to my absolute adoration of her disappeared within her first minutes on stage the night of January 23 as she mercilessly heckled some Scripps students in the front row who had made her a sign. The excited sophomores fell right into her set up as she feigned ignorance at the multiple gay puns in their phrasing of “TIG me OUT to the SOFTBALL game,” prompting Tig to declare that neither of them have a future in comedy. “Don’t explain anything,” she scolded. “That ruins the joke. When I asked what the sign meant, you should have just told me to get out.”

It’s hard to believe that Tig is capable of bombing even once, never mind the 14 straight bombed shows she claims to have performed in Vegas in her retelling of the experience in her HBO special Boyish Girl Interrupted. Her comedy comes so earnestly from herself that she admits to not even really preparing so much as getting up on stage and talking through it. This proved to be a great asset at Scripps as she drifted back and forth between her own material and interacting with audience. After telling a story with no punchline simply for the sheer joy of watching us struggle to get the joke, she noticed a particularly young patron front and center. “How old are you?” Tig asked, interrupting her own set.

She could not have written a funnier joke than the 11-year-old’s response of “good, how are you?”

Less than a week before Tig Notaro’s visit to Scripps, her universally-lauded Amazon show One Mississippi was canceled. The series is a semi-autobiographical recounting of Tig’s life, particularly the moments that have made her

A step by step guide to changing your pronouns

1030 Columbia Avenue | Claremont, CA 91711 | Box 839 | scrippsvoice@gmail.com | Volume XXI | Issue Five

2 • News

U.S. GOVERNMENT SHUTS DOWN OVER DACA CONTROVERSY

By Sasha Rivera ‘19 Staff Writer

D

onald Trump gave his first State of the Union address on January 30th, as DACA recipients and supporters across the country turned their backs in protest.

The administration’s persistent efforts to cut down on immigration came to a head 10 days prior, as the government failed to come to an agreement on the status of people under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) immigration policy, among other divisive issues.

From midnight on January 20 to the evening of January 22, the United States government shut down, after Congress failed to pass legislations to fund government operations and agencies.

The major subjects of debate during the shutdown were whether to extend the statuses of people under DACA, to resume funding the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and how much money would be allocated to building the MexicoUS Border Wall. The shutdown began when the Senate could not overcome a Democratic filibuster, which needed to be ended by a 3/5 supermajority. It finally ended once the Democrats agreed to end the filibuster once the Republicans promised to allow more debate about the DREAM Act before its expiration February 8, 2018.

According to The Atlantic, the Senate Democrats were filibustering an appropriations bill that House Republicans had passed, which would restore the sequester cuts in defense and add more for the military while “taking that funding out of domestic programs,

proposing deep cuts to programs from diplomacy and development, to education and the safety net, to the environment and health.” In 2013, Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) had proposed a bill that would give a $54 billion increase for defense. While this initial proposal failed to go through initially, President Trump revived it in his budget plan for fiscal 2018. The Budget Control Act of 2011 states that “defense appropriations would go up by $54 billion and the rest of the government would be cut $54 billion below the caps set out in the BCA.” House Republicans adjusted this plan by lowering the domestic spending caps by $5 billion and adding $72 billion to the military. Because this proposal challenged the BCA spending limits, it would need 60 votes and the compromise of House Democrats.

The Democrats chose to protest this bill, and also wanted to push for support of DACA in the fiscal plan for 2018 rather than deportation. However, another undergoing issue was that CHIP had not received funding since October, and had been up for expiration on September 30, the end of the last fiscal year. In an attempt to reach some type of compromise, Republicans chose to use the 9 million children who needed the program as a bargaining chip by including CHIP’s reauthorization as part of the proposed bill. Democrats finally relented after three days with an agreement that CHIP would resume for another six years and a promise that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell would give a clean

debate and vote on the DACA policy.

The government shutdown sparked widespread backlash and negativity towards Senate Democrats. BBC News reported that the White House attributed blame to Senate Democrats with an answering machine message that told callers the Democrats were holding “government funding - including funding for our troops hostage,” accompanied by various social media posts from the President with similar claims. Those on the political left criticized Senate Democrats for giving in without any firm assurance about the future of DACA and whether those affected by it would face deportation.

DACA students and allies at the Claremont Colleges and beyond continue to resist govermental attacks on immigration through their organizing efforts, in groups such as the Improving Dreams, Equality, Access and Success club (IDEAS), the College Community Action Network (CCAN), and the DEFEND Movement in the Inland Empire.

Meanwhile, DREAMers across the country face an increasingly hostile government, and a President who distinguishes between their rights and the rights of so-called “real Americans,” announcing in his State of the Union address that “Americans are dreamers too.”

1 February, 2018 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXI • Issue Five

Features • 3

The Scripps Voice Staff

Claremont Rallies To Save Station

Editors-in-Chief Mel Gilcrest Maureen Cowhey Advisor Christopher Dennis Design Editors Ali Bush Becky Hoving Emilie Hu Sarah Wong

Photo courtesy of Pitzer College.

