Magazine Issue New Age Gender Bang, Bone, Screw Greek InclusionLife,Not Included SPRING 2022 OHIOFUSION.COM
hope
“We have all faced adversity that we have to face and we continue to face which is only making us stronger,” Butler says, “With this collection. I want to lift up and celebrate nonbinary and trans individuals and show the power that we hold.”
The cover photo showcases the fashion collection 1014, designed and created by senior fashion design student D’Antae Butler. It is named 1014 after the angel number that serves as a reminder of self-love. An angel number is a repetitive number that contains a spiritual or divine meaning. The number is also Butler’s birthday. Butler says, “It means a reassurance that you are doing something right and initiation of renewal and regrowth, which I relate to my overall concept of queer resilience because in many ways I felt like I had been reborn.”
“I wanted to mimic stretching and building muscle or becoming stronger,” Butler says, “I use neoprene because it represents durability and I feel, as queer people, you’re able to adapt and change to the different situations because you have to have a good thick skin.” She also describes the comfortability of neoprene, which is important because she wants people to be comfortable in their skin to truly show who they are.
Butler is a part of the BFA program that students can apply to when enrolled in a junior-level fashion design studio. According to Kent State, “The decision as to which degree is best for a particular student depends on the student’s educational and career goals, academic standing, performance in studio coursework and an approved ‘BFA Proposal.’”
The collection is about showing the resilience of queer people throughout all of the adversity they face. She drew inspiration from armor and space suits. The garments were made using a mixture of woven and rib-knit to mimic muscles and strength while also showing elasticity.
EDITOR
FROMLETTER THE OUR Dear Readers, It’s been another hard year for the community. We’ve entered another year of the COVID-19 pandemic and we see human rights being questioned and stripped away across the country. At times like these, it’s our responsibility to spread awareness and educate everyone we can. We look at gender, race, culture and societal pressures with the hope of starting necessary conversations. Our desire for this issue is to share important stories that haven’t been discussed enough. The cover showcases a trans designer and her collection featuring trans and nonbinary models to address the lack of representation in the fashion industry. We look at the exclusionary policies that are ingrained in Greek life and shape how the chapters function. We push the discussion on the evolution of gender in society and culture. I hope this issue brings to light topics you have not thought of before. This issue would not exist without the work of an incredibly driven team. The Fusion staff has been united in such an inspiring way and I cannot thank them enough for everything they do. I have to thank our advisor who has watched over us all semester and powered through the late nights with us. Finally, I want to thank our seniors, Moira and K. They have given us many hours and semesters and they will be deeply missed, but we look forward to all of the incredible work they will do in the Andfuture.thank you for reading because this is an important issue. With the state of the world today, we’re doing everything we can to make a change, and I hope you can do the Thanksame.you for supporting Fusion.
Photo & Words by Amanda Stayer Models: D’Antae Butler, Mase Makuch, Navaria Sansone, Jaevohn Bradley
The students in the BFA degree program learn the necessary skills and processes to go from concept to production. It helps prepare students for professional careers by “developing technical competency, creative/independent problem solving and conceptual understanding necessary for the challenges of a career in the creative Butlerindustries.”describes her experience in the programs as “fun but challenging.” She chose to pursue the BFA because she hopes to have her own brand in the future and wanted to challenge herself by making a full collection. She described the hard work it took, saying, “I don’t regret it because now I have a body of work that I can show people and I actually feel like I’m like a designer now. But overall, it has been great and I’ve learned a lot from it.”
MEETTHESTAFF STAFFMEET THE Amanda Stayer Editor in Chief Natalia Cruz Staff Writer Janine McDaniel Designer/Illustrator Hannah Clotz Art Director Jake Herbolich Staff Writer Leah Amato Social CoordinatorMedia K Bodrock Photo Editor Khalid Mitcham Photographer Alyssa Coyle Photographer Camryn Lanning Beat Reporter Pierce Bartman PhotoAssistantEditor Moira Armstrong Managing Editor Olivia Rainey Designer/Illustrator Student Media Office Kevin Dilley Director of Student Media Bruce Zake Fusion Advisor Lorie Bednar Student Media Office Manager Jenna Gobrecht Sales Manager Not Pictured Jess Brenneman Staff WriterFUSION4 SPRING 2022
Contents Trans Rights in the New ofImportanceYearLetter“X”NewAgeGender Bang, ScrewBone, “This is the Place Where I Want To Be” NuanceNavigating The CookbookQueer Cherry on Top GREEK LIFE Inclusion Not IncludedLoving&BeingLavenderinBlackQueer ContentsTable of THE SOCIAL ISSUE
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New Year’s celebrations have long been said to shed old traditions and bring in the new year with laughter, happiness and love. Unfortunately, someone forgot to inform state legislatures in 2022. According to NBC News, “at least seven states introduced anti-trans bills in the first week of 2022.” Although Ohio is not one of these seven states, these bills still demonstrate
Transgender individuals deal with this on a daily basis. Despite progress being made at the local level supplemented by actions taken by the Biden administration, there are obstacles to overcome. No person deserves to have their rights questioned, especially as insensitively and drastically as has occurred in the past year, and yet it happens anyway. Trans rights have been a fight during recent years and will continue to be at the federal, state and local levels, leaving transgender individuals traumatized and disparaged.
“I didn’t choose to be trans, but here I am and I refuse to feel any shame about those aspects of my identity … it hurts, it’s disheartening, but more than anything, it’s infuriating, because who is anyone to tell me that I am lesser than?”
W hat does it mean to have your rights questioned at all levels of government? How does it feel? What worries and thoughts would run through your mind? “It is straight-up dehumanizing to have my rights questioned as a trans person.
rightsgenderTrans- in the yearnew
Because who am I to not have the same rights as cis people? Like, what makes me less human than somebody who is not having the same gender experience as I am? I feel a lot of anger about it because this is an aspect of my identity,” says Graham Callahan, a junior theater design, technology and production major and intern at the Kent State LGBTQ+ Center.
“I didn't choose to be trans, but here I am and I refuse to feel any shame about those aspects of my
Wordsidentity”byJake Herbolich
According to the Human Rights Campaign, Biden has a very “pro-LGBTQ” agenda and plans to make progressive strides during his Supplementingterm.
the Biden administration’s current efforts, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in an interview, “[the State Department] will continue to work with civil society, like-minded governments and other human rights defenders to combat the criminalization of LGBTQI+ status, protect vulnerable LGBTQI+ refugees and asylum seekers, advance non-discrimination and provide meaningful responses to human rights abuses of LGBTQI+ persons. The LGBTQI+ community has an ally in the United States.”
Second, the fight for trans rights has been moving steadily away from the federal Congress and to the state legislatures which poses inherent dangers.
For instance, few people outside of Ohio have likely heard of, or begun fighting, Ohio House Bill 454, also known as the Save Adolescents from Experimentation (SAFE) Act. This proposal was introduced by two members of the Ohio House of Representatives last October. The 11page document states that “no physician or other medical health care professional shall provide gender transition procedures to any person under eighteen years of age.” Any infractions of these provisions can lead to the loss of licensure for medical Onprofessionals.topof these already-distressing pieces of the SAFE Act, this bill’s passage would lead to more terror for trans youth.
While needing to be supplemented by further protections and laws, this is a start that shows how certain areas throughout the nation can still overcome the hindrances placed on trans and queer rights by higher courts and legislatures.
This may all sound scary, however, it is not hopeless. Individual civil rights lawsuits, protests and continued unity within the community can make a difference. Even the Biden administration is fighting for equal rights for transgender individuals.
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a distressing national trend in the dawn of the new year. According to USA Today, there have been roughly 280 bills filed ahead of time for the 2022 legislative year tracked by LGBTQ+ activists.
The article continues to illustrate how this is frightening for two reasons. First, legislators introduced 147 proposals targeting transgender individuals in 2021, the most anti-trans year since 2015.
There has, however, been some progress made towards transgender rights in the city of Kent, which became the 19th city in Ohio to pass an LGBTQ non-discrimination ordinance, according to Freedom for All Americans. Passed in 2017, this city ordinance prohibits discrimination against LGBTQ citizens in employment, housing and public accommodations, as well as protects people from discrimination due to sexual orientation and/or gender identity.
Section 3129.05 states that any medical professional, teacher or counselor may not keep information about a minor experiencing gender dysphoria from the minor’s parents or guardians, nor may they encourage the child to do so. Ryan Shank, an independent gubernatorial candidate, stands in opposition to this bill. He discussed the provisions of this act, saying, “it’s been claimed by DeWine’s administration that it’s primarily to protect children and stuff like that. It’s not about protecting children.” He continued, “the control [for transitioning youth] belongs with the doctor, the parents and the children. That’s who that belongs with. Everyone deserves to feel comfortable in their own skin. Everyone deserves to live how they wish to live.”
