I started going to the gynecologist at the age of 17. My mom saw it as a rite of passage. I was a young woman, in my first serious relationship, and suffering with typical high school acne. In her eyes, of course I was going to get on the pill. Never mind the fact that the first time I asked my mom what sex was she claimed she had “never heard of it.” Never mind the fact that when I say the word “nipple” my mom tenses up to this day. We were going to do things the right way. The progressive way.

The first time I had ever heard the phrase “bitch” I was no older than seven years old. It was a rainy day in Michigan and my mom refused to let a white man over into our lane while driving. This infuriated him, and caused him to roll down his window. Along with a racial slur, the man leaned out of his car and the veins in his neck popped as he called my beautiful and beloved mother, a bitch. Tears formed in her eyes as she rolled up her window quickly, looked at me sternly, and said “Kristina.

The writer acknowledges that this topic is a sensitive subject. They would like to post a trigger warning for those triggered by mentions of self-harm. I’ve been chronically depressed since the age of 12. Which sounds ridiculously young, but that’s life. When my family made a drastic move from Michigan to Georgia, my once lively self became quiet and withdrawn. I was suddenly eating more than usual, hiding it from my family. After class I would spend time in my closet upstairs, holding my breat

Beginning in August 2016, 49ers Football player Colin Kaepernick sat down during the national anthem as part of a symbolic protest against police brutality and systemic racism in our country. In an interview, Kaepernick said, “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color.” Many people found solidarity with Kaepernick, and soon began to stage their own protests during the national anthem. His movement is sweeping the country, sta

In this week’s celebrity news, rapper Drake mocked Kid Cudi’s depression in a poorly written and insensitive line in his latest song  Two Birds One Stone, after a Twitter rant by Kid Cudi a couple of weeks ago. The lyrics reference Kid Cudi’s current stay in a rehab facility for help with his depression and suicidal urges: As someone who likes rap music but does not religiously listen to it, I could not help but roll my eyes.  Drake’s low blow was disgusting. He took a great moment of vulnerab

It’s been a long week. Instead of using this article to get out all of my emotions, I decided to do something else. Many people are re-energized after the election, and are trying to look for ways to get involved in activism. I may be a little salty, that this is what it’s taking, but I also realize that people fight for justice in a variety of ways. Maybe you’ve been doing that in your community, and you’re now looking for another avenue. Outside of smashing the patriarchy on this URGE blog, I

Like many femmes, I have an interesting relationship with my body. I’m 5’9, and last time I checked, close to 200 pounds. I now wear size 16 jeans, and usually XL tops. I’m pretty sure my bra size is a 38 DD. Being tall, I feel as though a lot of people expect me to be super thin, and I’m not. I frequently have trouble fitting clothes at what I lovingly refer to as “White Girl Stores.” These stores include American Eagle, Forever 21, and other stores that I probably should not even be attempting

With the inauguration coming up in several days, life has been pretty bleak. As an organizer, a Black person, and someone with a vagina, I can only imagine how our next four years will go. However, in 2017 I’ve made the resolution to actively practice self-care. I’m relatively good at this by now, but I wanted some self-care that was sustainable and could last me through our already wack country burning to the ground. Here are 5 things I’m doing this week instead of crying. 1. Binge watching De

It feels as though with every notification of a new Executive Order from Trump, I feel a 20 pound weight being added to an imaginary backpack full of emotional baggage. However, Trump’s Muslim Ban (that’s what I’m calling it, because that’s what it is) really struck a nerve. Placing a hold on refugee resettlement for 120 days, and also banning travel to 7 countries, Trump’s ban is clearly unconstitutional, the result of Islamaphobia, and the US’s resistance to accepting that white men continue

I update my music playlists every three months. If people want the latest reviews on music, I am not the femme they should be speaking to. For some reason, listening to new music stresses me out. For one, it’s extra work. It’s often hard for me to find music, and I don’t download it illegally. Also, there’s the whole sitting there and listening to the music thing. You have to form an opinion on it. All of this is just way too much effort for me. I’d rather just listen to my Kanye West and Floren

It’s been about a week since Milo Yiannopoulos has been ousted from the conservative community. An openly gay man known for his blatant racism, and transphobia, Milo served as a bridge between the GamerGate crowd, and white gay people who refused to be held accountable for their oppressive ways. Milo’s rhetoric has been responsible for protests on almost every campus he has attended, along with violence towards college students, and those with marginalized identities. Milo firmly holds the belie

If you’re even remotely close to a queer person of color, you’ve probably heard all of the lively debate and discussion over Chimamanda Ngozie Adicihie’s comments on trans womanhood. As one of the most prominent popular feminists of our time, Chimamanda is a writer known for Ted talks and books, including the critically acclaimed We Should All Be Feminists, which aims to explain feminism in the 21st century. As a non-binary femme,  I’m not going to break down why Chimamanda’s comments were harmf

On a typical school night, I’m usually texting my friends about Bravo reality television, and catching up on some major assignment that I’ve procrastinated on. Last week I was working on a major assignment, and couldn’t find the page count needed. Stressed out once again, I fought back tears as I struggled to finish the assignment. After a dramatic 30 minutes of me crying over school, I decide to look over the rubric one last time. The fog of stress had lifted, and I could clearly see that the a

If you’ve been paying attention since the beginning of time, you’ll notice that men who commit acts of violence after being scorned by a lover and/or rejected by a woman are not a new phenomenon. Here you’ll find a list of 14 women who have been killed in the last two years by men they rejected. A simple Google search will result in tons of other articles with similar themes. Where there’s a woman, there’s most likely a man trailing behind her, thinking of ways he can assert his power over her.

Though we’ve had a rocky past during the typical teen angst years, my mother is my best friend. She’s my shoulder to cry on, she’s my inspiration. She accepts me even when I’m at my worst, and she taught me the value of unconditional love. Smart, and driven, my mother was also the first person to teach me about being #AbortionPositive and unapologetically pro-choice. Since my childhood was spent in an often conservative Catholic school, my mom spent the time outside of school to teach me about p

I’m sure by now everyone has heard about the recent leak of celebrity nudes. It’s been all over twitter, TMZ, Facebook, etc. I’ve seen many articles on how to prevent similar situations from happening. Learning more about the iCloud, not sending nudes with your face, locking your phone, have all been popular phrases throughout recent weeks. I'm sure the victims of picture leaks now know what they should do in the future, which is why this article is not directed towards them.

I think we’ve all been in a situation where someone announces that they are majoring in engineering, and people suddenly make comments about how smart they are. Whether we like it or not, I think we all kind of buy into this hierarchy among the majors. There are some majors we automatically assume are for “smart” people, and some majors we assume are for lazy people. Coming into college, I definitely believed this. But now that my major is something that most people haven’t heard of, I have a unique perspective.

I think nowadays there's just this assumption that if you're a mildly attractive person, and have a semi-decent personality, you will eventually be rewarded with a significant other. "You're such a great person, why are you single?" Is something that us perpetually single folks are used to hearing.

I’m a firm believer in the idea that if someone makes you unhappy, you should just stop interacting with them. Life is too short to sacrifice your happiness putting up with anyone’s BS, and it’s a lot easier when you don’t.

I think that anyone who knows me personally can attest to the fact that I am a very opinionated woman, and the opinions that I have are often unpopular on Georgia Southern’s campus. The people who know me will likely confirm that that doesn’t stop me from voicing them anyways. I don’t thrive in conflict, but I certainly don’t shy away from it either.