By Eve Milusich ‘21 Staff Writer

Copy Editors Rena Patel Emma Wu Shortt

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Business Manager Anna Liss-Roy Webmaster Emma Wu Shortt Columnists & Staff Writers Hayley Van Allen Leta Ames Priya Canzius Erin Delaney Rose Gelfand Eve Kaufman Hanna Kim Elena Lev Luena Maillard Eve Milusich Zizzy Murphy Sasha Rivera Ittai Sopher Lizzie Willsmore Photographers Emilie Hu Videographer Bergen Carloss

Comments and letters can be submitted by emailing scrippsvoice@gmail.com or by visiting our website at www. thescrippsvoice.com. Please review our guidelines online before submitting feedback.

The Scripps Voice is a student forum and is not responsible for the opinions expressed in it.

ast semester ended in a whirlwind of finals, theses, and fake snow (courtesy of Casemas), and amongst this end-of-the-year chaos rested the fate of the Claremont Metrolink station; namely, it’s possible demolition. Last summer, when a proposal came out to replace the stop with an extension of the Gold Line track, many expressed their opposition because it would shut down the current train stop for about 9 years. This past December, residents of Claremont and 7C students alike came together en masse to voice their opinions. In an earlier issue of The Voice, staff writer Eve Kaufman spoke to the question of the Claremont Metrolink station and the costs and benefits of its retirement/replacement project.

The Metrolink is the staple commuter train that connects relatively isolated cities like Claremont to LA and the rest of the Inland Empire. Despite the fact that the Metrolink is fully functional as-is, Amtrack, its owning company, has proposed measures to eliminate the track’s stop at Claremont, and later replace it with a cheaper, more streamlined Gold Line rail. This new line would allow $1.75 one-way trips to and from LA, versus the current fee of $9.25.

The new line would also save the city about $30,000 annually, but the 9-year construction lag between the old station and the replacement one risks hurting the profits of local businesses.

In other words, the ultimate savings might not even be worth it.

With the completed Gold Line there will be a negligibly faster commute time for Claremont to LA. (However, are these 2 or 3 minutes’ worth waiting until 2027, the Gold Line’s predicted completion date?)

On one of the final few days of the semester, the village held a community meeting taking all these points into account. Fliers were posted around campus calling for students to attend and express their support for keeping the station. Despite being held on a Monday night (arguably the worst time possible for a finals week study schedule), turnout for the event itself was enormous. The community center where the meeting was held was packed to the brim- all seats were filled and more people spilled outside the building- additional seating needed to be set up for a crowd of around 400 attendees. Out of this number, only 2 individuals were in support of abolishing the station- mainly on account of the cheaper fare, and the money that could ultimately be saved for the county with the relocation of the station, approximately $40 million. The other some 398 attendees voiced their various needs for the station; commuters who used the Metrolink to travel to work, students who needed

affordable transport to and from schools and/or internships in the city, but also those residents who depend on the Claremont stop for other reasons. For starters, several owners of local businesses expressed their concern as well; official notes from the meeting state how “many [businesses] rely on clients and customers who can easily walk to their downtown business locations upon arrival to the Claremont station.” Other protests came from elderly residents or disabled community members who have limited mobility and rely heavily on the Claremont station for accessible transport. The Gold Line has proposed offering a temporary shuttle service between the Claremont to the Montclair terminals, but to many this solution seemed half-baked; some individuals with oversized wheelchairs would not be able to board these, whilst commenters at the meeting also stated that “the comfortable and spacious train cars [of the Metro] can easily accommodate their walkers, wheelchairs, and medical support equipment.” A final issue that was brought up at this meeting was how the elimination of the Claremont station would impact the city’s sustainability.

Claremont boasts one of the safest walking/biking networks in the U.S.- it’s been rated the 98th “most walkable city” by CityLab, a news outlet affiliated with Atlantic Media. Within walking distance to the station, the city offers relatively low-pollution transport options; the efficiency of these would be substantially reduced if the closest Metrolink stop was shifted out of reasonable walking range.

Following the success of this town meeting, city officials and residents headed to LA and took another stand- this time at the Metro headquarters themselves. The city offered to pay for tickets from Claremont to Union Station, helping foot the transport bill of nearly 70 residents.

Both this show of support, and the points raised in the previous meeting were evidently enough to sway the Metro planning committee who unanimously voted in support of the old station. This is certainly a good sign, but nevertheless the ultimate decision will be down to the Metro-board itself.

A second meeting was held on Thursday the 25th in the LA Metro headquarters. City officials and residents attended to once again debate the issue.

The Metro Planning Committee will soon file their support to the Metrolink board, and a decision will be made - hopefully, one to keep Claremont’s station intact and allow all individuals to keep their autonomy and maintain their ability to travel to and from the city for work, school, a weekend out, and so much more.

“The Metro planning committee ... unanimously voted in support of the old station.”

1 February, 2018 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXI • Issue Five

4 • News

HAYLEY KIYOKO

Photos courtesy of Billboard.

How Hayley Kiyoko is turning 2018 to #20GAYTEEN

By Hayley Van Allen ‘21 Queer Columnist

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op-icon Hayley Kiyoko is known as “Lesbian Jesus” for a reason: she is. In the past three years, Kiyoko has released six music videos featuring queer women and their love interests. She’s singlehandedly providing the queer community with the sapphic content that has been lacking for years.

