This project is an analysis of the manner in which gender identity development was experienced by non-heteronormative people in the first half of the twentieth century, focusing on the experiences of gay men, with particular focus on the life of Anthony (Tony) Mascioli, a Rochester native and 1954 graduate of the Brockport State Teacher’s College , now The College at Brockport. Tony’s journey from a lower middle class, socially conservative, and mostly closeted lifestyle, to an upper class, extremely liberal, and totally open gay lifestyle sheds light on the manner in which American society’s view of homosexuality has evolved and on how heterosexism and classism intersect in both Tony’s life and in the formation of gay male identity as a whole. This research includes analysis of gay history, theories of gender identity and development, and personal experiences of identity as related in interviews and personal histories.

This paper addresses what I term “Pink Transgressions.” I coin the phrase Pink Transgression to mean any oppression of one woman over another. For this research, the area of pink transgressions is focused on domestics, examining the impacts of race, class, gender, and transnationalism using a Black feminist perspective. Using feminist theory, I construct the web that connects me to my mother and both of us to Diouana, the domestic in the film, La Noire (Black Girl) by Ousmane Sembene (1966). The movie serves as an extraction of my life in the space of an “imagined-maid.” That “imagined-maid” status brought me to this close feminist study of the people whose lenses persistently visualize a maid in me.

In a personal statement and poem, the author describes her struggle with compulsive exercise, an eating disorder defined by a person's frame of mind around exercising.

The paper examines the idea of the “ideal” body image that women strive to achieve, covering the time period of the 1920s – 1990s. The analysis is primarily of narrative texts that debate body types of women that have emerged over the time periods. My research question, Can women ever officially achieve the “ideal” body image? confirms that women cannot fully present distorted social readings of body image, but they can access resources and outlets to discover that there is more to women’s identity and value than her body alone. As this paper explains, this realization is structured by a complex web of cultural influences.

This essay focuses on Gabriela Mistral, a Chilean poet well known throughout the world. Here, I focus on representations of maternity in her poetry, a selected analysis that comes from a larger work that is serving as my senior undergraduate thesis. My examination of Mistral is prompted by my interest in examining women of history who have had positive social impacts on their societies. This particular analysis of Mistral and her poetry aims to look at her representations of motherhood within a feminist theoretical framework where I argue that Mistral’s passionate and frequent use of the trope of motherhood is feminist in its inclusivity.

The abortion debate, most known for drastic use of the terms “pro-life” and “pro-choice”, is visible throughout the media. Slogans tend to target those considering abortion in varying negative and positive manners. Laws and language play a large part in skewing and silencing women’s voices, decisions and experiences. Without capturing and understanding that women live very different lives, the abortion debate may remain silent of women’s voices. My research seeks to discover why women have abortions, how they are judged and by whom, and where their voices get lost.

We reach out to our readers in this second issue of Dissenting Voices and invite you to engage with us in the production of new knowledge and resistance. Our voices continue the commitment to inclusive community building and feminist activism boldly envisioned and initiated by the founders of Dissenting Voices.

To commemorate the fifteenth anniversary of V-Day, a global movement to stop violence against women and girls, Brockport students and faculty joined in the ONE BILLION RISING campaign of women and men from over 200 countries that culminated in a single day of mass action. On February 14, 2013, flash mobs were organized to RISE together in dance as a call to end violence against women. The flash mobs appeared in three campus locations: (1) Drake Memorial Library; (2) Seymour Student Union; (3) Tower Fine Arts building.

To commemorate the fifteenth anniversary of V-Day, a global movement to stop violence against women and girls, Brockport students and faculty joined in the ONE BILLION RISING campaign of women and men from over 200 countries that culminated in a single day of mass action. On February 14, 2013, flash mobs were organized to RISE together in dance as a call to end violence against women. The flash mobs appeared in three campus locations: (1) Drake Memorial Library; (2) Seymour Student Union; (3) Tower Fine Arts building.

Homophobic bullying is a problem that can cause post-traumatic stress disorder, trauma to a student in general, and internalized homophobia wherein an LGBT community member has negative perceptions of the self. A short story ("Heard Silence"), policy statement, and personal analysis each illustrate how this author's activism and advocacy is addressing the issue of homophobic bullying.