A beginner’s guide — This guide is meant to be a starting point in your journey of understanding the greater queer and transgender community. Please also take a look at the sources at the end of this article for further resources. LGBTQIA+ (LGBT, or LGBTQ) A short hand to describe people part of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender…

How and why radicalization happens — Radicalization is a difficult topic to talk about, even in politically neutral environments. However, the attack on the capital on Jan 6th, and potential future assaults, make it necessary to address radicalization in a way that is easy for a lay person to understand. Although I myself am not an…

Why we need better data on the LGBTQ+ community — This editorial is the written format of a LGBTQ+ educational slideshow presentation that can be viewed here. All graphics, pictures, and commentary are original and created by the author of this piece, Mei Ke, unless otherwise specified. Queer and Transgender people need recognition and representation in almost every aspect of…

Common Mistakes and Ways to Fix Them — This guide was built from an example survey I recently took for my graduate school about the services the school provided. I’ve taken the time to break down each question and explain the problems with it and ways to make the questions more inclusive. I’ve done my best to provide…

China and Russia are Getting Bolder — China and Russia’s joint air operation over the disputed Dokdo/Takeshima islands was provocative towards both American allies and the United States directly. Because of this, the United States military and political leadership should have publicly denounced Chinese and Russian actions while affirming their commitment towards allies in the Asia-Pacific region.

China and Censorship in the Age of COVID-19 — Online activism has radically changed the way human rights violations are documented, especially in environments where records of abuse are difficult to obtain. The capacity to mass share content, multiplied by the ability to restart entire communities quickly even after being shut down, has allowed civic journalism to thrive and…

A Social Psychology Perspective — The following essay will use transgender as an umbrella identity term but recognizes that not all gender non-conforming individuals identify as transgender and may use other terms to describe their gender identity. Although plenty of research has been done into gender stereotypes and their effect on the body image of…

But there is still time to fix it — Because social media is considered a platform rather than a publishing entity, any regulation on the internet without the user and host’s consent is considered both an economic and free speech violation. However, neither the hosts nor the users have the incentives to support regulation, despite experiencing negative effects from…

Ten Steps to Start Your Journey — Listen to minorities carefully. Let that community lead the conversation. Stop demanding your minority peers to educate you on social issues. Instead, read up on your own on how to be an activist for the cause. Stop playing devil’s advocate when discussing discrimination. …