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An essential ingredient in all recipes for social justice is self-determination: the ability to author your own life. To be the subject, rather than the object, of your life. And yet the denial of youths’ right to self-determine is as old as civilization itself. So how can you recognize and push back against adultism in your everyday life? Read on to find out.

Despite protests from Native Americans, many still refuse to acknowledge the racism inherent in the Indian mascots. Try these responses to common excuses from Indian mascot supporters.

If the ultimate goal is to get someone to change their problematic behavior, then we need to be intentional and strategic about how we encourage people to do that, especially other activists. How do we, as people with shared goals for social justice, hold each other accountable? In addition to calling people out, we can also call each other in when we mess up.

As the Black community continues to fight against anti-Black violence, legislation, and other forms of racist oppression, we must also learn how to be better allies and support systems to each other. This article asks the community to consider feminism as a tool to unite Black people across gender and heal the patriarchal remnants of slavery and white supremacy.

Going to the gynecologist, as a trans man in a transphobic world, can be an incredibly uncomfortable and verbally violent experience. Consequently, many men avoid getting necessary medical services like pap smears—which could lead to a completely different discomfort. Here’s some advice on how to safely negotiate your pap test as a trans man.

Tween girls are too often silenced about their own girlhood, leading to their behaviors being determined by how comfortable or uncomfortable someone else seems to be with what they say or do. Here are a few prevalent but toxic messages to watch out for and some constructive alternatives to help encourage them to get in touch with their voice and speak up.

One of the most everyday challenging parts of coming out as transgender is the resistance people have to changing the pronouns they use. Sure, some slip-ups are understandable at first. But when people actively refuse to use your pronouns, then that’s a whole other story. Here are ten things that this refusal actually signifies to the trans person.

Unless you know queer men or you are one yourself, you probably have no idea just how many queer men struggle with eating disorders, exercise disorders, and/or incredibly negative body image. Fatphobia in gay male spaces is a social phenomenon, and it runs deep. This is a conversation we need to have both as queer activists and as feminists. Here’s why.

It’s a natural desire to want to give your opinion on something. We all want to think that our perspective matters – and oftentimes, it does. But sometimes it doesn’t. And we don’t always think about the implications of our words. So, what do you do when you get called out for saying something problematic – and you totally “didn’t mean it like that?”

When we pair the entitlement that men too often feel with the everyday misogyny that women face, we have a dangerous combination. And we cannot expect women to be the only ones leading men to change. If we do, then we are surely contributing to the wider problem. So here are 10 simple ways that men can combat sexist entitlement in public.

Our media is saturated with images that sexually objectify women. The explanation for this phenomenon? “Sex sells.” But is it really sex that these ads are implying? Caroline Heldman doesn’t think so. Check out her TED Talk about the overwhelming sexual objectification of women in our media, and how something a lot more sinister than sex appeal is at work.

Originally published on Medium and republished here with the author’s permission. Since Inauguration Day, the progressive community and people of good conscience more generally are experiencing a mix of dread, despair and fear as we steel ourselves to face the dystopian reality of the Trump era. We all recognize the threat that a Trump administration represents for…

“What are you?” Are you making harmful assumptions about mixed race people? Check out the dangerous mindset behind these common phrases.

“This was how I realized I was dating a racist man.” Wow. This story really shows how much racism is normalized in our lives – even in our intimate relationships.

A contract for friendship? Yes, really – imagine rolling with a squad like this, loving each other in your fullness, and you’ll know why this author’s onto something.

You’ve probably heard examples of white folks appropriating culture from people of color – but what about when people of color do it to each other? Here’s some important context to consider.

A person with an exhausted facial expression has their hand to their forehead.

Are any of these Islamophobic microaggressions familiar to you? Here are some of the subtle ways feminists have made this author feel unwelcome – and how they add up to a painful reality for Muslim feminists.

These common gestures can have good intentions, but they cause more harm than good. If you want to appreciate a culture, make sure you’re not actually appropriating it in one of these ways.

A person with short hair and a white-collared shirt is seen from behind, rubbing their neck as if in pain.

“You don’t look sick.” Do you know what it’s like to live with an invisible illness? Many people don’t, so they end up saying hurtful things. Here’s some of what you may have never realized about chronic illnesses.

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If you’re a white person in activist spaces, you’ve probably come across frustration about white feelings taking up a lot of space. So here’s how can you avoid centering your emotions, but still process them in a healthy way.