A Body Image, Body Politics, and Body Justice News Roundup

Politics 

• There will be no justice for Freddie Gray.

 

• No charges filed against Winslow officer in fatal shooting of Navajo woman, Loreal Tsingine.

 

• “When the alternative was a 20 year prison sentence, it almost feels like a victory to have Indiana woman Purvi Patel’s likely prison time reduced by half. While it may be a success for Patel, the decision is by no means a victory for reproductive rights and bodily autonomy — and it definitely does not resemble justice.” –Victory for Purvi Patel, but Still a Loss for Reproductive Rights

 

• Hillary Clinton has accepted the Democratic Party’s nomination for President.

 

Body Mind Spirit

• On Monday night, at the Democratic National Convention, [Demi]Lovato, 23, used her appearance to raise awareness about mental health problems. .. .”Like millions of Americans, I am living with mental illness, but I’m lucky,” she said. “I had the resources and support to get treatment at a top facility. Unfortunately, too many Americans from all walks of life don’t get help, either because they fear the stigma or cannot afford treatment.”

 

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  Support the Asian American Tarot on Kickstarter! “Because Asian American wellness fundamentally depends upon anti-racism, our deck is an anti-racist hack for the traditional deck: take out the existing major arcana, insert ours, and voila! An Asian American mental health tarot, a little self-care magic.”

 

Children of All Ages

• Below are some outstanding books by Native writers. Buy them if you can, or ask for them at your local library. Librarians want to know what readers want to read. Far too many books by Native writers aren’t reviewed in the review journals librarians use to select books. You’ll be helping them by asking for these books. 7 Books By Native Writers to Slow the ‘Summer Slide

 

• “Cartoon Network’s “Steven Universe” is known for pushing boundaries when it comes to LGBTQ representation in an all-ages series.” Show creator Rebecca Sugar was interviewed at San Diego Comic Con and talks about why Steven Universe Matters. “These themes have so much to do with who you are. There is an idea that these are themes that should not be shared with kids but everyone shares stories about love and attraction with kids. So many stories for kids are about love. … “It really makes a difference to hear stories about how someone like you can be loved. And if you don’t hear those stories, it will change who you are.”

 

LGBTQ+ & Gender

• “The voices that are present in zines are colorful and raw — they speak to those who have no one to speak for them. Since LGBTQ youth are four times more likely to attempt suicide than those who are straight, outlets like zines, music, and community can create a safe and accepting space for those to turn to in times of need.” The Importance of Zines in the LGBTQ Community for HelloFlo

 

• Kate draws a beautifully illustrated love letter to queer aesthetics in “Queer Ten, Straight Zero: A Comic About Chin Hair for Autostraddle.“

 

 

 

• The Forgotten History of Female Athletes Who Organized Their Own Olympics 

 

• “My wife and I do everything together,” says Juma, 27, a petite woman wearing a fuchsia T-shirt and short braids in her hair. “We’re just like any married couple.” Almost, but not exactly. As members of the Kurya tribe, a cattle-herding community with a population of roughly 700,000 spread across northern Tanzania, Juma and her wife, Mugosi, 49, are married under a local tradition called nyumba ntobhu (“house of women”). Why Straight Women Are Marrying Each Other 

 

Pop Culture & Representation

• “It all started at the 2011 Phoenix Comicon. There, Native comic creators came together and built a support system by forming Indigenous Narratives Collective – a group that simply describes itself – as “what it looks like when Native Americans are in charge of the comic book universe: no shamans, no trackers, just Native superheroes. ‘Nuff said.”” The First-Ever Indigenous Comic Con Puts Native Artists in the Spotlight on Remezcla

 

• BitchFlicks breaks down a brief history of Black women scientitsts in mainstream hollywood films. “In movies and on television, the absence of Black women as scientists is glaringly obvious. This became more obvious when the 2016 Ghostbusters reboot caused an outcry around Leslie Jones — the only Black Ghostbuster — being cast as a municipal worker, rather than a scientist like her white women costars.”

 

• “With the introduction of DC’s superhero team, I started wondering—which movie franchise represents its diverse audience more?” – DC vs. Marvel: Which Movie Franchise Represents Its Audience More? on Nerds of Color

 

• The Wonder Woman feature film trailer is finally here… and I am so not mad at it!