Writer, Academic, Activist, Commentator

Category: Race, Sex, Gender, and Sexuality

“White Chick Behind Bars”: My Review of Orange is the New Black, Season 1

Post author By Yasmin Nair
Post date July 18, 2013

The show can’t conceive of the fact that the biggest hurdle for most of the women in prison with Chapman is not that they made ‘bad choices,’ but that their future choices are foreclosed by prison.

Chicago Chronicles Feminism Queer Politics, Culture, and History Race, Sex, Gender, and Sexuality Reporting

Alice Walker discusses books at Women and Children First event

Post author By Yasmin Nair
Post date July 2, 2013

Literary icon and celebrity Alice Walker was in Chicago on July 1 to promote two new books. She appeared as part of the summer program at Women and Children First (WCF) bookstore. Though sponsored by the bookstore, the event was held at the First Free Church, 5525 N. Ashland. The venue had been changed from the Swedish Museum in order to accommodate larger crowds.

Chicago Chronicles Feminism Immigration Queer Politics, Culture, and History Race, Sex, Gender, and Sexuality Reporting

Chicago Dyke March Collective hosts immigration forum

Post author By Yasmin Nair
Post date June 5, 2013

Since 2008, the Chicago Dyke March Collective (CDMC) has held its annual march in locations outside the city’s traditional Andersonville neighborhood. The CDMC has also, in recent years, sought to engage communities by organizing forums on topics relevant to the area it marches in.

Prison industrial complex Queer Politics, Culture, and History Race, Sex, Gender, and Sexuality Reporting

Florida lesbian teen won’t take plea on sex crime charge [Windy City Times Special Investigative Series: LGBTQs and the Criminal Legal System]

Post author By Yasmin Nair
Post date May 24, 2013

A Sebastian, Fla., teenager is being charged with a crime that could potentially place her on the state’s sex offender registry. At the same time, some publicly disseminated statements about her case appear to be inaccurate.

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Academia Chicago Chronicles Feminism Queer Politics, Culture, and History Race, Sex, Gender, and Sexuality Reporting

Puerto Rican activist discusses life, poems

Post author By Yasmin Nair
Post date May 22, 2013

Luzma Umpierre-Herrera, a leading and out lesbian Puerto Rican poet and critic, was in Chicago this past week to present on her work.

Chicago Chronicles Prison industrial complex Queer Politics, Culture, and History Race, Sex, Gender, and Sexuality Reporting

Beth Richie on race, gender and the ‘prison nation’

Post author By Yasmin Nair
Post date May 22, 2013

“Excerpt: I realized that in some ways the closing of the buildings doesn’t change all that much, because as we close more buildings, we put more people in ankle bracelets, under house arrest, or make their probation longer.”

Immigration Politics Queer Politics, Culture, and History Race, Sex, Gender, and Sexuality

Undocumented vs. Illegal: A Distinction without a Difference

Post author By Yasmin Nair
Post date December 11, 2012

Academia Chicago Chronicles Feminism Queer Politics, Culture, and History Race, Sex, Gender, and Sexuality

On Jim Hubbard’s “United in Anger” and Jeff Edwards

Post author By Yasmin Nair
Post date November 29, 2012

Edwards would have been metaphorically and literally run out of Chicago if he had been anything but a white, gay man.

Feminism Politics Race, Sex, Gender, and Sexuality

Mourdock, Donnelly, Abortion, and the Wrath of Gods

Post author By Yasmin Nair
Post date October 24, 2012

To put it bluntly: both men would rather see women die than have abortions because they wanted to.

Feminism Prison industrial complex Queer Politics, Culture, and History Race, Sex, Gender, and Sexuality

Is Slutwalk the End of Feminism?

Post author By Yasmin Nair
Post date October 9, 2012

If feminism is to remain relevant, it needs to become more intractable, not less, and it needs to see itself working beyond the landscape of the personal.