Michaela Loughran

A dark age descending: Kansas legislation robs trans people of their bodily autonomy

When the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, it sent shock waves across the nation. How was it that the federal government was depriving women of their hard-won right to make decisions about their own bodies? What kind of dark age was descending upon us? It is safe to say that times have not gotten better since then, but now there is another kind of bodily autonomy crisis upon us. Earlier this year, the Kansas state legislature passed a blatantly transphobic new law which forbids transgender people from using public restrooms associated with their gender identity on government property. The law says individuals may receive a warning on their first violation, but for a second violation, they are required to pay a $1,000 fine. For a third violation, they receive a Class B misdemeanor, which in Kansas is punishable by up to six months in prison and a $1,000 fine.

U.S. Men’s Hockey team bows to Trump

For both U.S. Olympians and American spectators, the 2026 Olympics were difficult to navigate. Many people were forced to grapple with the question of whether it’s possible to separate feelings of patriotism and pride that might come with supporting U.S. medalists from anger concerning the atrocities of the current administration. U.S. Olympic freeskier Hunter Hess summed up this tension well in a comment he made recently to the press: “I think it brings up mixed emotions to represent the U.S. right now … just because I’m wearing the flag doesn’t mean I represent everything that’s going on in the U.S.”

Celebrity Silence: An unforgivable response to a country in crisis

Celebrities are some of the most talked-about people in our society, and social media only amplifies this effect, giving us seemingly constant access to these stars’ lives. If there’s any doubt about whether people take advantage of this access, just look at the like counts on some of these celebrities’ posts. Take Taylor Swift, for example, who is arguably not only one of the most famous celebrities but also one of the most influential women in the world. Swift’s engagement announcement post received an impressive 37 million likes. This means that, including those who saw it and didn’t like it, more than 37 million sets of eyes landed on this post. Although I’m a big fan of Swift, I also believe that she — and many other high-profile celebrities — are not doing enough to advocate for the underprivileged.

Crossword: Giving Thanks

It’s not just a Thanksgiving thing — we should practice gratitude year round

When there’s a holiday like Thanksgiving that is specifically dedicated to giving thanks, some might end up only explicitly doing so that one day out of the whole year. However, not commonly known to many people is the fact that the entire month of November is National Gratitude Month, giving us all an entire month to reflect on the positive aspects of our lives. It may sound a bit cliche to tell you to be more grateful, but I believe that a lot of people take the many blessings in their lives for granted.

Look up! You never know what you’ll see

Let me ask you a question. Can you remember the last meal you ate: the texture of the food, the way it tasted as it slid across your tongue, the way it made your body feel? Or, were you doing an assignment, scrolling on TikTok or engaging in any countless other distractions while eating mindlessly, with no real thought of the food in front of you? If, as I suspect, you answered yes to the latter set of questions, I am not going to chastise you. In fact, I am literally multitasking right now, munching on a mozzarella and tomato sandwich from the Commons Marketplace while writing this article. Sometimes our schedules get too busy, and it honestly feels like we don’t have a choice.

Improvement or imprisonment: Mental hospitals, prisons in the US share scary similarities

People tend to believe that prison is one of the worst places one can end up in America. Little do they know, psychiatric hospitals are eerily similar to prisons. Like prisons, the food is unappetizing and flavorless; the mattresses are stiff as boards and not at all conducive to sleep; and the showers have minimal privacy and tiny towels that come nowhere close to covering one’s full body. Both healthcare professionals and patients characterize the inpatient hospital environment as carceral in a way that, according to the AMA Journal of Ethics, is “not conducive to well-being or recovery.” Yet the websites for inpatient programs still tout “exceptional care” with false promises that patients will get better.

‘Clique culture’ has come to dominate clubs at Tufts

Have you ever walked into a club meeting and immediately felt unwelcome? Maybe it was because your fellow club members were already so engaged in conversation with one another that they didn’t pause for a brief moment to greet you. Maybe you tried to say a friendly hello, only to continue being ignored. If something like that has ever happened to you, you are certainly not alone, nor are you at fault. Experiences like this are most likely due to something much bigger — the toxic “clique culture” that has come to dominate countless organizations at Tufts.

Trigger warnings are necessary — we shouldn’t have to just ‘stay triggered’

Some conservatives are known for using simple-minded but harmful vocabulary in their rhetoric, especially online. They have a schoolyard bully-like tendency to simply cry ‘snowflake’ and mockingly ask “Why are you so triggered?” in response to many of the serious arguments liberals attempt to make on the internet. This enables them to disregard any of the substance of their liberal opponent’s arguments, while simultaneously attacking them as being ‘too weak.’ According to these right-wingers, it is impossible to form a logical argument while incorporating one’s personal feelings, and cold-hard facts alone should be the only evidence appealed to. I happen to believe this is completely false. In fact, empathy has been shown to be key to conflict diffusion, and thus, online conflicts, particularly political arguments, could stand to benefit from increased civility if both participants were to attempt to be more empathetic. Additionally, growing research is linking empathy to liberal political views, while failing to do so for right-leaning views, indicating a clear empathy gap among the parties.

The return of fascism: Musk proudly invokes Nazism in infamous salute at presidential event

As the head of these organizations, Musk has often been at the head of public controversies. One of the most recent pieces of problematic news to come out about Musk was that the openly appeared to give a Nazi salute at an event held for President Donald Trump’s inauguration. This news was naturally deeply alarming and frightening to many. How could a gesture most commonly associated with the fascist, antisemitic regime of Adolf Hitler be reappearing at a nationally televised event in the U.S. nearly a century after WWII?