New Year’s celebrations have long been said to shed old traditions and bring in the new year with laughter, happiness and love. Unfortunately, someone forgot to inform state legislatures in 2022.
“It is mydehumanizingstraight-uptohaverightsquestionedas a trans person. Because who am I to not have the same rights as cis people?”
Schools of all levels are some of the most important places for discussion of trans and queer rights in America. This is because providing examples and bringing up topics that may not otherwise be encountered by students has an immense ability to normalize and include trans people and their rights in students’ worldviews. Ohio House Bill 327 (HB 327) targets this possible safe space by limiting educators’ ability to discuss these topics. HB 327 states that in K-12 and university-level education, no mention may be made of the fact that the U.S. has historically disenfranchised or discriminated against minorities on a systemic or systematic level.
Most Ohio citizens will only hear about, research, and advocate against the state’s current bills. This decentralizes the fight for trans, and thus human, rights. Moving trans rights debates to state houses instead of the federal level essentially hides 98 percent of anti-trans legislation from state media. This creates less resistance to individual bills and also increases the total number of anti-trans proposals nationwide.
Christine Rai, Assistant Professor of English at Frederick Community College in Maryland, has presented about lavender and humanity for various organizations, including Smithsonian Associates, a part of the Smithsonian. She described the lavender reference saying, “This is pure conjecture on my part but I imagine use of this color may have originated in the LGBTQIA+ community as a way to covertly signal identity in public spaces and from there, spread more widely in society to be used as a symbol to disparage and control people perceived to be ‘degenerate.’”
A prominent leader in this movement was Irish writer Oscar Wilde, the author of the novel “The Picture of Dorian Gray,” which was considered scandalous because
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She went on to describe how the ancient Greeks were “likely the first in the west to cement it [lavender] as an incredibly useful plant, though it predates recorded history and much of the early information around its origins and uses are apocryphal.”
Christobel Hastings wrote for CNN that in the late 19th century, fashion was forever altered with the accidental invention of synthetic purple dye. It grew in popularity and soon many people began to wear it. This changed with the rise of Aestheticism, a European art movement that avoided the wholesomeness of the Victorian age and the ugliness of the industrial age. It turned in favor of “beauty, passion and ‘art for art’s sake,’’’ as Hastings wrote. Public opinion began to label Aestheticism as effeminate, which ultimately led to the color lavender to be linked to homosexuality.
Purple was introduced to Western culture as a “color of desire” in the 7th century because of Sappho who, according to JSTOR Daily, is fabled as the first “woman-loving woman.” Sappho was a Greek lyrical poet from the island of Lesbos whose writing included romantic lines such as “violet tiaras” and “purple blooms” to describe women. This led to traditions in the 1920s of lesbians gifting each other violets as a sign of “sapphic interest.”
As years went by, the queer intention of violets spread to purple in general.
L avender is commonly known as a color, pale blue mixed with mauve, and a plant, a small shrub that is part of the mint family, according to the Oxford Dictionary. It is less commonly acknowledged as a significant historical representation of power and resistance. It is unclear if this symbol arose from the herb or the color, but lavender has been used in queer contexts for centuries.
The History of Lavender as a Symbol of the LGBTQ+ Community Words & Photos by Amanda Stayer Flower Illustrations by Boyce Bivens Loving LavenderIN
of its homoerotic themes. He would use the color purple to describe love between men, talking of “purple hours,” meant to represent the time spent with a queer lover as a source of immense joy in an otherwise gray world, as described by Eleanor Medhurst for DressingDykes. “Though its meaning and applications have remained largely stable,” Rai wrote, “its popularity with the general public has waxed and waned, hitting a low point in the west from the post-Victorian era to the beginning of World War One.” In the early 20th century, lavender held a negative connotation. The phrase “possessing a streak of lavender” was used to criticize homosexual men. According to JSTOR Daily, a notable use of this phrase comes from Carl Sandburg’s 1926 biography on Abraham Lincoln. Sandburg wrote, “a streak of lavender ran through him; he had spots soft as May violets.” This led to queer assumptions about Lincoln that were never proven, but many believe to be true because of his relationship with Joshua Fry Speed. According to the Register of the Kentucky Historical Society, Speed was a politician and close friend of Lincoln’s. They lived together and shared the same bed for four years. Following this, they exchanged letters of their love affairs for a brief period before diverging and having little contact. This association of Lincoln with queerness and the color lavender further built on the stereotype that purple was effeminate and Throughoutunmasculine.the middle to late 20th century, lavender was used by public figures to negatively label people who were part of the community. During the McCarthy era and the Second Red Scare in the 1950s, Senator Everett Dirksen popularized the phrase “lavender lads” to label and stigmatize gay men. During this time, President Eisenhower declared Executive Order 10450 which, according to Hastings for CNN, was state-sanctioned discrimination meant to purge homosexual employees from the federal government and block any incoming applicants. More than 5,000 employees lost their jobs based on their sexuality. This period was labeled as the “Lavender Scare’’ by historian David K. Johnson. The LGBTQ+ community began to reclaim lavender as a sign of power and protest during the late 20th century. In 1969, just a month after the Stonewall Inn Riots, a march through New York City was held and lavender armbands were worn in a
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artist, Bee Reid, who releases art under the name Corey Drew, is a graduate student in the jewelry, metals, and enamels program at Kent State. “Lavender has touched all different facets of the community,” they say, “so it can be used as a radically inclusive symbol.” Both artists talked about the importance of reclaiming lavender as a symbol for the community. “The queer community has reclaimed so much that has been used against us. Our resilience is in finding power in what was used to hurt us and creating something beautiful out of it,” Reid describes. “Lavender is able to encompass so many different parts of identities within the queer community,” Bivens agrees. “By reclaiming it we’re taking it as a symbol of power, not one of weakness.” by Corey Drew
show of “gay power.” In that same year, Betty Friedan, of the National Organization for Women (NOW), denounced lesbian membership and claimed they were a threat to feminism. This led to lesbian members separating and identifying themselves as the “Lavender Menace.” They created hand-dyed shirts with the name written across the chest and, according to Hastings, wore them in 1970, when they stormed the stage at the Second Congress to Unite Women and kickstarted a conversation on lesbianism, the very topic Friedan fought to prevent. In 1974, after the action of the Lavender Menace, the Gay Media Action Advertising campaign in Boston created the Lavender Rhinoceros. Medhurst wrote that the rhino was chosen to represent the campaign because “it is a much maligned and misunderstood animal.” According to Arielle Gray in an article for WBUR, the campaign was created to run public ads on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) to pull support for Boston’s Pride march that year. Ultimately, they rejected the campaign after an unfair price increase Gay Media Action could not pay. As a response, the lavender rhino debuted at Boston’s Pride as a symbol of protest and resistance. It was done in relation to joy, activism and reclamation. This was seen again in 1978 when Gilbert Baker created the original rainbow flag and included the purple stripe to represent Currently,spirit. lavender is further empowered by the LGBTQ+ community as artists use it to express resilience. Boyce Bivens, a junior printmaking student at Kent State, completed a residency at Zygote Press making prints on the history of flower language and the queer community, including lavender. “I think of lavender as a symbol of power because it goes back so far in queer history,” Bivens says, “It’s an identifier through generations of strength and community and overcoming the parts of society that haven’t been kind to queer Anotherpeople.”
According to the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), nonbinary describes gender identities outside the gender binary. Being nonbinary is a unique, personal experience that varies widely between individuals. Nonbinary people might use different labels, different pronouns or express themselves differently. Many people who would technically fit under the umbrella of nonbinary identity don’t use the label, or any label at all. There has always been a misconception that gender is a series of boxes rather than a fluid spectrum, and this has led many to think of nonbinary as just a third box alongside male and female. The idea that “pronouns equal gender” is another misconception that has aided this overall idea. Since there are three main sets of pronouns, then there must be three genders. The assumption that they/them pronouns denote a third, gender-neutral identity has led many to use neo-pronouns.
Words by Jess Brenneman Illustrations by Hannah Clotz
new genderage new genderage
G en Z is the queerest generation to date. In a study conducted by Gallup, almost one in six respondents belonging to Gen Z reported being a part of the LGBTQ+ community. More than 11 percent respondents specifically identified as transgender. Over time, the concept and perception of gender has evolved.