Kiyoko released her first explicitly sapphic song “Girls Like Girls” along with its hit music video in June 2015. The song and video became an instant hit among members of the LGBT* community. It’s not every day young queer girls get to see themselves in a love story, and so the sweet portrayal of two girls crushing on each other became an instant queer classic. After the video’s immense success (the video depicting the evolving relationship between two girls is about to hit 85 million v i e w s o n Yo u t u b e ) , Kiyoko released a number of other hit songs accompanied by music videos featuring more queer womanaligned people. Her most recent single, “Curious,” was released January 11 of this year in anticipation of her first full length album, Expectations. So far, Kiyoko has released three singles that will all appear on the new album, set for release on March 30 of this year. She revealed the cover and title for Expectations on social media while also dubbing the coming year as #20gayteen.

The explicit queer nature of her songs and brand has earned Kiyoko a devoted sapphic fanbase.

However, she didn’t always feel so comfortable singing about women in her songs. In an interview

with Buzzfeed, the artist talked about her initial fears about the intersection between her music career and her sexuality: “I did not want to be the gay artist, and I talked to my manager all the time, like, I don’t want to lead with that. I didn’t want people to look at me like that’s all I am.” After seeing the joy and enthusiasm caused by the “Girls Like Girls” music video in 2015, Kiyoko felt more comfortable with the idea of starring in her own videos and presenting her own queer narrative. Her next music video, “Cliff’s Edge,” featured her in a relationship with another woman. Since then, Kiyoko has fully embraced her “lesbian Jesus” image.

The three songs released so far on her new album have all focused on her (fictional) relationships w i t h w o m e n . K i yo k o directed and starred in a music video about the complicated feelings she has for a friend, entitled “Sleepover.” The dreamy pop song was released with its music video in March of 2017. The second song, “Feelings,” was released in October and accompanied by another self-directed video.

The “Feelings” music video is a single take of Kiyoko pursuing a girl she’s interested in. She said of the video, “I want people to watch the video and have it remind them of that first moment — the butterflies when you first get hooked on somebody.”

Her most recent song, “Curious,” is the lead single to her upcoming album. The song was accompanied by another self-directed music video staring Kiyoko.

The music video follows her interactions with an

ex at a party. Kiyoko plays it cool, and by the end of the video she’s moved on from the ex who is clearly still interested, but has also been taking advantage of her. Aside from just being unabashedly gay, one of the best parts of the video is the way it tackles a clichéd lesbian trope. The whole “straight girl likes her best friend but is dating a dude and doesn’t want to leave him” archetype is set up, and then Kiyoko manages to subvert the classic ending by leaving the girl on her own terms. The song and video are, in a way, a self-love anthem about not putting up with unhealthy relationships and getting the love you deserve.

Hayley Kiyoko has consistently been making unapologetic, honest queer music videos that resonate with the sapphic community. That’s because they don’t just hint at the lesbian experience the way so many other representations of queer women in the media do. Kiyoko’s videos undeniably portray real, honest-to-God women who like women. They are illustrating just how universal love and heartbreak can be — normalizing samesex relationships while also highlighting their uniqueness. In the process, she’s earned a devoted fan base that loves her almost as much as she loves them. To support this beloved “Lesbian Jesus,” listen to Expectations on Spotify and iTunes after its release on March 30.

“The explicit queer nature of her songs and brand has earned Kiyoko a devoted sapphic fanbase.”

1 February, 2018 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXI • Issue Five

Features • 5

THE SCRIPPS VOICE IS hiring!

Calling all writers, photographers, and artists: It’s not too late to contribute for Spring 2018!

paid positions: Cartoonist Art Director

Copy Editor Webmaster

ask Lue Q A

My vagina tightens up every time i have penetrative sex!! Sometimes so tight that nothing can enter- help!!

Closed door

Hey ‘closed door’!

I think this sounds like a condition called vaginismus- which is basically an involuntary spasm of your pelvic floor muscles when attempting penetration, usually due to a combination of emotional factors (such as anxiety) and physiological factors. This is completely treatable, but the bottom line is you should see a medical professional to rule out anything else that could be more serious (such as an anatomical problem). The physician will probably question such as ‘have you had success with penetrative sex in the past and recently this has become a problem’ or ‘have you ever used tampons and had problems with insertion.’ Again, this is super treatable - usually involves a combination of physical exercises you can complete and some more emotional exercises/therapy. I am so glad you took the time to ask this question, seek help soon and you will be able to return to a healthy (and more pleasurable) sex life!

please Submit all inquiries and resumes to: scrippsvoice@gmail.com

Luena Maillard is a sophomore who is passionate about holistic health and education. In high school, she was employed by Planned Parenthood as a Peer Health Educator to teach sex ed classes to high school health classes. She is currently working as a PHE here on campus, and you can find her during her office hours at Tiernan Field House for one-on-one conversations!

Q A

I was always taught that two forms of birth control is best. But now I have the IUD and I want to know if it would be irresponsible to skip the condom if both my partner and I have been tested for diseases and infections. Is it risky?

Anonymous Hey Anonymous!

