It's been a really up and down two weeks in Democratic politics, Progressive politics, and queer life. Last week began with the collapse of Teen Vogue back into the Vogue brand. For those who haven't read Teen Vogue in the last decade this may seem like a shallow stressor, however those who have read their coverage know that Teen Vogue has been one of the bastions of progressive journalism, as well as a place where young journalist truly respected the stories of young Americans. It is no exaggeration to say that The Lavender would not exist without Teen Vogue, that publication has been a blueprint to what I've wanted for my journalism career since before The Lavender was even a daydream in my mind. Then I got to celebrate with the rest of the country as Zohran Mamdani became Mayor-Elect of New York! A win for socialists and progressives everywhere as the larger Democratic party continues to leave us disillusioned. Speaking of the Democratic party leaving us disillusioned, a group of democrats broke rank during this long government shutdown to vote to open the government. A disappointing reveal considering that so much was given up by then voting with Republicans to end the shutdown, and our healthcare premiums are only one thing that will be screwing over the American people. As we close out this workweek with another progressive win in the Seattle Mayoral race (shout out Katie Wilson! A race won by not a lot of votes, which makes for a great reminder that local elections matter), I think it's time for all of us to start thinking about what a truly progressive Democratic party could look like, and how we make it happen.

News to Know

Lina Khan’s populist plan for New York: Cheaper hot dogs (and other things) (Semafor): If there's anything I'm excited for in Mayor-Elect Mamdani's transition team, it's his pick of former FTC powerhouse Lina Khan. While you may not know Khan by name, you have likely appreciated her work by now. Her work at the FTC is responsible for the simplified ticket and hotel fee pricing you've seen in the last year. Places like Ticketmaster and Expedia have been trying to make it seem like it's their idea (there are a lot of banners that are like "the price you see is the price you get" or something in that vein). That's because during her tenure at the FTC she banned junk fees that made the total price for tickets or hotels were opaque until you got to putting in your card info. It sounds like she'll be bringing those same skills to Zohran's transition team and I love to see it!
The Tragic Loss of Teen Vogue (Columbia Journalism Review): This article on what it means to lose Teen Vogue is one of many floating around the media ecosystem right now. That's because it's a publication that meant a lot to Gen Z journalists as we've found our footing in the field, as well as LGBTQ+ journos and journalists of color. It gave so many young journalists opportunities, and it took issues of the youth seriously. Please read this and then follow the journalists who are laid off with little notice do to this loss. They will surely filter into other great publications, but the journalism ecosystem has been hemorrhaging feminist publications, so there are just less places for folks to go. So support substacks, independent publication, non-profit newsrooms, because this is a reminder that mainstream media often doesn't support those of us in the margins.
Democrats sift through shutdown’s ashes after resistance finally breached (The Guardian): In short, after the longest shutdown in American history, Democrats come out with nothing to show for it. Among those who joined with Republicans in the Senate in a vote to open the government was Illinois Senator Dick Durbin! Very disappointing, but it tracks considering all those senators who broke rank to open the government aren't being primaried any time soon or are planning to step down after their current term (Dick Durbin is in the second boat). Why did they do this? Maybe they're spineless, maybe they're too in the pockets of the airlines to let Thanksgiving season go with so many flight cancellations, we can only speculate. Either way, once again trust in Democrat politicians further erodes as we see all the pain of this shutdown was essentially for naught.
UI to remove DEI statement from faculty promotion, tenure applications (Daily Illini): Once again the U of I disappoints! This is one of many DEI rollbacks conducted by the University since Trump took office, another being the renaming of their DEI office to the office for "Access, Civil Rights, and Community". Alums, don't be afraid to make your voice heard with your voices and with your donation dollars.
Surge in antisemitism investigations at US universities after October 7 attacks, data shows (The Guardian): A new report has shown just how these antisemitism investigations ballooned post-October 7th. What makes this so notable for us in CU is that our hometown university is directly referenced in the cited report from the Middle Eastern Studies Association and the American Association of University Professors. Here is a direct quote from the report: "Beginning in 2024, nearly all antisemitism resolution agreements have required schools to turn over spreadsheets listing all internal complaints of shared ancestry discrimination received in recent academic years. The spreadsheets must include detailed information about each complaint, including in many cases the names of accusers and those accused, as well as those involved in investigating complaints." UIUC is one of 15 universities/university systems who have been found to have agreed to share data on internal complaints of shared ancestry discrimination with the federal Office of Civil Rights. So if you were worried about surveillance on pro-Palestine protesters and academics in the last two years, you were correct to worry.

Lavender Vibes

The Criterion Channel: I loved cable so much as a child, and one thing I miss in this streaming age is the ability to just turn on the TV and watch whatever's on. All of us has spent on hour scrolling through Netflix with friends or a partner going through a limited but somehow endless catalog of films, trying to find the perfect one only to spend the length of a movie deciding! Well if you are a film fan or you want to get into film, I strongly suggest getting a Criterion subscription, if only to get access to the Criterion Channel! 24 hours a day, 7 days a week they play different films from their catalog at random. No choice needed, but the movie's always good! And they have films from countries all across the world, so it's a great way to explore international film if you don't know where to start. And if you hop in on the middle of a movie that looks good, you can scroll back to the beginning! There are so many amazing finds, I literally watched a Czechoslovakian Sci-fi film from 1963 because of Criterion (it's called Ikare XB-1, you should watch it if you liked Interstellar but wish it was shorter).

Thanks for Reading! - EIC Jada Fulcher <3