Category: Articles

Sophia the Robot and What it Tells Us about the Current State of AI

By Lelia Erscoi The choice of pronouns is no arbitrary thing- Sophia’s (“Sophia – Hanson Robotics”, 2022) creators are doing all they can to make you think of it as a “her”. From its appearance, modeled on a mix of women’s faces – Audrey Hepburn’s, Egyptian Queen Nefertiti’s, and its own inventor David Hanson wife’s (Chung, 2022) – to the fact that it was granted human rights in Saudi Arabia (Parviainen, Coeckelbergh, 2021), the whole story behind Sophia is a very fascinating one that aims to inspire. However, that’s what it mostly is – a story.

On being young and gay in Europe: “It’s not yet ok as long as you don’t dare to be who you want to be”

by Catarina Vila Nova During the Summer months, Esther and Carmen will be riding their motorcycles across 15 European countries in search of what it means to be young and gay in Europe. They will be connecting with partners in film festivals and organizations that advocate for LGBTI+ rights to create a movie platform targeted to professors to get the conversation going in the classroom.

A Look Back at Loving Day

By Kyra-Lianne Samuels Laws in opposition to interracial marriages and relationships are known as ‘anti-miscegenation’ or ‘miscegenation’ laws. The intention behind these laws was to further support white supremacy. By punishing interracial couples with fines, arrest, imprisonment, or the refusal to legally acknowledge their marriages, segregation was being enforced (“The Loving Day Story,” n.d.).

The Silenced Screams of Kubra Khademi

by Nagham ElRawi An artist’s canvas has always been known to be their voice and their free form of expression, often serving as a reflection of social and cultural conditions in which they exist. As a result, their art becomes a gift, a voice, and a mic connecting them to world speakers. Unfortunately, many parts of The Middle East have resorted to silencing opposing voices which sadly leads to their amplification elsewhere. One of the most current exhibits of this phenomenon is the Afghan artist, Kubra Khademi who has recently made several headlines with her current exhibition at The Eric Mouchet Gallery.

Women, violence, and war: “It’s the unexpected”

by Catarina Vila Nova Western societies aspire to ideals of equality but it’s in moments of crisis that the reality of where we still are comes to the fore. When it comes to war, gender norms are almost as rooted as they’ve always been. Even with catchy stories of female soldiers in the early days of the Russian invasion of Ukraine flooding our timelines, traditional gender roles still take hold.

“Can you even have sex?” The importance of inclusive relationship and sex education to fight false ideas of sex and disability 

by Nanette Ashby „To realize our sexual freedom, our goal must be to infuse the dominant sexual culture with the richness of our own experience. We must celebrate our differences from those without disabilities. We must see that our differences in appearance and function which are the sources of our degradation also contain the seeds of our sexual liberation” – Barbara Faye Waxman (Kaufman 1).