So the reason they teach you that two forms of birth control is best is because dual method use offers protection against both pregnancy and STIs. This is an important message to promote, especially in health education, as too many people are unaware that barrier methods are the only contraceptive methods that protect against STIs, and any other method will not protect you from them. Now, in your situation since you both have been tested and I am assuming you and your partner aren’t seeing other people, (if this is not the case then I would suggest staying with dual method use) then I would say it is not irresponsible to skip the condom.

The IUD - as well as the implant- are the most effective reversible contraceptives available, both have failure rates of less than 1%. So as long as you know there is no risk of STI’s, I would say go for it! Just remember to do a regular string check every once in a while.

1 February, 2018 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXI • Issue Five

SPOTLIGHT

6

7

Changing Your Pronouns The (Sorta) Comprehensive Guide --> D

ON’T PANIC. It’s good advice in almost any situation (if difficult to follow), and it’s the best advice I’ve got when it comes to Gender Stuff. Maybe you’re coming to terms with your identity for the first time, or preparing for a confrontation with your transphobic family. Perhaps you’re about to tell your professors about your case of The Genders. Whatever it is, take a deep breath. You’ve got this.

My second best advice? Panic a little bit.

Maybe you don’t got this.

That’s okay! Those feelings of panic, confusion, anxiety, existential crisis, and/or mortal terror?

It’s all part of your journey into the strange and beautiful world of gender diversity.

So give yourself permission to freak out, and then take a deep breath.

My third best advice is to read this guide. It covers all the bases I could think of when it comes to navigating new pronouns (whether your own, or someone else’s.) And then Google some stuff, find some more resources, and do some more research. There’s a whole world out there, and chances are, someone else has gone through exactly what you’re going through right now.

If you’re interested in changing your own pronouns but not sure where to start, head on over to CHANGING YOUR OWN PRONOUNS. A list of further RESOURCES can be found at the end of the article.

Happy gendering!

you’re trans, there’s a good chance you are. If you’re wondering whether you’d like to change your pronouns, that might be a sign you should try changing your pronouns. If you spend a lot of time thinking about your gender...there’s probably a reason for it. Even if you don’t have all the answers yet, the fact Using new pronouns doesn’t “automatically” that you’re make you trans. asking the question is, itself, Being trans doesn’t “automatically” mean you’ll want a kind of to use new pronouns. answer.

+

Remember:

+

+Wanting to try new pronouns is enough of a reason to try new pronouns.

+It’s okay to take your time. +”Gender,” as a concept, is as wide, beautiful, and largely unexplored as a galaxy. There is room for you in it, wherever you are.

CHANGING YOUR OWN PRONOUNS So you might want to change your pronouns. Congratulations!

This is probably an exciting time for you. But this time can also be very challenging and scary, especially if you don’t have the community support or resources to help guide you. This article will attempt to provide some of the latter, and attempt to nudge you towards some of the former.

“ D O N ’ T PA N I C . ”

COMING OUT TO YOURSELF “How do I know I’m really trans?” For better or for worse, you are the expert on your own gender. Nobody else is better equipped to tell if you’re trans than you.

But if you’re confused or unsure about your gender, it might help to know that those are very common feelings for folks starting out on their gender exploration. Nobody comes out of the womb waving a trans flag and joining the pride parade (unfortunately). Every trans, gender non-conforming (GNC) and genderquestioning person goes through a period of productive uncertainty.

A good (and imperfect) rule of thumb: if you’re questioning whether or not

coming Out to friends Maybe you’ve tried out some new pronouns online.

Or maybe you’ve said them to yourself but haven’t told a living soul.

Maybe you’ve only told one person, and you’re almost ready to tell more. Wherever you are, trust that the people who genuinely love and care for you will make every effort to support you during this period. To ease into the process, here are some things you can try: -Tell one person you trust -Tell a small group of people -Ask your friends to tell mutual friends -Write a letter over text, email, or mail Sample letter: “Hey [friend], I’ve been thinking a lot about my gender identity lately. I think I’d like to try using [she/her] pronouns. I haven’t told many people yet, but I’d like you to use [she/her] pronouns for me [in the groupchat] and [with other people I trust]. I’m not ready to tell [family members] yet, but I’ll let you know if that changes. Let me know if you have any questions. I really appreciate your support.”

coming Out to FAMILY MEMBERS

Some steps forward -Tell one family member you trust -Tell your immediate family -Ask your supportive family members to tell other family members -Write letters - do it over text/email -Connect them to resources that explain pronouns and trans/ GNC identities -Connect them to resources for parents/ family members of trans/GNC people

This one was the scariest for me! I was lucky enough to have family members who were broadly supportive of trans issues, but I was still absolutely petrified to ask my parents to use “they/ them” for me. As with every other item on this list, remember: your comfort, safety, and intuition are the most important factors as you transition into new pronouns. You are under no obligation to disclose to anyone you don’t feel is safe or supportive.

Sample letter: “Hi [Dad]. I’ve been thinking a lot about my identity recently.

As I’ve grown to understand myself better, I’ve come to realize that my gender identity is more complex than I thought.

I wanted to let you know that I’m starting to identify as [nonbinary], and as part of that, I’d appreciate if you could use [they/them] pronouns for me. If you’d like, I can send you some resources that might help answer any questions you might have. Thanks for your support.”