Gen Z takes binary gender roles—male and female—and throws them out the window in favor of nonconformity and ideas celebrating the freedom to simply be who you are. One such idea, which has grown in both popularity and social acknowledgment in recent years, is nonbinary identity.
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The LGBTQ+ Resource Center of the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee explains that “people who are limited by languages which do not include gender neutral pronouns have attempted to create them, in the interest of greater equality.”
All in all, there really is only one thing that “makes” a nonbinary person: whatever that individual decides for themself. There are no prerequisites, no checklists, no entry tests. All you can do is be true to yourself, whoever you may be, and know that that is enough.
However, not everyone expresses themselves in the same ways, and sometimes these common interests and behaviors can seem more like a restricting checklist of identity than a communal experience. These stereotypes can then be used as a weapon against the very people who enjoyed them, making common interests a Stereotypestarget.canalso be rooted in deeper prejudices. There is an unfair image of what nonbinary looks like, a prototype rooted in racism, sexism and fatphobia. This prototype essentially describes a white, slender, AFAB (assigned female at birth) nonbinary person. The notion that only people who match this description are valid nonbinary individuals is incredibly harmful and alienating. “I don’t owe anybody androgyny,” said Hadyn Palmer, a junior environmental studies major. “Some of us just aren’t built to even try for androgyny. As much as I would like to look more androgynous, it’s very Luckily,difficult.”thisprototype is not the inherent truth. As the societal understanding of nonbinary identity changes and expands, so too does the imagery and experiences associated with nonbinary individuals. For example, another aspect of the prototype surrounds the question of whether someone needs to experience dysphoria to be Whiletrans.this can be a divisive topic, it’s important to discuss and nearly unavoidable in conversations about gender. So, do you need to have dysphoria or euphoria to be trans? “I don’t think you need to have or do anything,” said Federspiel. “I think [dysphoria] is a side effect [of being trans]. It’s not a cause—it’s an Palmereffect.”added, “gender euphoria is literally just acknowledgment. It’s ‘I’m acknowledging that you are this thing, and not this other thing that everyone else has been calling you for a long time that has made you really uncomfortable.’ It’s respect, and acceptance.”
There’s no universal criteria that decides who is transgender or nonbinary and who isn’t, even if society tries to impose these kinds of qualifications upon these groups.
Neo-pronouns have a unique origin and popularity in neurodivergent communities. Because neurodivergent people can have differentcompletelyrelation-shipswithandperceptionsofgender,awideappealforneo-pronounsistheabilitytofindasetorsetsofpronounsthat closely relates to your unique gender experience. Neurodivergent people “feel like their relationship with gender is different than the neurotypical one,” said Gia D’Angelo, a queer linguist on TikTok. They explain that neo-pronoun users are trying to “construct something new and different that doesn’t have the same societal issues [as the gender Neo-pronounsbinary].”are a widely controversial topic both on and off-line. GPat Patterson, an associate professor of English at Kent State, describes the fear of the unknown in gender as a sweater. “It’s like we have this sweater full of threads, and if we ask a question and we pull a thread, we’re gonna unravel. I get that fear, but we’re actually full of infinite thread.” This perceived threat to the self has kept people from fully embracing both neo-pronouns and nonbinary identity in general, and neopronouns have yet to reach widespread social acknowledgment and acceptance. Controversy also surrounds other aspects of nonbinary identity. For example, people have hotly debated whether it is correct to abbreviate nonbinary as “NB” or “enby.” While NB is a simple acronym, it’s generally regarded as a term used in the context of race, meaning “Non-Black.” According to the Huffington Post, this term was coined by Black activists online, differentiating people of color (POC) from non-Black people of color (NBPOC). However, the word “enby” has been deemed infantilizing by a number of nonbinary individuals, who would prefer everyone just write out the whole word. “Someone might feel like their gender is not being taken seriously,” said Patterson, referring to how many nonbinary people have to become a sort of “court jester” to appease cisgender peers. “If you’re not a delight to be around, if you’re not seen as this nonbinary ray of sunshine, then you’re doing your gender wrong.” While controversies like these might seem small and nitpicky, their impacts on nonbinary individuals are important to talk about. Along with certain sets of pronouns, there are a number of stereotypes that are often attributed to nonbinary identity. As with any group of people, stereotypes can be widely beloved things like music or clothing styles. There are lots of things that nonbinary people have in common with one another and these interests evolve into stereotypes, for better or for worse. “I think mostly, people say these things as inside jokes,” said Ely Federspiel, a freshman psychology major “But there is some truth to them.”
Firstly, it’s important to define what is meant by terms such as gender dysphoria, gender euphoria and body dysmorphia. Gender dysphoria is defined by the American Psychiatric Association as “psychological distress that results from an incongruence between one’s sex assigned at birth and one’s gender Plumeidentity.”defines gender euphoria as “the psychological state of bliss and comfort that happens when our gender expression is aligned with our identity.” Body dysmorphia is a mental health disorder, often conflated with gender dysphoria, in which one obsesses over perceived flaws in their appearance, causing great distress, sometimes to the point of self-isolation.
Dysmorphia vs. DysphoriaEuphoriavs.
Neo-pronouns are a “category of new (neo) pronouns that are increasingly used in place of ‘she,’ ‘he’ or ‘they’ when referring to a person,” defines UNC Greensboro Division of Student Affairs. Examples include xe/xem/xyr or ey/em/eir.
These efforts of inclusive, non-gendered pronouns date back to the 18th century with William H. Marshall’s first recorded use of the singular, non-gendered ‘ou.’
Words by Alyssa Coyle Photos by Pierce Bartman & Alyssa Coyle
NuanceNavigating NuanceNavigating
Exploring The Intricacies of Gender Expression
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How do you present yourself to society? Figuring out how to present your gender and personality to others often becomes a puzzle. According to Swarthmore College’s LGBTQ Terminology, gender expression is “the external display of one’s gender, through a combination of dress, demeanor, social behavior and other factors, generally measured on scales of masculinity and femininity.” One of the most outward ways an individual presents themselves is through the clothes that they wear. You may choose to present yourself through other things, such as makeup, tattoos and hairstyles, but your outfit is ultimately the first thing people notice. Clothing is a presentation of your identity, but gender stereotypes can often get in the way of expressing yourself authentically. Gendered clothing stereotypes affect everyone in some way. No matter how you identify yourself, society has some definition for what you are supposed to look like. These stereotypes are nothing new; from the day you are born, you are taught to believe that girls wear dresses, makeup and high heels, while boys only wear suits and pants. Even people who do not identify as female or male are expected to look and act a certain way; they are expected to have short hair, look completely androgynous and have a completely neutral voice. Blake Archer, a third-year fashion design and merchandising major at Kent State, who identifies as a nonbinary, trans-femme individual, explains that, “there is still a lot of pressure in the queer community to present a certain way as a nonbinary person, which is a lot of pressure and makes it really hard on days that I’m experiencing significant dysphoria.” Breaking out of the standard male and female binaries can either invoke praise or judgment. While celebrities such as Harry Styles consistently get praised for breaking out of the male stereotype by presenting more femininely—for example, being featured on the cover of Vogue’s December 2020 issue for wearing a dress— many young people still have issues presenting themselves similarly. Archer says, “I’m very used to getting looked at like I’m not human, and on occasion treated like it.”
Many people have strong feelings about whether these gender norms and societal standards have an impact on their clothing choices or not. Archer says, “Gender norms and societal expectations don’t typically affect my style choices. I’m going to live true to my authentic self and wear what I feel comfortable in no matter what others think.”
Others feel more of a pressure to fit into a binary or a label. Proffitt describes, “I often find myself putting together androgynous outfits and having them come out very masculine. Society has convinced us that masculinity is the default for androgyny, and to truly be androgynous you have to leave behind femininity. I believe androgyny is instead achieved when a marrying of masculinity and femininity is seamlessly mixed together creating a heightened awareness of both.”
Gender presentation is completely subjective, yet influenced by the culture and society it resides in. Informing yourself on how each individual expresses themselves can encourage more people to feel confident in their gender expression and challenge their beliefs on what gender presentation is. Education is a fundamental step in the direction towards acceptance of yourself and others. Proffitt describes their gender, saying, “I’m exploring the wide and beautiful ocean of gender expression like a laid-back pirate. I may never dock at a specific shore and that’s okay.”
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Chloé Proffitt, a first-year fashion design major at Kent State, elaborates on this idea, saying, “People aren’t the biggest fans of working in abstracts, and Western society is pretty infamous for conservative, concrete views on gender. Sometimes people don’t know how to process my appearance and expression, and that can be very stressful. To be misunderstood by your peers is disheartening and a bit Itfrightening.”isunfairthat celebrities can get praised for presenting themselves outside of conventional norms, while others often get more negative reactions. This is why representation is so important. The more often people are exposed to presentations outside of gender norms, the more it will become acceptable in society.
