Cameryn Jamison Going through your teenage years is arguably one of the toughest times in a person's life, as it leaves you open for judgement and self criticism when you are trying to discover who you really are. Whether that be what interests you, who you like, or even the type of people you want … Continue reading Gender Roles and Identity as an Adolescent →

-By Starr Church Let’s talk about small towns. I don’t mean the rare small towns you find which are accepting of everyone, but more so the stereotypic small towns which are extremely conservative and unwelcoming (although they try to put on a good front). The second description is what we’ll focus on, because that’s the … Continue reading Small Towns and Adolescence →

If you could back would you? I think everyone has thought about doing something differently. What’s the most recent thing you wish you’d done differently? Maybe you wish you applied yourself more in school, asked someone out, spent more time with someone, said just one more thing to that person. As we get older it’s … Continue reading Past and Present →

Society is constantly putting labels onto people and telling them what box they belong in, specifically regarding gender. Society places expectations onto each gender based on their sex and the socially constructed rules of behavior assigned to that sex. For instance, girls are expected to do housework, play with dolls, and take care of children … Continue reading Blog #3: Gender Roles in Terms of Sexual Identity →

In The Miseducation of Cameron Post, a novel that follows a young lesbian adolescent, Cameron, through her experiences of what its like being attracted to other girls, we see the main character forced off to a conversion therapy camp named “God’s Promise” by her Aunt Ruth in an attempt to “fix” her homosexuality. As I … Continue reading On Conversion Therapy →

It goes without saying that conversion therapy is an abominable institution. Still, there are nuances worth exploring if we want to better understand just how this brand of ‘therapy’ strives to manipulate queer youth into denying who they are. One such nuance is how notions of gender might influence the tactics utilized. To illustrate this … Continue reading Gender Expectations for Queer Adolescents: Cameron Post vs. Boy Erased →

Music has been a source of bonding and connection for people across various cultures for decades. It has also been a source for different cultures to interact with and connect with one another. This is portrayed in If I Ever Get Out of Here, with Lewis from the Native American reservation and George from the … Continue reading Musical Connections for Adolescents →

Stereotypically, girls’ toys consist of dolls and dollhouses.  Due to this social assumption, almost all girls are gifted these at some point.  In “The Miseducation of Cameron Post,” Cam is depicted as the opposite of a stereotypical teenage girl, which includes the description of she treats her dollhouse.  Instead of obsessing over it her entire … Continue reading It’s (not) a doll’s world →

Last week, I had the pleasure of attending three different events that explored the work of various prominent Black writers, poets, and artists as a part of the CAAPP’s Black Study Intensive. The first event I attended was Emily Greenwood's "Overthrowing Deadly Metaphors." I chose to attend this session because it was the first session … Continue reading Reflection on the Black Study Intensive →