1 February, 2018 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXI • Issue Five

coming Out to Your School Talking to our professors about pronouns and gender identity can range from uncomfortable to impossible, depending on the situation and context. As such, I can only speak for my own experiences at Scripps in changing my pronouns in my classes.

Here, I’ll refer to Harvey Mudd’s excellent resource guide for trans students (which can be found in the Resources section below) : “Sending your professor an email can be a good way to let them know that you prefer to be called a different name and use different pronouns.”

Ohio University’s LGBT center provides this sample letter for emailing professors: “Professor ___________, I am a student in your (insert class name here). I am getting in contact with you to let you know that I identify as (insert identity here). My name will probably show up on your roster as (insert legal name here), but I would prefer to go by (insert chosen name here) and (masculine/ feminine/neutral) pronouns. I will be putting (insert chosen name here) on my assignments and would appreciate it if you called me that in class. If you have any questions for me regarding this, please don’t hesitate to contact me. My email address is (insert email address here) and my phone number is (insert phone number here).

Thank you very much for your understanding, (sign with chosen name)” If you would prefer not to contact professors directly, there are other resources available. Your primary contact dean, the Queer Resource Center, and SCORE can all provide assistance in confirming your gender identity and pronouns with the school.

Their contact information will be provided in the “Resources” section below.

Mel Gilcrest scripps 2019

Finding Community

Sources of Trans+GNC Community Support -(The Queer Resource Center, SCORE) -Meeting groups (The Alliance, Family, PRISM, Rainbow People) -Intersectional/POC groups (Cafe Con Leche, Watu Weusi) -Mentoring groups (The Queer, Questioning, and Allied Mentor Program) -Online support groups (Claremont Safe Space) Crisis Hotlines (Trans LifeLine) The LGBT+ community at the 5Cs often seems to be a somewhat scattered entity. However, there are support networks available for those needing help and community resources during their transition.

(A warning: spaces that are specific to “queer/trans” students have often failed to provide adequate support for QTPOC students, as white LGBT+ students tend to dominate these spaces and “LGBT+” spaces in general frequently center white folks in the community to the detriment of others. As a white trans/queer person, I can’t speak for spaces I don’t inhabit, but I’ve heard from multiple corners that POC-specific groups at Scripps such as Cafe Con Leche and Watu Weusi are supportive spaces for QTPOCs).

Changing pronouns on the Scripps portal 1.Log in to your Scripps portal account 2. Go to “Student” 3. Go to “Name Pronoun” in the sidebar 4. Select the appropriate pronoun 5. Once submitted, your pronoun will appear on your class list and be visible to faculty members

Resources Scarleteen has an excellent series of articles called “Trans Summer School” that can answer many common questions and worries for transitioning/questioning folks! http://www.scarleteen.com/tags/transgender Harvey Mudd has a wonderful resource page for trans students that provides information about the process of transitioning at the 5Cs! Unfortunately, some items are not generally applicable to other 5C schools -- I’m currently working with Dean Chris Dennis to provide a similar resource for Scripps students, but Mudd’s guide is a good place to start. https://www.hmc.edu/diversity/resources-for-transgender-students/ Claremont Safe Space is a 5C facebook group that can be accessed by contacting Elliot Joyce at ejoyce@students. pitzer.edu The Alliance is a trans-specific 5C group with semi-weekly meetings. For more information, contact Bryn Lewin-Ofell at blewino@students.pitzer.edu The QRC is the Queer Resource Center at the Claremont Colleges. They’re under new leadership after a period of serious upheaval, so I don’t have the information I need to determine their current effectiveness as of yet, but they have the stated purpose of serving the LGBT+ community at the 5Cs. http://colleges.claremont.edu/qrc/ The Queer, Questioning and Allied Mentor Program (QQAMP) consists of queer and trans 5C students and mentors, who can provide support and informed guidance on queer-related issues. http://colleges.claremont.edu/qrc/getinvolved/qqamp/ Dean Chris Dennis has been incredibly helpful in my own process of transitioning, and I can personally vouch for his ability to advocate for queer, trans and POC students. cdennis@scrippscollege.edu Dean Julie Loppacher has been cited as an incredibly helpful resource for those struggling with LGBT+ and disability-related issues. jloppach@scrippscollege.edu Dean Leslie Schnyder has also been an empathetic and helpful resource during my transition.

LSchnyde@scrippscollege.edu Jenn Wells is the Assistant Dean and Director of SCORE, and can be an especially helpful advocate for trans students at the intersections of other marginalities.

Features • 8

Festival Lineups: Where are the women?

By Ali Bush ‘19 Music Columnist

A

s we all hover patiently over our phones to see if our favorite bands make this year’s lineups, do we have diversity and inclusion in mind? Festivals have become numerous and omnipresent on social media, and they seem to have become a staple of summer activities. A slew of new festivals has popped up over the past few years (who can forget the glory of Fyre Festival?). With constantly new expansion plans and rising prices, music festivals are high in demand and have become a kind of musical tourism for wealthy millennials. While music festivals offer exposure for musicians and stimulate local economies, they continue to exclude women, women of color, queer folks and a slew of other musician from their lineups.

