All posts filed under: Gender and Sexuality

‘Lucky’ Gives a Rare Glimpse Into the Life of a Homeless Mom

December 2, 2013
by Von Diaz
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Art and Culture / Gender and Sexuality / Latinos / LGBT / Women

Originally published on Colorlines on December 2, 2013. Representations of queer women of color in film are still hard to come by, particularly one as intimate and jarring as “Lucky.” In this first-ever documentary from journalist Laura Checkoway, you meet Lucky Torres–a fierce Puerto Rican lesbian mom from the South Bronx. Life isn’t easy for Torres, who came up in the system, bouncing around foster homes until she ran away and wound up homeless. She […]

Why ENDA is an Urgent Issue for People of Color

November 20, 2013
by Von Diaz
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Gender and Sexuality / LGBT / Women

Originally published on Colorlines on November 20, 2013. The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) narrowly passed in the Senate two weeks ago for the first time since a version was introduced in 1974. It was even more significant because it now includes transgender people. But House Speaker John Boehner insisted the act won’t come to a vote in the House, leaving those LGBT people living in the 34 states [PDF] without anti-discrimination laws at a stark disadvantage. And because people of color are more […]

Homeless Youth in Focus

November 11, 2013
by Von Diaz
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Gender and Sexuality / LGBT / Race / Youth

Originally published on Colorlines on November 11, 2013. It’s 10 p.m. on Tuesday night at the Streetwork Project overnight shelter in New York City, and many of the young residents are just settling in. The shelter, a renovated brownstone with brightly painted walls, houses 24 homeless youth aged 16 to 20, a fraction of the estimated 3,800 who are homeless in the city on any given night. Nineteen-year-old Brie walks in from a smoke break and launches into […]

A Bleak Year for Reproductive Justice

November 1, 2013
by Von Diaz
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Gender and Sexuality / Health / Women

Originally published on Colorlines on December 31, 2013. It’s been a tough year for reproductive justice in the U.S., with 24 states approving policies and legislation that limit women’s access to reproductive health care. The passage of Texas’ HB 2, which is still being appealed, has already shut down one third of the abortion clinics in a state that has long been limiting access particularly for women with limited resources including low-income women of color and immigrants […]

Dangerous Sexism

October 30, 2013
by Von Diaz
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Art and Culture / Gender and Sexuality / Women

Originally published on Colorlines on October 30, 2013. Click here to view slideshow of images from the exhbitionb “On Equal Terms.”  In the 35 years since affirmative action passed, there’s been growth in nearly every field dominated by men but the construction industry isn’t one of them.  According to the National Women’s Law Center, the number of women in construction trades and related work has remained steady at 2.6 percent from 1983 to 2010. In contrast, the […]