“I’m exploring the wide and beautiful ocean of gender expression like a laid-back pirate. I may never dock at a specific shore and that’s okay.” ~Chloé Proffitt
Zzyym sued the State Department in 2015 over the lack of a gender marker that accurately reflects their identity. This resulted in Words by Jake Herbolich Illustration by Janine McDaniel
W hat significance does the letter “X” have? It’s only one of 26 letters and one of the least frequently used.
THE IMPORTANCE
The third box for gender selection will be put in place in “early 2022,” according to their Highlightingwebsite. the importance of this move, Lauren Vachon, professor and coordinator of the LGBTQ Studies program at Kent State, said, “IDs impact everybody. We all have either a passport or a state ID or a driver’s license or multiple documents.” Vachon also emphasized the power of the individual, adding, “lawsuits for civil rights can have enormous impact.”
The State Department, under Secretary of State Antony Blinken, announced in June 2021 that they plan to put a third option under the gender selection portion of the passport application, according to the BBC. Once this policy comes into full effect, you will be able to simply mark “M,” “F” or “X” in the box referencing your gender.
This new gender option on passports highlights just how much civil rights lawsuits can do and how much impact one individual can have.
“I just think that if we can make this one big step as a federal agency, the closer we get towards better legislation, protections and understanding of the trans and intersex communities.”
For Dana Zzyym, an intersex and non-binary individual, as well as countless others from these communities, it is about to mean a whole lot more. The U.S. State Department has announced that individuals who do not identify as male or female will be able to choose to list “X” instead of “M” or “F” on passports. This opens up a new possibility for the queer community and will allow for the better expression of gender through passports.
Simultaneously, the State Department announced a policy that stated individuals no longer have to provide medical documentation to have a gender on their passport different from the one assigned at birth. This policy went into effect at the time of the announcement. Blinken has praised these actions as being “further steps toward ensuring the fair treatment of LGBTQI+ U.S. citizens, regardless of their gender or sex.” According to an NPR article, the State Department has not set a firm date for the enactment of the X option because they are trying to make traveling to countries without a similar policy as easy as possible. The State Department has reached out to “like-minded” governments that have enacted similar policies to gain insight into what has been done elsewhere.
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This lawsuit took six years to resolve and is nearing seven years for full public implementation, but it shows what a single person can do. When your rights are not being respected, you can fight back, you can change that and you can help others while you’re at it. Zzyym explained in an NPR article, “It just—legal recognition says I am and we are a human being. And we’re not being erased. You know, because for centuries, society has—it had intersex people—are existent which has led to much isolation and suffering.”
DJ Johnson, an intersex freshman Integrated Mathematics Education major at Kent State, portrays how these new options feel by explaining, “I think it’s a wonderful and inclusive option! Traveling can be very stressful, and so I think this option gives anyone who is gender neutral one less thing to worry about!”
Explaining the impact that this move can have for the whole queer community, Charlie Coward, a senior psychology major at Kent State, said, “It might be a great opportunity to raise awareness of the intersex community and stop pushing them into certain boxes … I just think that if we can make this one big step as a federal agency, the closer we get towards better legislation, protections and understanding of the trans and intersex communities.”
IMPORTANCE OF THE LETTER
Zzyym getting their passport with an X designation issued to them in October 2021 and opened this option for other intersex, trans and nonbinary individuals.
“Legal recognition says I am and we are a human being. And we’re not being erased.”
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The gender binary is the division of all people into categories of male and female, and, as the University of Massachusetts Amherst explains, it is a social construct.
“We
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Inclusion Not Included Words by Moira Armstrong Graphic by Hannah Clotz
Kaleya Pipkins, the vice president of Zeta Phi Beta sorority who identifies as a lesbian, also declined to participate, citing “confidentiality issues” in an email. However, she stated that, “It is very liberating to know that people whom identify the same as me can join such organizations and be accepted … I strive to continue on building inclusive environments on campus.”
“Fraternities and sororities, the way a lot of them are set up now, they kind of have a pretty binary setup and I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing,” Jakubowski continued,” but I think there is definitely a lot of room for
Of the 35 fraternities and sororities at Kent State University, only seven responded to requests for interviews about how their chapters follow or fail to follow these principles.
Allie Chapple, president of Delta Zeta sorority, originally agreed to participate but eventually dropped out, writing in an email that “internal conflict” at her chapter made her unable to answer any questions. Chapple was likely referring to Delta Zeta’s hazing allegations. According to KentWired, the university issued a cease and desist notice to the chapter for violating the university’s code of student conduct, meaning that the chapter can no longer participate in activities, and is currently investigating the allegations.
“I have gained leadership skills, confidence, and sisters I can count on for a lifetime.” are beyond excited to support these guys as they begin their journey to brotherhood.” “I had so much in common with all the ladies I talked to, I know I would fit right in.”
Greek life life
T he Instagram feeds from Kent State’s sororities and fraternities pair statements of belonging and acceptance with pictures and calls for recruitment, encouraging followers to join their chapter. However, the feeds also feature an emphasis on the gender binary that undermines their message of inclusion, particularly for trans and nonbinary students who might be interested in Greek life.
The Delta Zeta national council has suspended the chapter’s operations until the investigation is complete.
Tom Jakubowski, president of Delta Tau Delta, said in an interview that “trans men, no question … they’re always welcome,” and that during the recruitment process, Delta Tau Delta “definitely stresses diversity.” He explained that Delta Tau Delta’s policies that are friendly to trans members include meeting in a space with gender-neutral restrooms, not requiring any gendered clothing, allowing members to go by a chosen name, establishing an anti-discrimination policy, and requiring members to go through diversity training.
This means that while it is “typically thought to be immutable and solely biological,” it is actually a product “of human definition and interpretation shaped by cultural and historical contexts.” As a social construct, the gender binary has become central to modern Western life, determining what hobbies, interests, relationships and social groups are acceptable for an individual raised in this society.
The gender binary also forms the basis for Greek life, as Greek organizations are divided into two types: fraternities, which are traditionally intended for male members, and sororities, traditionally intended for female members. This automatically complicates membership for trans and nonbinary students who may want to join. As visibility and rights of trans and nonbinary people are on the rise, some chapters are adapting, and Campus Pride, a national nonprofit that works to create safer campuses for queer students, has crafted a set of guiding principles for trans inclusivity in Greek life (see sidebar).
Ben Collopy, president of the fraternity Alpha Tau Omega, was unable to participate, saying in an email that “per Alpha Tau Omega Nationals, chapter members are not allowed to comment for any news print including student media.”
Similarly, Julia Hoover of the Sigma Sigma Sigma PR team stated in an email that due to “rules that our sorority has,” she would be unable to participate.
Meghan Skeldon, diversity chair of Phi Mu, explained that anyone who identifies as female is permitted to join the chapter.
organizations to have a more modern understanding of gender and hopefully, more organizations will kind of fill that role in the future.”
One trans Kent State student and former fraternity member, who chose to remain anonymous, was not out to his chapter but described that he felt motivated to join Greek life “because I just never had that, like, large group of male friends … so I found it very appealing.” However, he never found the affirmation that he was looking for, describing, “I was trying to be as stealth as I could because I didn’t really want to be any more oddball than I already felt, so that constant fear that, ‘oh my god, I’m going to get outed,’ was always there and every single action I took around them, I was like ‘god, is this going to be the thing that makes them think I’m different?’”
Omega’s former president Maya Huffman described that the chapter meets in a space with gender-neutral bathrooms, allows members to go by chosen names, requires diversity training and is phasing in pronouns on name tags and in introductions at events. However, Huffman describes that their membership policy is “kind of like a gray area” regarding trans and nonbinary people.
1) A policy change is only one part of a trans-inclusive culture. This principle encourages not just a policy that allows trans and nonbinary people to join and prohibits transphobia but also changes to make sororities and fraternities more welcoming. These could include trans and nonbinary representation in leadership, universal pronoun sharing and the adoption of gender-neutral language, dress codes, bathrooms, and living accommodations.
