Our Society and Community editor Beth discusses LGBTQ+ sex education in schools and representation in children’s literature…
A Small History of a Big Shop
If you’re the type to keep an eye on bookish trends in Scotland’s capital, you will see that the iconic Lavender Menace bookshop is popping up and installed at book fairs throughout the city. The stall stocks LGBT books, and has been since the late 70s, and has become a historic mark on the queer map of Edinburgh…
(Almost) a decade in words
Beth compiles a list of words which have been added to the dictionary over the past (almost) decade and discusses what this reflects about our society…
A Decade in Tomes
The last ten years has offered up an eclectic range of new fiction that has challenged and changed how and what we read. Below, I’ve collected a handful of iconic or influential books of the last 10 years that show how new stories are being welcomed onto our shelves…
Celebration of Diversity pt. Three
Our Visual Artwork Editor, Rosalind Main writes about I Am More Than’s third annual event, ‘Celebration of Diversity’. I Am More Than is an empowering and beautifully feminist project founded by her and Morgan McTiernan, both of whom are fashion models and activists for body inclusivity…
Dungeons and Dragons and Inclusivity
There’s generally a common perception around table-top roleplaying games regarding who they are for. They’re for white, male nerds, right? That’s the kind of people who play Dungeons and Dragons. The reality may surprise you…
Heat for the Homeless, Edinburgh
Just over two years ago I was chatting to a man sat reading at the base of the Playfair steps. It was November and freezing cold. I asked him what the best thing he was ever given whilst being a rough sleeper was and he told me ‘a hot water bottle’. I always find it difficult knowing the right etiquette of what to give rough sleepers or anyone who is asking for help on the street…
Become the Monster (That Anti-Vaxxers Fear)
CW: Harassment, coming-out experiences.
The air is warm and musty, children are screaming from an over-indulgence in sugar, moms turn up with over-the-top baked goods for the PTA, and little Debbie is just about to cause an outbreak of measles. The reason? Debbie’s parents are some of many Americans who have decided that they are anti-vaxxers…
Celebrating the work of women around the world – an interview with Doris Tulifau.
Brown Girl Woke was built in the space reclaimed by intersectional feminism and works from this space to empower young Pacific Island girls and boys through youth groups and university programs. I met with the founder of the organisation, Doris Tulifau earlier this year in Apia, Samoa to discuss the work she does…
Women in the work place: is it flirting?
We all know how difficult it is to find good work experience. In fact the words ‘work experience’ or ‘internship’ are synonymous to me with ‘edit-print-scan’. An internship is usually…
Summer self care tips
A few weeks ago, we posted a story on Instagram asking you for your summer self care tips. It may seem contradictory but summer can be such a stressful time….
Women in the workplace: challenging ‘male’ spaces
My name is Hannah, and I’m a nineteen year old self-confessed cinema fanatic. I would love to be involved in the creative, wonderful world of movie making in whichever way…
The power of a woman with a shaved head
The #OmgShesBald experience had an energy that is incomparable to any event I have been to. The room was chic and minimal with the exception of a colourful area with a barber’s chair in its centre. Every womxn in the room was radiant, friendly and unapologetically themself…
Anxiety and Activism
I have sat here for what feels like hours attempting to know how to start this piece, and this in itself sums up what I like to call ‘activism anxiety’….
An interview with Rosie Taylor
Rosie, a second year student and the current LGBT+ Officer at Edinburgh University talks about the process of writing an open letter against the horrifying misconduct of a university gym manager…
Anna Cowan, Girls Against
I first met Anna at a training day for Sexpression, a club which trains volunteers to teach sexual education to teenagers at local secondary schools. When I introduced myself to…
Is it flirting or stalking?
Last year I spent a portion of my gap year in Pakistan. One day I attended a lecture on Jinnah, the founder of the nation. I remember shivering in the…
Why religion hates women every month
I’m in a beautiful jewellery store in Jaipur. The shopkeeper’s intensity and way of speaking would make an excellent chat show host. He tells me that because my name is Lilah and i am born on the 14th of April i should buy a clear amethyst pendant…