Bystander Behavior in his Fucking House

My first semester at Gettysburg, I was at a fraternity party with a group of friends from my floor. As a first-year who spent the majority of her Saturday nights in high school watching Netflix with friends, I was still growing accustomed to the utter chaos which defines our college’s primary social scene. Despite my inexperience, even I knew to be worried when a visibly intoxicated girl stumbled past, pulled behind a guy towards the stairs. [excerpt

Republic of Esthonia : [facts about Esthonia]

http://www.ester.ee/record=b1512379*es

Not Aborting My Plan

I was walking on campus today, backpack tight against my shoulders, one headphone in my ear, phone in my back pocket, when I saw a poster calling me a baby killer. [excerpt

I\u27m In Pain, But You Can\u27t See It

Two weeks after I returned home from my freshman year at Gettysburg, I suffered a nervous breakdown. I couldn’t get out of bed even though I was unable to sleep. I had no appetite and it felt like pins and needles were constantly poking at my hands and feet. I spent hours wishing for sleep so that I could get some relief, yet I felt so terrified of the possibility that dreams would follow unconsciousness that I turned lights on, played loud music, and sat at my desk in an attempt to do anything that would prevent me from falling asleep. I had become detached from reality, unable to distinguish between what was happening in the world and what was happening in my head. [excerpt

Why I am Against Guns

I am a suicide attempt survivor. And I am for increased gun control reform. And the reason why this is my position is because I know, if my parents had owned a gun, there is an 85% chance you wouldn’t be here reading my story. [excerpt

But, Why Not?

I am the lucky one. That’s how I’ve felt growing up in backwater Pennsyltucky, yet somehow managing to be openly queer. I came out to my friends and family as bi/pan-sexual in the 8th grade. None of my coming-out experiences resulted in horror stories. At that point most people had already guessed and accepted the fact that I was most definitely a queer kid. Even the most conservatively religious members of my friend group seemed perfectly okay with the fact that my sexuality didn’t fit with their ideas of morality. I was who I was, and to all outward appearances that was just peachy. [excerpt

Compliments, Insults, and the Paradox of Pillow Talk

I haven’t been a skinny girl since I was seven years old. At nine, I was told I wasn’t small enough to sit down and talk to the other girls. I didn’t “fit” and they wouldn’t make enough space for my body, or for my big opinions. [excerpt