In 1980, former California Governor Ronald Reagan launched his presidential campaign with a promise that would come to define an era: “Make America Great Again.” More than four decades later, Donald Trump resurrected the same slogan. But while the words remained unchanged, their meaning—and the political worldview behind them—shifted dramatically. The evolution of the phrase […]
In modern America, the lines between security and suppression have begun to blur. Across the country, scenes once confined to dystopian films like Red Dawn now play out in real life not under foreign banners, but under the Stars and Stripes. When the National Guard rolls into U.S. cities during protests, or when ICE conducts
My Journey Coming Out as TransgenderHello, my name is Caitlin Rauen, and I am a 32-year-old transgender and disabled woman. In March 2015, I came out as transgender, hoping that embracing my true self would bring a sense of freedom and relief. However, instead of receiving love and support, I was met with rejection, anger,
For decades, the Fresno County Fairgrounds have stood at the center of public controversy. In 1942, the site served as an assembly center where more than 5,000 Japanese Americans were detained before being sent to internment camps, according to Central Valley News (Rodriguez, 2022). In 2005, a two-year-old girl contracted a severe E. coli infection
A House Divided: The Battle for the Future of LGBTQ Republicans The sight of LGBTQ community members supporting Donald Trump in the last election prompted a broader question about the evolution of the Republican Party. When did the party of John McCain and Mitt Romney become the party of Donald Trump? Conversations with members of
In the 1984 film Red Dawn, American teenagers in a Colorado town wake to Soviet paratroopers descending from the sky. Their community is suddenly under foreign control. The film, a product of Cold War anxieties, tells a story of ordinary citizens resisting an occupation that stripped them of their freedom. Four decades later, the imagery
In the spring of 2019, Kevin Gifford and Tucker Russell walked into an LGBTQ+ game night at Fresno’s Fig Garden Regional Library and unknowingly stepped into a life-changing role. Approached by organizer Jason Scott, they agreed to volunteer, never imagining how their involvement would deeply impact the local queer community. From fostering friendships to offering