Even though music festivals are reaching massive success, they are always sure to provide a stage for questionable ethics. From Coachella’s founder's support of homophobic organizations, to the unexplainable trend of wearing culturally appropriative garb to festivals, there are countless things we could all commiserate about when it comes to the growth of massive music festivals. The most flagrantly unjust issue, in my opinion, is the lack of female musicians in these festivals’ lineups.Even though over 50% of attendees of music festivals are women, a 2017 Pitchfork article reports that festival bookings are egregiously male. According to Pitchfork, of the 996 artists and bands performing at 2017 festivals, 12% were mixed gender bands, and only 14% of those acts are female. Although the gender gap has decreased in the past 5 years, particularly at EDM festivals where female DJs are on the rise, the gaps that exist now are too glaring to ignore.

This year, despite some progress, lineups continue to be male dominated. According to Vice News, Wireless festival is blatantly dudeoriented this year, having only 3 women acts among 40 performers. Popstar songwriter, Halsey went so far as to complain on Twitter about the lack of women headliners in Firefly’s lineup. She pointed out a crucial point in this systematic problem: festival booking agents invite acts to play. Thus, the problem lies in who is running these festivals and who don’t invite to play. The only way to make lineups more inclusive is to actively seek out and promote female musicians on a greater scale.

A Slate Magazine article from 2013 points out that these festivals remain maledominated because preceding festivals like Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza have sprung from the indie rock community which is historically male-dominated. Thus, networks of musicians, promoters, and crew arise from generally all-male communities. In a contemporary sense, this is no excuse, as women are represented in every genre today.

Sticking with a male-dominated lineup is not only appallingly unjust for female musicians, but these exclusive lineups create a vicious cycle. Festivals are a crucial way for musicians to gain exposure and reach new audiences, and if women, women of color, non-binary conforming folks, and queer folks aren’t represented in festival lineups, they miss out on major opportunities to advance their careers. This further keeps them invisible, silent, and underrepresented at festivals and, more importantly, in the entire music industry.

Despite these saddening truths about music festivals, there is comfort in the fact that change is possible due to the fact that women are becoming more active behind the scenes at festivals. Although they’re not onstage, women are beginning to take positions in which they can gain control over lineups and provide support to the few female musicians at these festivals. A recent Nylon story provides the inspiring examples of Glastonbury’s co-organizer Emily Eavis and

Air + Style’s general manager Molly Scott.

These women work within a male-dominated industry not only to simply get the respect they deserve, but to reach true gender and racial inclusivity within the festival scene.

There is some hope in this year’s lineups as well. Coachella’s infamously maledominated lineup features a record number of female performers this year, and features many kinds of diversity this year, inviting women from Beyoncé to Dolly Parton.

Festivals are no longer dismissible events for wealthy young folks, but a force within the music industry that needs to be kept accountable. They are reflections of the patriarchal music industry, and are an entry point to advocate for wider representation and true inclusivity in all forms of music.

Festival organizers need to not only advocate for and hire a diverse field of musicians, but they also need to realize that representing female musicians inspires young women and proves women’s place in music.

1 February, 2018 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXI • Issue Five

Features • 9

I Miss Moonlight

The problems of gay media and Call Me By Your Name

By Zizzy Murphy ‘19 Media Analyst

I

am staring at a still from the now-intheaters Call Me By Your Name and thinking about a passage in Alison Bechdel’s graphic memoir Fun Home.

The still is of leads Timothée Chamalet and Armie Hammer, both shirtless, Timothée looking impossibly small as Armie massages his shoulders from behind. It’s hard to believe that Timothée is, in actuality, 21, playing a 17-year-old - he looks like he could be 12. Armie, in reality 30, is playing 24, which is, I guess, believable in the brightened after effects of the film and with every trace of stubble erased from his chin.

The passage in Fun Home is this: Alison is parsing her father’s proclivity for underaged men, particularly the students of his high school English class. She draws back to Proust, beloved French author, and links him to her father through their aberrant “pansy” nature, gesturing to an academic lineage of pedophilia stretching all the way back to Socrates. It’s disgusting and beautiful all at once, allowing for a dual portrait of both men that acknowledges their life’s work, their oppressed identity, and their guilt.

I confess that I will most likely pay for a ticket to see Call Me By Your Name, and I will probably enjoy it. LGBT reviewers such as Ira Madison III and Barry Jenkins are insistent upon its beauty, the mastery of the performances, the wholeness of the project. It is a film depicting the lives of gay men that does not involve one partner dying of AIDS or being the victim of a hate crime. Instead, the narrative finds its emotional thrust in the loneliness of queer discovery. The hesitancy of confronting that unspoken, aberrant desire does not need to be fraught with life or death stakes in order to maintain its power. I marvel at the fact that an indie LGBT film of such a quiet, personal nature was so well-funded and produced and now is being heralded as a mainstream success.

Yet I can’t help but feel incredibly unsettled all the same, and none of the excuses I keep getting have helped me feel grounded in this conversation.