Kent State’s Panhellenic Council is tied to the National Panhellenic Conference, which has a lackluster record on trans and nonbinary rights. According to the Diamondback, the student newspaper at the University of Maryland, the National Panhellenic Conference was scheduled to vote on a measure in April of 2021 that would have allowed sororities to determine their own definitions of womanhood, which “would have ultimately allowed gender-nonconforming students to join sororities.” However, the Conference decided not to hold the vote, which was viewed by inclusion advocates as a disappointment and an anti-trans message in and of Regardlessitself.of
“As long as the individual was born a female, they are still able to join the organization,” she said in an interview in September 2021. “So, you know, if they are nonbinary and use they/them pronouns, as long as they were born a female, they are allowed to join the Huffmanorganization.”later clarified that Chi Omega’s national policy was changed in January 2021 “to include females and individuals who identify as women.” Chi Omega’s national website states, “As the understanding of gender has evolved, it is vital that Chi Omega’s membership policy reflects this evolving definition of gender.”
4) Policies must be readily accessible to all audiences. This will ensure that all members of the campus community, including potential new Greek life members, are aware that Greek life is accepting and has implemented change to support their acceptance.
The Panhellenic Council is a governing body that presides over several sorority chapters at Kent State, including Chi Omega, Delta Zeta, Sigma Sigma Sigma and Phi Mu. The Council is one of three Greek life governing bodies at Kent State. The other two, Interfraternity Council and Integrated Greek Council, did not respond to interview requests.
Huffman also noted the importance of Kent State’s Panhellenic Council in the recruitment process in terms of communicating different chapters’ openness to trans and nonbinary members.
3) A successful policy makes trans inclusion accessible. For example, medical or legal documentation should not be required to change one’s pronouns or name.
2) A successful policy provides definitions and explanations. Diversity training, both about queerness in general and trans identities specifically, should be provided, and diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives that actively work to address trans inequality should be implemented.
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Campus Pride Guiding Principles Include:
Sage Mason, the vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion of the Kent State Panhellenic Council, wrote in an email that “while the Panhellenic Council does prioritize diversity and inclusion, each chapter does have its own requirements for membership. With that said as a Council we cannot speak on behalf of each individual chapter … even with policies created by the National Panhellenic Conference.”
Phi Mu also meets in a space with genderneutral restrooms, has no gendered clothing requirements, allows members to go by chosen names, has an anti-discrimination policy and includes pronouns on name tags and in introductions at events.
the differences between Delta Tau Delta, Phi Mu, and Chi Omega’s policies and positions, none of these chapter leaders knew of any trans or nonbinary members who had joined, let alone held leadership positions. However, this lack of knowledge from these chapters does not mean that there are no trans and nonbinary members of Greek life as a whole.
Skeldon also seemed particularly aware of the shortcomings of the current system, saying, “While we have come so far from where Greek life has been in the past, I still think there are a lot of improvements that need to be made, not only in just Phi Mu but on a national level … it really is like a systemic issue.” She also acknowledged that policy and language changes are not enough, suggesting that aesthetic changes are also important to trans and nonbinary inclusion: “The aesthetic is still very gendered, so I think that can kind of steer people away. It is very in-your-face. Improving in that area is something we can do Finally,better.”Chi
He cited diversity training and taking queer people’s concerns seriously as potential solutions.
He also acknowledged that he felt the lack of trans and nonbinary-friendliness in Greek life is due more to ignorance and circumstance rather than outright transphobia. “It’s just like a giant echo chamber there, so there’s not a lot of room for education about those topics,” he said. “I do think that they want to be inclusive to trans people and it’s simply, you know, they just don’t have good opportunities to show it and I think that’s just because of how Greek life is built … I don’t necessarily think that people there are bad or transphobic. I think they just don’t know how.”
He stated that ultimately, he was glad that he joined a fraternity but also glad that he left, saying, “I think it was an impactful moment in my life and I learned a lot of things about myself. One of those things is that I cannot interact with large groups of cis men … just because there’s a huge fear and imposter syndrome.” He recommended that trans people who are interested in joining Greek life seriously consider their personal ability to interact with people who hold differing opinions about queerness, recognizing that it “definitely isn’t for everyone.”
The chapter’s constitution has been updated to eliminate gendered requirements for membership and include explicit protections for trans and nonbinary members. Gendered spaces, clothing, and even language have been
Alpha Delta Epsilon, a gender-inclusive group at the State University of New York (SUNY) Geneseo, has made sweeping changes to traditional Greek life practices in order to make their organization trans and nonbinary-friendly.
He did come out as trans to a few members of the fraternity, who were all “fine with it,” and believes that if he had been out, he would have been accepted. However, he also pointed out that “every organization is different. It’s not like every Greek life has the same values, the same people, and, you know, the same acceptance rate … statistically, you’re going to have some that aren’t accepting, and you don’t know who it is,” especially in large chapters. That range in beliefs “makes it very difficult to make that leap of faith” for potential trans members.
Delta Sigma Theta Sigma Delta Tau Alpha Xi Delta Delta Gamma Alpha Phi, Delta Zeta, Sigma Gamma Rho, Sigma Sigma Sigma, Zeta Phi Beta “Any woman of good character is eligible for collegiate membership in the Sorority” Eligibility considerationfor for membership is open to all those who live and identify as “Individualswomen. who live and selfidentify as women” No policy specified; refers to female membersRelevant policies locked SororitiesPoliciesMembershipof
Change in the Greek life system is possible.
almost completely phased out—the members, who are known as “siblings,” form a “siblinghood.” In addition to participating in Round Robin, SUNY Geneseo’s traditional sorority rush process that is inaccessible to many trans and nonbinary people, Alpha Delta Epsilon also promotes the group at general student club fairs and does outreach that emphasizes their gender inclusivity. All new members are required go through university diversity training before officially joining, and discussions of how to be even more inclusive of trans and nonbinary members is an ongoing feature of the chapter’s programming. As a result, the chapter has attracted many trans and nonbinary members, several of whom hold leadership positions.
FraternitiesPoliciesMembershipof
They feel it’s important to continue that work and have trans and nonbinary leadership as part of the process, even though “it can be kind of difficult” since there are few examples of successfully inclusive Greek life organizations.
Abby Cahill, the group’s secretary and recruitment chair, is nonbinary and said that the gender inclusivity of the chapter is a large part of what drew them to Alpha Delta Epsilon.
For purposes of eligibility for Brotherhood, any individual who selfidentifies as male at the time of his induction and initiation and meets all other requirements of our Supreme Constitution may seek admission into the Brotherhood of the Fraternity.
“Any male student of an accredited college may be presented as a candidate for membership in a college chapter”
“Some people have actually expressed that they want to push to be more inclusive in terms of their membership,” Cahill said.
ATO unapologetically believes in the experience Fraternity membership produces as a single sex organization.
“Since its founding, no policy, bylaw, or procedure has been created by the Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity with the intention of discrimination toward any person, with the exception of gender.”
Alpha Sigma Phi, Sigma Chi, Iota Phi Tau, Kappa Alpha Psi, Kappa Sigma, Omega Psi Phi, Phi Kappa Tau, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Sigma Phi Epsilon, Tau Kappa Epsilon, Sigma Chi, Phi Beta
Phi Gamma Delta will not tolerate acts of discrimination or harassment by its members towards any individual or group on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, citizenship, ancestry, age, disabilities or any other protectedcharacteristicbylaw.
“We’re talking about changing from a sorority—not to a fraternity … but to something that might be more inclusive in terms of naming,” Cahill explained.
No policy specified; refers to male members
AlphaSigmaPhi
For example, Alpha Delta Epsilon is still registered with SUNY Geneseo’s Office of Fraternal Life as a sorority because there is no gender-neutral option. However, the current officers are trying to change that.
Phi Kappa Psi Phi Sigma Kappa Pi Kappa Alpha “A male locked.Relevantstudent.”policies
“Our president prepared a document for us to look at with a lot of information and research that she did, and we’ve been talking with the administration.” They feel that their organization’s impact on gender inclusivity has sparked interest from other fraternities and sororities.
“Delta Upsilon International Fraternity has added gender identity to its nondiscrimination policy following the approval of an amendment to the fraternity’s Constitution & By-laws during the organization’s 2016 Leadership Institute in Indianapolis. While many Delta Upsilon chapters already welcomed transgender men into the membership recruitment process, this new policy, which took effect July 30, makes the practice standard among all DU chapters.”
Alpha Phi Gamma Delta Alpha Tau Omega Alpha Epsilon Pi Delta Upsilon
“Some other orgs have seen that inclusion and diversity attract people to their org because they know that they can find connections with a bunch of different people and get a deeper understanding of the world.”
n today’s school systems, there is a widespread issue with access to adequate and accurate sex education for all adolescents, but especially those who identify as LGBTQ+. This lack of education leads to a negative stigma surrounding safe sex as well as adverse health affects for young adults.
