A Letter From the Editor: Turning the Tide
Apparently, the STP writers aren’t the only young feminists thinking about sexuality and feminism . . . we received seventy-eight submissions to be considered for this issue. Women sent them to us from seven different countries.
Sex In the Language of Politics
Lise Sanders deconstructs the political rhetoric of the recent presidential election. "It's no coincidence that the rhetoric of virgin and pregnant ballots, the sullied purity of the democratic ideal, emerges against the background of, among other female political triumphs, Hillary Rodham Clinton's Senate victory."
Drawing Curtains, Drawing Lines
Charlotte Green Honigman-Smith, an outspoken Jewish feminist, shares how she negotiates her Reform background with her feminist values. "The mechitza doesn’t just physically divide women from men, it divides women who accept it--provisionally, as I do, in order to pray with a certain congregation, or completely, as a matter of law and custom--from women who see it as one of the most glaring examples of misogyny in traditional Jewish practice"
Embracing the Housewife Within
Suzie Guillette shares one woman’s struggle between her lesbian identity and a new found desire to date men. "Many women come to the Center to transcend the potentially stifling "housewife" role, not to embrace it. Her suggestion deserves a moment of reflection, in which a sense of unspoken mirth floats over the telephone line."
Burning Bras . . . Not Exactly
A personal essay about becoming a feminist, by Hope Borchardt. "Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary defines feminism as; 1: the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes; 2: organized activity on behalf of women’s rights and interests. According to Webster’s definition, I support feminism and therefore am a feminist."
Third Eye Open
Rhonda Chittenden challenges third wavers who may be camped out in restrictive ideologies to build authentic and effective alliances that traverse race, class, culture, ability, gender, etc, and to embrace the aspects of identity that exist outside of labels and categories. "After all, her favorite question, Are they Black or White? has been rendered powerless with the answer of BOTH. And how can she offer the obnoxious reminder that I "swing both ways" when it’s clear that I am joyously in mid-flight?"
The Feminist Fan: Moving Backwards and Forwards Putting sexuality theory into practice, Emari Dimagiba Lavine celebrates Good Vibrations, an all women-operated and owned sex toy store. "Good Vibrations represents a new breed of sexual revolutionaries who are committed to demystifying sexual taboos, and normalizing discourse about sex and various sexual practices."
An Eye For the Ladies
Alia Levine takes a hilarious look at lesbian boundaries, or lack thereof. "The gene pool is shrinking day by dykely day. A quick inventory shows that nearly all the girls I’ve dated live on the same stretch of street. A simple brunch plan can be as treacherous as a Sapphic snake-pit…"
The Feminism of Everyday Life
Melisse Gelula discusses the feng shui of femme fashion.
"Shoes, I feel, should foment revolutions, capture the imagination, or at least require thought."
Shameless, a sex advice column
Sexuality Expert Ashley Sovern gives a basic primer on polyamory and polyfidelity. "Because the success of a poly arrangement depends, at its core, on communication, polyamory offers people the chance to make explicit their expectations about connections in a way that can create a more fulfilling and enriching relationship."
Note to Self
Drawing from pieces of pop culture, Shauna Pomerantz challenges culturally engrained messages, which mandate that heterosexual, thirty-something women must get married.
"Sure the biological clock is a reality. Sure having babies becomes a little harder and riskier as our bodies age. And sure, having a partner to help out with the work would make things easier. But to see such a representation so vividly and drastically exposed on a mainstream television show smacked of antifeminist backlash."
Motherhood is Political
Katie Novotny discusses the politics of breastfeeding.
"Breastfeeding is the most nutritious food for babies, yet society discourages it."
Reviews of Recent and Retro Recordings: The Octaves 
Beyond Silence Project by Kristy Beckman "The Octaves Beyond Silence Project was compiled to raise awareness about the violence women have suffered- and continue to suffer- around the world. The CD fund-raises money for six organizations that help women around the world, from countries such as Afghanistan, Rwanda, Bosnia, Croatia, Kosova, and the United States."
Book Reviews: The Prisoner’s Wife, by Asha Bandele Reviewed by Kimberly Springer, PhD "Though she never uses the word "feminist," or "womanist" for that matter, all the while asserting a belief in the rights of women, Asha Bandele’s memoir unequivocally puts a contemporary spin on the feminist slogan "personal is political."
The Splintered Day, by V.K. Mina
Reviewed by Alia Levine "A series of fractured, lonely vignettes do not necessarily add up to a conventional novel, but by providing us with the surefire plot of love (and how to get it), V.K. Mina constructs a stark, yet hopeful world that is hard to leave until the last page."
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