By Billie Kanfer '16, Features Editor 
Many events regarding sexuality, sexual assault and gender equality have surfaced over the years. Within the last year, it featured most prominently in the Supreme Court case known as Hobby Lobby. These various themes are becoming increasingly visible in in everyday life. The Skidmore chapter of Vox: Voices for Planned Parenthood, is presenting a lecturer Tuesday, November 18th at 7 p.m. in Gannett Auditorium. Her name is Sara Alcid and she is a queer feminist activist and writer. She hails from the D.C area and is knowledgeable on these topics as well as the politics behind the fight for equality. Alcid has an academic background in Gender and Sexuality Studies where she brings together her strong knowledge of the subject with the practical modern perspective. Her work spans from the intersection of environmental health and reproductive health to dating as a feminist.
Alcid will be joining the Skidmore campus for an evening discussion titled, “The Politics of Sex and Reproductive Justice.” The description is as follows: “Where are today’s unprecedented attacks on birth control and abortion coming from? Join Skidmore Vox and feminist writer and activist, Sara Alcid, to explore the roots and nuances of the “war on women” through a reproductive justice and positive sexuality lens. In the wake of the Supreme Court’s ruling in favor of Hobby Lobby, we must examine the stigma surrounding birth control, why it exists, how it relates to America’s campus sexual assault epidemic and impacts the LGBTQ equality movement. Attendees will leave this interactive presentation with a deep and intersectional understanding of the politics of sex and reproductive justice, plus the ability to apply it to other areas of feminist activism.”
Vox wanted to address these issues because of their current relevance and because of multiple incidents that have involved the Skidmore community including the off-duty Campus Safety Officer. At the end of last year, the club discussed bringing in a lecturer (Sara Alcid will be their first) to promote Vox’s mission of mobilizing student advocates and promoting healthy sexual lives.
This lecture will not just be geared towards female equality, but gender equality as a whole, which is in line with Vox's mission statement that focuses on gender equality and healthy sexual lives. Alcid, in accordance with Vox, has structured her discussion to involve talk about the treatment of women, Hobby Lobby decision, birth control accessibility and the stigma over reproductive rights.
The event will not just inform the students but will also educate Vox on these matters so that they may enhance their own discussion on on Skidmore’s campus.
Check around for posters regarding the event!