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) found that most LGBTQ+ students reported having sex education focused almost exclusively, if not entirely, on heterosexual-cisgender relationships and pregnancy prevention.
A study from GLSEN—an American education organization working to end discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity—found that less than 5 percent of students who identify as queer had a positive representation of LGBTQ+ topics in their health classes.
Education is a huge key because it’s hard to handle any of this if you don’t know what you’re doing.”
“Throughout my life she would talk about things like I already knew them. Which I did, because I was eighteen and a closeted queer, hypersexualizing myself and not understanding why I felt that way. I just thought that was how life was supposed to go.”
The HRC described that “well-designed and well-implemented sex education” has the power to reduce risky and dangerous behavior while also supporting more positive sexual health outcomes in teenagers. Emphasizing the necessity of protection during sex for everyone, regardless of identity, can help eliminate common stereotypes and myths. According “I had to make mistakes and find out from that.”
Heidi Blakeley, who identifies as queer and works in cosmetic retail, describes the inadequate sex education she received when she was younger. She said, “First of all, it [health class] was not mandatory, so you didn’t have to take it. It wasn’t very accurate or helpful.
One day we’re watching this video about abstinence and the next day we’re watching a video about the guy who eats McDonald's for 30 Blakeleydays.”discussed how the class did not include any way for students to protect themselves or to have safe sex, beyond abstinence. The class promoted the idea that sex was only a way to reproduce and was not meant for pleasure. She continued, “there were absolutely zero queer call outs, none, that was not allowed,” so the LGBTQ+ students were even further isolated.
Dr. Gerald Montano, a physician at the Center for Adolescent and Young Adult Health at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh and the Medical Director of the Gender & Sexual Development Program, believes sex ed should be taught in school because, “It would be standardized. It’s done professionally and everyone gets a chance to learn it. It allows for accountability to make sure we’re teaching the right things.”
He added, “Whether we like it or not, teenagers, adolescents, are going to have sex. As a provider, my job is to make sure that if they do it, they do it safely.
This approach often results in many youth receiving no form of sex education.
Many feel sex education isn’t necessary in schools. According to Lauren Farrar for KQED, “Opponents [to sex education] argue that this type of information should be left up to parents to teach their kids about and shouldn’t be taught in schools.”
Bang Bone Screw
The Negative Effects of the Lack of Sex Education for Queer Youth I
“It’s depressing,” says Dr. Laura Mintz, a physician and researcher at MetroHealth Medical Center whose current practice focuses on LGBTQ+ healthcare for adults and children. “My perception is that as a physician, educator and clinician, we are not offering young people the resources and tools they need to keep themselves healthy. It is causing all kinds of unwanted health outcomes. There is a larger risk that without the totality of information, it creates an impairment for you to understand and protect your body.”
“My mom really didn’t give me the sex talk. She really just trusted the school system to educate me,” Blakeley says.
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Youth are not receiving proper sex education in school, and what they do get is centered around abstinence and only using protection, such as condoms or birth control, as a means to prevent pregnancy. There is a shame surrounding sex, pushed by parents who believe that not talking about sex will discourage youth from having it. This only leads to negative health outcomes as students are forced to fend for themselves.
Queer students that don’t receive a positive representation get stuck in unsafe situations. “It affected me for a really long time,” Blakeley says. “I realized that genuinely everything that was taught to us was completely wrong.”
Photos by Pierce Bartman to a report assembled by several queer and feminist activist groups, including the HRC, GLSEN, and Planned Parenthood, there are only 18 states that require medically accurate sex education. Of those 18 states, only seven, plus Washington D.C., require sex education to be LGBTQ+ inclusive. Not receiving relevant and accurate sex education leaves LGBTQ+ students in a dangerous “Comprehensiveposition.sex ed and sexuality education is critically important because it gives young people information about preventing violence, protecting themselves, negotiating relationships and can offer tools of curiosity and interest in their bodies in a safe and informed manner,” says Dr. Mintz. “The major risk is if you don’t give people information about how to navigate their own bodies and set up boundaries. It’s a recipe for exploitation.”
Eli Caudill-Rathbun, a freshman fashion design major at Kent State who identifies as gay, elaborated on this. “I didn’t have a proper sex education until my senior year and they barely touched on queer sex ed,” he said. “My school was fairly progressive, but you still got slurs thrown at you by other students. It felt like the stigma came from a lack of education on the educators’ part. I had to teach myself sex ed and learn from experience. I had to make mistakes and find out from that.” This lack of sex education for LGBTQ+ students in high school is often paired with a lack of a trusted adult. Queer youth are then forced to turn to peers or the Internet for sex education. These sources are more unreliable, often full of information that is not age-appropriate or medically accurate, and can also be misinformed.
Screw
Words by Amanda Stayer
Jo Yurcaba reported in an article for Forbes that, “Sex ed that excludes LGBTQ+ people is tied to worse health outcomes.” Yurcaba explained that LGBTQ+ youth receiving a sex education where they see themselves reflected in a positive light can be life-
One example is the Parental Rights in Education Bill, nicknamed the “Don’t Say Gay Bill.” It has passed the Florida Senate and now awaits Republican Governor Ron DeSantis’s signature at the time Fusion went to print. Kiara Alfonseca wrote for ABC News that this bill would limit classroom discussions on sexual orientation and gender identity. It would also encourage parents and guardians to sue schools or teachers if they talk about these topics. Those opposed to the bill fear it could put a complete ban on lessons of LGBTQ+ history, oppression and identities.
outside of condoms, there is almost no discussion of any other forms of safe sex. Few students ever learn about dental dams or vaginal condoms. Dental dams are typically latex or polyurethane sheets that are used during oral sex as a barrier between the mouth and vagina or anus. Vaginal condoms are loose fitting and are inserted into the vagina. These are both tools essential for safer sex that many people never learn about.
“It will just keep snowballing until we’re all so censored that no one is going to know anything. Kids are going to be more and more lost and put themselves in more dangerous situations,” Blakeley says.
PrEP can only protect against HIV, not other STIs. Condoms are even more necessary today because many STIs are growing increasingly antibiotic-resistant and are not easily treatable. Most notable is the named “super gonorrhea” that, according to the CDC, is an emergence of cephalosporin-resistant gonorrhea. Cephalosporin antibiotics have long been the foundation of gonorrhea treatment, but this newer strand makes treatment more difficult which leads to additional Caudill-Rathbuncomplications. has seen this misinformation in action, “I’ve met some people that see STIs as another common illness that can be treated and feel it’s not a big Additionally,deal.”
ThisTheycauseclasses,Blakeleythemselves.”experiencedthisinhersexedsaying,“Itliterallytiesbacktowhenyou’refourteensittinginthosehighschoolchairsbeingtold‘don’thavesex,’butifyoudo,towearacondombe-gettingpregnantisahorriblething.didn’tcareaboutanythingelse.”ideacouldnotbefurtherfromthetruth.CondomsprotectagainstSTIs,oneofthemostprominentbeingHIV,whichisalargeconcernformanyqueerpeople.Pre-ExposureProphylaxis(PrEP)is“amedicinetakentopreventHIVandishighlyeffectiveforpreventingHIVwhentakenasprescribed,”
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changing, and even life-saving. Without effective sex education, students are not learning how to protect themselves.
the lack of comprehensive sex education in high school creates a stigma around safe sex, which includes the idea that if there is no chance of pregnancy for a couple that has sex, it means condoms are no longer necessary.
If Governor DeSantis passes the bill, there is the concern that similar bills will be enacted across the U.S. Limiting LGBTQ+ education in all classrooms creates a larger disparity in queer sex education.
according to the CDC. It has helped reduce the risk of getting HIV from sex by about 99 percent. PrEP has done immeasurable good for the community, but it also adds to the perception that condoms are not Caudill-Rathbunnecessary. described his experience with this: “A lot of my past partners and people I’ve been around have this idea that because they are on PrEP, they don’t need a condom. I don’t agree with that. I may be on PrEP but there are other things out there. If they have that mindset, then I won’t have penetrative sex with them. They really don’t seem to understand why I care so much.”
“They didn’t give us the options we needed to know how to protect ourselves. It was the minimum.”bare
Caudill-Rathbun agrees with this sentiment, saying, “I think it will be detrimental to queer youth. I also think it will further put sex ed in the hands of the individual which leads to risky things because they are left on their own. They have to learn from other people and adults can take advantage of Additionally,that.”
“The stigma is because we live in a culture where people aren’t comfortable talking about sex,” says Dr. Mintz, “It [using condoms] needs to be chill and nonjudgmental, a thing people do to protect
Queer-inclusive sex education is also threatened by efforts across the U.S. to ban queer content in K-12 schools.
