What I did at Trek to NJ
September 10, 2025
Before I was a feminist media critic with a blog, I was a feminist dork who watched too much TV. This is valuable context to consider when I tell you that over the weekend, I went to a Star Trek Convention in Whippany, NJ, organized by Creation Entertainment, which has been organizing Star Trek conventions since 1971. Since Star Trek aired from 1966-1969, they were on the ground floor of fan convention-ing.
Two months ago, I saw an ad for “Trek to NJ 2025,” and it had a star-studded lineup. (Though as is often the case with conventions, not everyone who was advertised could make it, due to last-minute flight cancellations or professional obligations.) Prior to this, my total experience with Trek conventions was attending one (1) day of one in 2009, specifically to get Leonard Nimoy’s autograph. This time, I figured, I could go both days. Bryan and I booked tickets and invited his sister and a friend of mine from work. They both decided to only come on Sunday, which is when William Shatner (Captain Kirk) and Kate Mulgrew (Captain Janeway) would be there.
On Friday night, Bryan and I flipped a coin for which of us would wear my command gold T-shirt (aka “Captain Kirk shirt”), and which of us would wear the communications red nightgown (aka “Uhura’s dress.”) I won the dress for Saturday, which meant I had to find pantyhose to wear with it. I do not ordinarily wear pantyhose, so that took some rummaging through the sock drawer. I accessorized with Starfleet earrings Bryan 3D printed for me a few years ago. By chance, I also found the Starfleet logo pin that my mother made me for the 2009 convention. With that, my outfit was complete.
I packed a day bag with my copy of Open a Channel: A Woman's Trek by Nana Visitor, who was on Star Trek: Deep Space 9. My goal for the weekend was to have it signed by her, and as many of the women whose characters were represented on the cover as possible.
Pride, Wrath, Justice, Fortitude, and Other Virtues
June 13, 2025
Now, Walt Whitman was a pervert, but he was the best poet that America ever produced. And if he was standing here today and somebody called him a fruit or a queer behind his back, or to his face, or over these airwaves, that person would have to answer to me.- Maurice Minnifield, a surface-level bigot, displays unexpected allyship in Northern Exposure’s “Brains, Know-how, and Native Intelligence” (aired 1990-07-19)
Happy Pride, friends. Or should I perhaps say Wrathful Pride? Because I’m pretty mad right now.
Recently, someone asked me how the world was different when I was a kid. I thought about how gay people couldn’t tell you they were gay, and how I myself was in denial about being bi. And then I thought about how I didn’t know trans people existed. Now, I know they exist (in fact, I know at least 8 of them personally). Sounds like we’ve made progress, right? Sure. Yay. Let’s celebrate the wins (and there have been some.)
Recently, though, I’ve become quite frightened by a certain paradox: trans issues are openly discussed, in the negative. In other words, a category of people I scarcely knew existed 20 years ago, is now supposed to be my enemy.
Where Have I Been?
February 18, 2025
Hello, Readers.
Wow! Hi! Been a while.
Yes, yes it has. I’m sorry about that. You see, I’ve been too depressed to blog about feminism for several months now.
Is that because of the election?
No, surprisingly enough. I was depressed before that. Last fall, I faced something very difficult: a medically required pregnancy termination.
(Consider that your content warning.)
A Word From My Better Half: Bryan Invents a New Term
October 11, 2024
Bryan: That right there is a textbook case of fuckboy-coding.
Me: I don’t think there is a textbook for that yet, considering you made it up 2 weeks ago.
Bryan: The lazy bum who invented it should get off his ass.
- Conversation on my couch, October 5, 2024
Greetings, readers. We have a special feature today: an appearance from my research partner, web admin, and husband, Bryan Fisher. Last month we decided to celebrate Star Trek Day by watching Star Trek: Enterprise, and he was inspired to coin a new term to describe one of the characters. Today, I’m interviewing him about what “fuckboy-coded” means.
The following has been edited for flow and clarity.
Why We Vote, with Northern Exposure's "Democracy in America"
September 24, 2024
My dear readers, I hope this missive finds you well. As I write, we are just about 6 weeks out from a presidential election in the United States, so this is a good time to remind y'all to vote.
Putting the B in LGBTQIA: Bi Erasure and Pride Month
June 18, 2024
Happy Pride!
Thanks, disembodied voice to whom I address my blog! Happy Pride to you as well.
I'd like to follow up on our previous investigation into Absurdly Cis & Straight Stupidity (ACSS, with a soft C). But first: have I mentioned I'm bi? I am, and for the purposes of this post you should know that.