This month, marginalized communities everywhere have much to celebrate. June is, of course, PRIDE Month, and also holds space for Juneteenth and the 50th anniversary of Stonewall. There is an intercultural significance between these three events for people like myself. As a Queer-identified Person of Color, an avid advocate for…
Posts published by “Astro Pittman”
Editor-in-Chief at Seattle Collegian
On April 16th, Seattle Central college faculty, staff, and students all took part in the ROC Walk Out. North and South Seattle Colleges also participated. ROC stands for ReInvest in Our Colleges, and it was sponsored by the American Federation of Teachers (AFT). At the Seattle Central campus, our very…
On Monday morning, we all woke up to the beautiful, treacherous, deceptively festive sight of several inches of snow-covered ice on the ground. With it came a reprieve from classes, work, traffic jams and general commuting responsibilities, at least for most of us. For those of you who didn’t get…
Yep. It’s December. The last month of the year, and goodness this year has flown by! Fall Quarter is over, finals are fading from the sight of students, and the holiday season is in full swing. Traffic is excruciating and rage-inducing. Christmas music accosts us in every conceivable establishment, advertisements…
This month, on November 20th, we observe Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR), a nationwide annual vigil to honor and celebrate the lives of those lost to transphobic violence. TDOR was started in 1999 by transgender advocate Gwendolyn Ann Smith, to honor trans woman Rita Hester, who was killed in 1998.…
Seattle-based transgender activist Danni Askini has been rendered stateless since June 29th of this year, after being denied renewal of her U.S. passport by the State Department. Danni has been an outspoken and highly visible transgender rights activist for many years. Until just a few days ago, Danni was…
Hello gentle readers! A brand-new academic year is in full swing here at Seattle Central, which I hope is treating all of you well thus far. To those of you just beginning your journey here at Central, I bid you a warm welcome. To those of you returning, welcome back.…
I believe that personal style is a dichotomous artform. If you choose to, you can uncover your psyche while covering your body. Clothing is both an armoring and a laying bare, a defense and a vulnerability, a liberation and a cage. It is an opportunity to break the rules while…
Let’s face it: our world is built on a foundation of gender and sexism. Gender inequality, demeaning stereotypes, diminished role expectations, pigeonholes, misogyny, oppression and glass ceilings are all products of a gender-based society. Since the dawn of recorded history, “man” has been finding ways to manipulate what would otherwise…
“People have told me about organized crime in the fashion industry, but I can’t talk about that. I’m looking to stay alive.” – Calvin Klein In 1998, at the tender and awkward age of 18, I was approached by a young woman who represented a modeling agency. She said…