Statistics from American Progress
Blakeley expressed her frustration with this, saying, “I had no idea that there were other options other than condoms. Not only did they not give us the tools we needed to protect ourselves, they didn’t give us the options we needed to know how to protect ourselves. It was the bare minimum.”
Theprecautions.”lackofLGBTQ+ inclusive sex education directly leads to higher health risks and builds on the societal stigma around using protection. The culture in the U.S. largely stigmatizes sex and sex education. It should be about informing young people of all the factors and making it accessible so everyone can be informed about the decisions they make. As Caudill-Rathbun said, “We need more spaces that are educational and accessible for youth.”
It’s also necessary to keep from spreading the infection to others.
• Young men who have sex with men that identify as gay or bi account for two-thirds of new HIV infections among people 13-29
• Young women in high school who identify as lesbian, gay, or bi are more likely to contract an STI or have an unplanned pregnancy than those who identify as straight and are also more likely to experience coerced sexual contact
•Young women who have sex with both male and female partners are at the highest risk of sexual coercion and dating violence
• Men who have sex with men account for two-thirds of new syphilis cases and the CDC indicates this percentage may be rising
It’s also important for people who have sex with multiple partners to get tested regularly.
University of Michigan Health reports that getting tested regularly can detect an infection early if there are no symptoms. This is essential because treatment can be provided and long-term issues can be avoided.
• Transgender people see higher HIV prevalence rates, more than four times the national average. Transgender women of color are particularly affected
LGBTQ+ youth are disproportionately affected by negative sexual-health outcomes
Sex education needs to improve to make sex safer. This includes making it more accessible and inclusive. Comprehensive sex education benefits all students, especially those who identify as LGBTQ+. “School systems that, for example, only teach abstinence-only education, studies show that you have higher rates of unplanned pregnancies and STIs,” Dr. Montano describes, “But schools that are more comprehensive have much lower rates.” He adds, “Students should be taught what the risks are in each type of sexual activity, so they can take the necessary
• Transgender and gender nonconforming youth experience high rates of sexual violence, particularly transgender and gender nonconforming youth of color
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K-12 schools are often hostile places for queer students. According to a 2019 GLSEN survey, 98% of students have heard “gay” used in a negative way at school, 95% of students have heard queerphobic slurs at school, and 77% avoid school functions out of safety concerns. Overall, 59% of queer students simply do not feel safe at school. While these numbers are bleak, there is one factor in schools that greatly improves queer students’ feelings of safety: the presence of queer educators. GLSEN—an American education organization working to end discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity—reports that students who could identify queer educators at their school were not only less likely to feel unsafe at school, but were also less likely to skip school due to lack of safety, had higher GPAs, felt more optimistic about their futures, and felt a greater sense of belonging at school. Unfortunately, queer educators are not uniformly supported, facing challenges from parents, administrators, and even state legislatures. The situation changes depending on the educator’s state, district, and even individual classroom, making careers in education difficult to navigate.
“This is the place where i want to be”
“It’s a little bit tricky,” says Alex Fryberger, a Kent State University graduate and high
Words by Moira Armstrong Photos by Alyssa Coyle & Sophia Adornetto
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Experiences of Queer Educators
“A lot of them have just been so alienated and this became a safe space for them to see, ‘oh, a really cool teacher is openly queer,’” they say. “It’s just such a powerful moment and something I never got to experience, especially going to a Catholic school.”
GLSEN surveys conducted in 2007 and 2011 found that one-third of queer educators felt that their jobs would be at risk if they were out to administrations, half felt the same risk associated with being out to students, and one-fourth had experienced harassment at work. Queerphobic intent in firings is hard to prove, leaving many educators to be unjustly fired but with no legal recourse, and some educators lack the financial resources to pursue legal action. Additionally, the strain of consistent harassment or microaggressions can also drive educators away from their profession, which is not officially covered in legal Frybergerprotections.hasexperienced some microaggressions at work, such as students refusing to refer to them without an honorific. They also still censor their queerness around parents, introducing themself as “Miss Fryberger” to avoid potential danger in places like parentteacher conferences, when the power dynamic is not in their favor. However, despite the occasional difficulties, openness has also allowed Fryberger to build stronger relationships with her students. They were even the first adult that one particular student told about their queer identity.
school math teacher at Elyria City School District. “It’s kind of like a game because I want to be openly out and queer for the students who need it and who need to see that there’s a queer educator and that there’s, like, you know, a queer adult in their lives, but then there’s a lot of people who come from houses where that’s not okay so they’ve ingrained the idea that it’s not disclosure with the attitude of “the students who need to know, know, and the ones who don’t, don’t.” They don’t share their pronouns in group settings, but do with students who individually ask, and hint at their identity with a pride flag hanging in their classroom. She also serves as one of the advisors of the school’s Gender-Sexuality Alliance and does not use an honorific. Instead of Mr., Mrs. or Mx., students simply call them “Fryberger.” They are glad to teach in a district where the administration is aware and supportive of their queerness, which was a major factor in their decision to teach at Elyria rather than at a school like where they student taught in Stark county. “I’m queer, disabled and Jewish. The school district that I was at, I had to hide so many aspects of my personality to not be up in arms with the parents of a lot of the students and the district itself,” she says. “The fact that [Elyria] saw all those things about me and welcomed them … I was like, ‘this is the place where I want to be.’”
LGBTQ+ people are technically protected from discrimination in the workplace through Bostock v. Clayton County; according to NBC, the Supreme Court ruled in June 2020 that federal law prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity in the workplace. Historically, queer teachers have not had such protections. Losing their jobs if their queerness was discovered was a significant threat, and there were also a handful of bills specifically targeting queer teachers. For example, according to San Francisco’s GLBT Historical Society, in 1978, California State Senator John Briggs put forth Proposition 6, a bal-lot initiative that would have banned queer people and allies from teaching in public schools if it passed. The bill failed, but only due to the fervent campaigning of the queer community, including Harvey Milk, a member of the San Francisco Board of Super-visors and prominent Thoughactivist.legal
Jaxon Farmer, a junior at Howland High School, has been able to experience those moments thanks to a close relationship with a queer English teacher at his high school who is also his speech and debate coach. He describes that knowing this teacher “has been fundamental in my intimacy with my queerness.”
protections have improved,
“I used to feel more comfortable identifying as a person who is queer, as if it is a condition,” Farmer said. “But within the past few years, I feel like the people around me, of which my teacher comprised a large part, have allowed me to feel more intimate with my identity.”
“The students who need to know, know, and the ones who don’t, don’t.”
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Theyokay.”approach
FrybergerAlexPictured:
~McKarns This relationship has also helped him navigate the erasure of queerness perpetuated by other teachers. He recalls one conversation about “the AIDS epidemic, the lack of response from the Reagan administration, and its absence in current conversations. I presumed that the magnitude of the epidemic warranted class time. My teacher informed me that I would never get that class time.”
“She made me feel comfortable to be LGBTQ even when I was really, really not out, which is important.”really
McKarnsBaileyPictured:
“It can be hard to be different, especially in a crowd that is not used to any diversity whatsoever, but it’s good to introduce it anyways,” McKarns says.” “So in my own confidence, I have been able to address LGBTQ topics in an appropriate way that will not get me fired, especially with students who have come out to me … I feel way more prepared to connect with them in a professional way.”
Farmer has also noticed that like Fryberger, his teacher seems to be balancing safety with openness. He observes, “Though it is common knowledge he is married to a man, he almost never genders his spouse, unless we are speaking privately. I wonder if there is an underlying fear that queerness negates professionalism or respectability? Or maybe this is a defense tactic to avoid wrath from homophobic parents?” Regardless, he feels grateful for the relationship: “He has been one of the few adult figures who I can talk to about queerness who ‘get it.’ Conversations with him are so refreshing.” Becoming an adult figure who “gets it” can also be easier with preparation. Bailey McKarns, an integrated language arts education major with a minor in mild to moderate special education at Kent State University, aims to work either in special education or as an English teacher. She feels that Kent State has prepared her well to navigate a career as an openly queer educator. “One of my first education professors was a lesbian and one of the first few days, we found that out,” McKarns says. “To be taught by Dr. [Debra] Clark was amazing because she was just so honest and real and told us, ‘it’s probably going to be hard but it’s worth it because you know you’re going to help those students who are LGBTQ, which has driven me miles. She made me feel comfortable to be LGBTQ even when I was really, really not out, which is really important.” This experience has helped McKarns in her work as the president of the Kent Student Education Association, as well as her current position as a student teacher.
