Really, we’re making it harder than it needs to be. — We’ve been hearing it everywhere for years, from health gurus to documentaries to Medium articles — “stop eating meat.” But increasingly, reducing meat intake is less part of a special interest group and more the solution posited for several global problems we’re seeing right now — the burning rainforest, the…

The UW System is hindering public discourse, unfairly punishing one of its chancellors, and slut-shaming a woman for her history in pornography. — In early November, sexual freedom advocate and adult film actress Nina Hartley (also a Registered Nurse) visited the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse to deliver a lecture titled “Fantasy versus Reality: Viewing Adult Media with a Critical Eye.” …

My life as a woman with a nonbinary sexual identity — “I know you were flirting with that guy at the bar,” Jade said, her teeth clenched into an underbite, her criticisms almost fighting their way out of her mouth, through the spaces between her teeth. “His name is Dee,” I said. “And no, I wasn’t. He’s just a friend.” Whatever…

Tips for when you want to pump iron but also want to stay away from other people — Recently, I decided to return to the gym after quite a long hiatus from going. I’ll spare the comprehensive list of what took me so long to get back into it, but one of the main hiccups was that I didn’t want to be around other people. A significant part…

TW: Violence, suicide, self-harm Jo, my roommate, sits topless on a wooden chair. Our other roommate, Jackie, sterilizes a needle by holding her lighter under it. She jabs it into Jo’s nipple and Jo screams — Jackie can’t get the needle through. She pushes it and it is slow; the…

I’ve been trying to get back into working out (with varying levels of success) for almost three years. I hit my fitness prime in undergrad — I never turned into a star athlete, but I exercised daily, sometimes several times, and went to the gym at least 5 days a…

How land that I hated became my greatest comfort — “Looks like we’ll be living in Tumbleweed Valley,” I said, elbowing my brother on the way to our new home. Yeah, he said, talk about Sagebrush City. L.O.T. — Land of the Tumbleweeds! The nicknames we had for what’s more commonly known as Nevada were endless — a coping mechanism…

About a week ago, my brother called to tell me my mother swallowed a handful of anxiety medication while on FaceTime with him. This is how stressed I am, she said. I take these pills five times a day. Everyone feels sorry for your father. …