Again and again, the argument follows that it isn’t a love story, that the relationship between Elio and Oliver is not even the core focus of the film and, truly, I want to say, how could it be when the author of the original novel is a straight man? I am told: the art is not glorifying the relationship; the age of consent in Italy is lower than seventeen;

I am taking away teen agency; it is not technically pedophilia, and that is all that should matter. There is a breaking point for me in remembering that this is how the world works anyways, is it not? This film is not an aberration but a continuation. Can it really hold trauma anymore if again and again we are confronted with this story, in Blue Is the Warmest Color, in Loving Annabelle, in Mädchen in Uniform, Zeus and Ganymedes?

Lori Maddox was 15 when she lost her virginity with David Bowie in the early 1970s, Bowie well into adulthood at the time but clinging to youth through his rockstar persona. Maddox recalls the event fondly, and we as a culture seem to recall Bowie fondly as well.

Louis C.K.’s final film before his sexual assault allegations outstripped all else about him depicted a blossoming relationship between a 17-year-old girl and a 68-year-old man. It is not fair that LGBT relationships should face a higher scrutiny than straight relationships depicted in the media. It is revolting that Kevin Spacey is allowed to fold his coming out into his admission to having preyed upon teenage boys, embodying the contradiction of art and artist and punishment and praise. I hold Call Me

By Your Name at an arm’s length. I do not yet know how to reconcile what it means with what it is. I might not ever.

1 February, 2018 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXI • Issue Five

10 • Features

Mothers, Daughters, and Lady Bird How We Relate to Cinema Ittai Sopher, Pitzer ‘19 Film Columnist

L

a dy Bird d e p i c t s m o t h e r - d a u g h t e r relationships in a way no other has before.

The movie captures this relationship through a series of subtle interactions between Lady Bird and her mother, Marion. We see Lady Bird and Marion crying together throughout the final chapter of The Grapes of Wrath; a tender scene that almost immediately leads to Lady Bird breaking her own arm. Similarly, a fight in a thrift store quickly turns into the two of them joyfully complimenting a promdress. The mother-daughter relationship is at the heart of the movie, and will leave a lot of viewers connecting the dots between the film and their own relationships with their mother and/or child. As an audience, we respect the painstaking wisdom of Marion, while also cheering-on the irresistible enthusiasm and passion of Lady Bird.

The movie itself takes place largely during the 2002-2003 academic year during Lady Bird’s final year at Catholic high-school in category in the program’s history. Also, if Sacramento, California. Although the story Gerwig takes home the award this March, she itself could probably take place during any will only be the second woman to win an Oscar year, and in any city in the United States. It is for Best Director, in the show’s 90 years of coming-of-age story, in which Lady Bird, played production. The disparity in representation of

by Saoirse Ronan, navigates relationships and this extremely common dynamic, essentially college applications. However, the film also gave Gerwig an untapped body of material to makes a concerted effort to build an entire explore when introducing us to Lady Bird and world around each character. The pretentious Marion.

Desiree Santos (SCR ‘19) saw the film with guy who reads Howard Zinn by the pool, also has father who is slowly dying of cancer. Lady her mother and godmother over winter break Bird’s father, the ultimate caring and sensitive and compared the experience of seeing the film father, is struggling with depression and often with, “going back and reading your diary from uses his gregariousness to save-face around high-school.” Desiree also reflected upon how the film made her reconsider his children for the fact that he a fundamental aspect of just got laid off from his job. parent-child relationships: “as Even with these realities of life “The lack of much as a teenager you are in play, the movie never gets too substantive motherusually very dependent on your dark. I was smiling throughout daughter relationships mother. What I thought the the whole thing. The motheris a byproduct of a film most interesting takeaway of daughter relationship is at the industry missing the this movie was how it also center of the movie, but there women necessary to showed how the mother is are endless amounts of other tell these stories” dependent on the daughter as dynamics that audiences will well… That’s something I had also enjoy and appreciate. never considered.”

In an interview with the I felt a strong connection to Lady Bird, since, Canadian Press, writer and director of Lady Bird, Greta Gerwig, said that the lack of I too, was motivated in traveling to California substantive mother-daughter relationships by symbolic goals. When I spoke to my mom is a byproduct of a film industry missing about the movie, she told me how she was the women necessary to tell these stories: surprised that the film helped her reflect on “Frankly, I think some of that has to do with some aspects of her relationship with my the fact that there aren’t that many female grandma, and how that influenced her decision writer-directors, because unless you grew up to support my move to California from New with sisters I don’t know how you’d really be Jersey: “I just thought, I don’t want you looking able to witness that up close.” Now an Oscar back at your life and saying ‘why didn’t my nominee, Gerwig is a trailblazer, notably the mother let me do this or let me do that’. If I fifth female nominee for the Best Director didn’t let you do this you couldn’t have certain

opportunities because of me.” My mom went on to connect that experience with one from her own youth: “It’s funny, because I was talking to my mother during this whole process, and she was making the same arguments about California that she made when I was in the same situation.”

My conversations with mother and my initial reactions to the film made me realize Lady Bird is a story with the potential to resonate with everyone. Lady Bird’s story somehow becomes your own. And surely, students from around the Claremont Colleges and across the country have been waiting until they got home to see Lady Bird - so they can see it with their own mothers.

