The Happy Trail

By: Kaya Heimowitz In a relationship: Give your partner flowers on Valentine’s Day! Regardless of gender, anyone is happy to receive a bouquet, and it’s a thoughtful way to honor a holiday about love. And if you’re going to give someone flowers, do it right. Start by asking your partner or their friend what their favorite flower is, and if they don’t have one, it’s time to get creative. In terms of obtaining the flowers, I recommend placing an order through a local florist (Google “Tacoma florists,” I guarantee you...

Male birth control has been a popular topic of late as a new male birth control pill called TDI-11861 was introduced in February of 2023. This new pill lowers the mobility of sperm and renders them unable to fertilize an egg. This pill will allow for male fertility to be chosen day-to-day, as full fertility will return 24 hours after the pill has been taken, and has shown success in preventing conception in mice. There have been a variety of responses to this relatively new development on and off social...

By Ainsley Feeney On February 13, South Dakota became the sixth state to restrict access to gender-affirming care for transgender youth, joining Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Tennessee, and Utah. According to the ACLU, 96 other bills in the United States seek to do the same. Now more than ever, trans youth are losing access to possibly life-saving treatment. But what is gender-affirming care, and why is it so important? Gender-affirming care is an umbrella term referring to medical procedures that allow the bodies of trans and nonbinary people to more closely...

By Amelia Pooser Posters calling for free period products, full period product dispensers, and period equity can be found plastered across campus. The accompanying QR code links to a petition that has received over 200 signatures since its debut almost three weeks ago. In an interview, Ainsley Feeney, one of the founders of this new campus-wide campaign, shared her aspirations, goals and reasoning for this new bathroom movement. The newly formed group “PMS,” short for People Menstruating in the Sound, advocates for period equity. Feeney explained the premise of the...

By Amelia Pooser Following the reversal of Roe v. Wade, legislation and public action are continuing to adapt. Recently, George Washington University in Washington D.C. responded to the Supreme Court ruling by making strides to support their womb-bearing students by providing accessible and private access to morning-after pills. In early February of this year, George Washington University installed a vending machine in the basement of their student center that sells Plan B, Advil, condoms, and other health necessities. Each pack costs around $30 on-campus compared to the $50 price tag...