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Words & Photos by Khalid Mitcham
Being Black and queer in modern times confers a lot of weight and responsibility that can sometimes be overwhelming. The mixture of the two cultures and the nuances that come with them give the impression that a person should choose one over the other. This could cause a major identity crisis for someone who falls into a double minority. However, Reegan Saunders and Khiara McCarroll are two examples of the opposite. Saunders is a junior journalism major at Kent State. McCarroll is a Kent State alumnae and former Fusion staff member. Together they show that with confidence in oneself, time and effort, the clashing of these two cultures will only aid in the culmination of your identity. Although they come from different backgrounds and experiences, both Reegan and Khiara had the same outcome—a love for themselves and their culture. Some days can be better than others, but they understand their identities can be as diverse as a rainbow.
Being Black and queer
“If I could go back in time and give my younger self advice, I would tell myself to stop worrying about what other people think of you. You’re different no matter what, so embrace that fact and experiment with whatever you want to, whether it be clothes, makeup, etc. Don’t let anything hold you back!
I knew I always liked women but it took awhile for me to realize it. In my family, I have gay cousins that have not officially come out since it’s something people don’t really talk about. I did have role models, however. My two cousins being queer women allowed me to look towards them and realize how much of myself I see in them. And that it’s okay that I am “Idifferent.feellike queer culture differs greatly to straight culture and a lot of that queer culture was founded by Black queer women and Black trans women. Even with that, many non-POC queer people will take inspirations from Black queer culture but then make you feel excluded from them. Especially now since being Black and queer is seen as being cool and trendy, there are still people who say things like, ‘no Blacks,’ ‘no fems,’ etc., so things just get very confusing in that realm.”
Khiara McCarrollFUSION34 SPRING 2022
For the longest time, I separated being Black and being queer. Like, I split them into two identities. But for me now, it’s just one. Growing up in a Black household and in the Black community, I never really had those conversations about what it means to be queer. Since I’ve come out, my family has been super accepting, but back then I was so afraid because I didn’t know how to approach the topic. My family is also quite religious. I was raised as a Christian, but since I’ve started connecting more with myself I realized I don’t believe in God anymore. I think it’s hard to believe in some almighty entity when a lot of the people in the Christian and Catholic community are so anti-gay. A lot of queer people do not understand my experience, especially cis, white queer people. In class I get misgendered a lot. I have this one class where we each have name tags on our desks, and I wrote my pronouns on mine, and people still use she/ her pronouns which can really get to me sometimes. And it’s queer people oftentimes misgendering me. Being Black, queer and a member of Gen Z is such a unique experience, and there are nuances I don’t think anyone else can understand. And at the end of the day, I look to myself. There is no one who can tell me the best way to express myself. You know, no one else experiences dysphoria in the exact way I do, no one else experiences gender euphoria in the exact way I do. So I think it is up to me to pave the way and hopefully be an inspiration to my peers and to generations to come.
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BOOKCOOKQUEER Ingredients • Premade gnocchi • Bone broth • 1 package chicken breast • 3-4 cups spinach • 1 stalk celery, chopped • Pre-shredded carrots or 2-3 carrots chopped • Salt and pepper DIY Olive Garden Gnocchi Soup Source: Natalia’s Kitchen #1 Words by Natalia Cruz Illustrations by Janine McDaniel Recommended • Parmesan cheese • Thyme • Rosemary Optional • 1 egg • 1 cup whippingheavycream • Turmeric • Curry powder • Lemon juice Supplies • 2 pots • Baking sheet • UtensilsFUSION36 SPRING 2022
In order to stay in the spirit of sharing food, the Fusion staff created our own recipes for you and your chosen family to enjoy together.
Some other notable gay cookbooks from this time included, “The Art of Gay Cooking: A Culinary Memoir” by Daniel Isengart and “The Queer Cookbook” by Donna Clark. In 1950s San Francisco, a group of lesbian women started the Daughters of Bilitis, who would get together to talk about food and life. From that point on, similar groups were formed across the U.S. and used food to aid in activism and build community, according to journalist Reina Gattuso for Atlas Obscura. Unfortunately, it would be remiss not to mention while community spaces increased, not every group wanted to be inclusive to trans identities. For example, the Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival started in 1976 and many cite this as one of the birthplaces of the trans exclusionary radical feminist (TERF) movement as researched by journalist Diane Anderson Minshall from the Advocate. The founders decided to shut down instead of being inclusive, despite the fact that many folks were open to a more inclusive festival. Today there are more organizations that are open to all and are sharing food to strengthen the community. Queer Soup Nights, based in Brooklyn, has locations across the U.S., including one in Cincinnati. According to their website, they are “on a mission to strengthen local queer communities across the country through sharing space, sharing food and contributing to something bigger than ourselves.”
T here are many things in life that bring people together, but food is one of the most prevalent. Enjoying food is often the centerpiece during gatherings and holidays with friends and family. Making a meal with someone and exchanging knowledge on how to make food can help build connections with loved ones. Yet as one gets older, having these fun moments with family may not be possible, whether it is because of distance or broken relationships due to ignorance. However, sharing a meal with your chosen family can be healing. Throughout LGBTQ+ history, people have used food to heal and celebrate. One example can be found in the 1966 publication “The Gay Cookbook” by Lou Rand Hogan. During this time, the media displayed gay life as something to be afraid of. It was a time before the Stonewall and Compton Cafeteria riots, two movements that snowballed and brought the gay right movement to the masses. Big media outlets such as Time Magazine, the New York Times, and the Washington Post were all writing about the lives of queer people. They were simultaneously described as a societal issue and something interesting to look at. This paired with the rise of fascination with gay lifestyle, ideas of camp and breaking down societal norms. Many queer folks took advantage of this interest, such as Hogan, who created a fun and elaborate cookbook. He was also stepping into a new form of gay activism, as activists during this time were typically more concerned with integration into heterosexual society than queer liberation. History professor Stephen Vider writes in American Quarterly that, “Hogan depicted the gay home as a place of humor and pleasure—a central stage for shaping individual lives and relationships, without necessarily conforming to the gender norms embedded within Cold War domestic culture.”
Ingredients • 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted • 2 tablespoons rum or coffee • 1 stick of butter, softened • ⅔ cup granulated sugar • 3 egg yolks • 3 egg whites • Pinch of salt • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar • ⅓ cup pulverized almonds • ¼ teaspoon almond extract • ¾ cup cake flour sifted Supplies for cake • 8 inch round cake pan • 3 quart mixing bowl • Separate mixing bowl • Wooden spoon • Electric mixer • Rubber spatula • Cooling rack Ingredients •½ cup of simple lemon syrup or juice • Ice • ½ cup vanilla coffee creamer or heavy whipping •creamTeaor water Supplies • Lavender syrup • Butterfly pea powder • Matcha powder • Raspberry syrup #3 Scan the QR code for instructions! Creamy Lemonade with Optional Flavors from Natalia’s Kitchen 37 THE SOCIAL ISSUE
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Words & Photos by K Bodrock
One last look! After framing her face with one last bobby pin, Rachel’s character, Clara Tea, combs her fingers through the wig for more separated and defined curls. Clara Tea will apply f inal touches at the venue, just before the show.
Cosmetologist and drag performer Rachel Caton shares her wig expertise.
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Drag is about self expression and transformation. What gets that message across more effectively than a wig? Wigs have the power to instantly transform a person and put a look together.
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Wig caps prevents the wig from sliding around and holds it tightly to the head. Here Rachel demonstrates how she puts on her wig cap. She prefers an open ended wig cap for more ease putting it on. (Middle)
Rachel has been a cosmetologist for 6 years. She cuts and dyes hair, and styles wigs as well. When choosing a wig Rachel considers the visual balance between her outfit and hair. This look features shorter hair in a signature Clara Tea pastel color. When styling her hair to perform, she checks that the wig is properly secured to her head by shaking her hair. If the wig feels loose she will add extra bobby pins to keep it in place. (Bottom)
Rachel packs two suitcases with extra garments, wigs, duct tape, brushes, and hairspray. They accompany her to the venue where she continues getting ready for her performance. (Top)
It’s Saturgay night, welcome to Pride 821, the hostess this evening is Miss Clara Tea. For drag show f irst timers, the rules are, “You can look but don’t touch,” and, “Drag isn’t cheap, tip the performers.” (Top)
Clara Tea performs to “Give Me a Break Stop Now” by Japanese artist Reol. (Bottom)
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+ LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, TRANSGENDER AND QUEER+ CENTER