1 February, 2018 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXI • Issue Five

Arts & Entertainment • 11

Anya Cooper: The New Wave Susie’s Story

By Lizzie Willsmore ‘20 Staff Writer

A

n expectant buzz filled the room, the silence punctuated only by the breaths of the two women as Anya mulled over Susie’s words. Blinking, Anya absentmindedly tucked a russet curl behind her ear before glancing up to meet Susie’s intense gaze.

“I’ll do it.” Anya said the words firmly, looking unblinkingly at Susie the whole time. “But on one condition.” She rose to her feet until she was face to face with Susie.

“I want to know your stake in this,” Anya began, never taking her gaze off Susie’s calm, unflappable features. “You know why I need this, but why do you need it, Susie?”

Anya’s voice dropped ever so slightly at the end, her eyes burning with curiosity as she searched Susie’s face for a reason.

This time, it was Susie who looked away, her dark eyes clouding imperceptibly as she took a small step back from Anya. A low hum seemed to fill the air, the tense silence mimicking the electrical buzz of the first strike in a lightning storm. Anya stood still as an oak tree. Her gaze lingered on Susie’s back, shoulders shifting with every breath, her tightly coiffed black bun quivering under the harsh basement lights.

The tension in the air rose to a crescendo as Susie finally turned around, nude heels striking the floor with clear, precise clicks as she walked back to where Anya stood, motionless, in anticipation. Susie had retained her composure, her dark eyes glittering and unreadable. The only sign of discomfort was a slight hitch in her voice as she began to speak.

“A fair point, Anya. You and I don’t know each other very well, I suppose it would be appropriate for you to hear my ‘stake’ in this, as you so aptly put it.” Susie turned abruptly, walking towards the door, her footsteps ruffling the various stacks of files as she brushed past.

“Follow me.” Her voice rang through the air like an old church bell, the sound oddly strained in an otherwise silent room.

“Where are we going?” Anya asked as she hurriedly made her way through the rows of blueprints to where Susie stood waiting.

The latter glanced back at Anya, a tinge of sorrow marring the dark calm of her eyes.

“Just follow me,” she replied, a somber smile whispering across her lips, “you’ll see.”

The air grew colder as Susie led Anya deeper into the basement, the slight incline

Graphic by Sarah Wong ‘18

in the floor matched by an equal decrease in temperature. As they descended downwards, a faintly fishy smell began to emanate from the darkness ahead, a combination of earth, brine, and stale ocean air wafting slowly upwards. Finally, Susie stopped outside a doorway, its edges so blended so perfectly with the outer wall it would have been impossible to see at first. Susie delicately placed her hand on a portion of the door where the handle should have been and it swung inwards, revealing a darkened room, its walls tinged in an ethereal aquatic glow.

Anya felt her breath catch in her chest as her eyes adjusted to the gloom and as the room’s true majesty came into focus. The walls were coated in a thin layer of what she could only guess to be fluorescent algae, the pearly green glow bathing the tables of old chests and glass cases in a watery halo of light. A small piece of iridescent glass on the table nearest Susie caught the light, reflecting a tiny prism of rainbows across the floor, stopping before Anya’s feet. She glanced up and met Susie’s gaze, the latter’s normally dark eyes sparkling with so much effervescent light and vivaciousness that Anya blinked, unsure if this was the same cool, mysterious figure whose call had so shocked her yesterday.

A sad smile crossed Susie’s lips as she walked over to Anya, pressing the small glass piece into her hand. Anya examined it slowly, almost reverently. The surface was softer than she expected, almost as if it were alive. She traced the slight curvature of the material in awe. It began to hum softly, so indistinctly it was more vibration than sound, and Anya’s eyes widened as

she realized the nature of the object she held so delicately in her hand.

“Is this . . .” Anya’s words trailed off as she glanced up at Susie, her eyes alive and iridescent as the glow emanating from the singular scale still resting in Anya’s palm.

“Yes,” Susie whispered, “yes, Anya.

It’s a mer-scale.” She gestured around the room, at the glass cases filled with intricately coiled machinery, the dark chests filled with files of waterproofed paper on which past generations had written stories, diaries, and accounts of life before humanity stepped in. Turning back to Anya, Susie rolled up the right sleeve of her blazer, holding her arm out into the eerie light of the room. In the center of her forearm, a patchwork of scales, all identical to the one in Anya’s hand, glittered in the algae-infused lighting. Susie fixed Anya with her intense, unblinking gaze.

“You asked me what my stake in this is,” Susie began, her voice calm and low.

“This,” she gestured around the room with her right arm, the scales flashing brilliantly in the light, “is why I want you to build the underwater base. Because humans aren’t the only beings to suffer from rising ocean and carbon levels. Mer-people...” Here Susie paused, eyes still firmly fixed on Anya. “Mer-people...my people...our way of life is changing too. As ocean acidification rises, more Mer-children are born with respiratory problems. Our very future is at risk.” Susie took a step closer to Anya, placing her hand on the scale resting in Anya’s palm.

“I need someone to care about my people’s stake in this as much as I do,” Susie said, her tone unyielding. “And Anya, I think that person very well could be you.”

1 February, 2018 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXI • Issue Five

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1 February, 2018 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXI • Issue Five