Stories by s.e. smith

s.e. smith is a writer and editor whose work has appeared in Bitch, Feministe, Global Comment, the Sun Herald, the Guardian, and other publications. Follow smith on Twitter: @sesmithwrites. subscribe to s.e. smith's feed

Why Are Students at Military Base Schools Out-Achieving Their Civilian Peers?

Posted on: Dec 12, 2012, Source: AlterNet

Kids educated on military bases regularly outscore kids educated in public schools on national assessment tests. Is the model replicable?

Medicating Our Children to Nowhere

Posted on: Oct 26, 2012, Source: AlterNet

Societal pressure is leading more parents and schools to medicate kids. When is enough enough?

73-Year-Old Woman Raped and Beaten for Daring to Photograph Public Masturbator

Posted on: Sep 14, 2012, Source: xojane

There's a price for sticking your neck out on harassment: the risk that the situation will escalate.

One Restaurant's 'Best Butt' Discount, and Other Tales of Everyday Sexism

Posted on: Aug 24, 2012, Source: xojane

It's hundreds of little things like this, every week, which add up to a whole lot when you look at them together.

Are Police in Schools Making Students Safer, or Putting Them at Greater Risk for Abuse?

Posted on: Aug 23, 2012, Source: AlterNet

Police intervention in our public schools is on the rise. Whether that's a good thing for students has yet to be determined.

Nationwide Boycott of Hyatt Hotels Launched; LGBT and Feminist Organizations Join Unions to Fight for Workers

Posted on: Jul 23, 2012, Source: AlterNet

Hyatt's horrible working conditions for housekeepers have long made headlines, but now workers are taking the next step and calling for a national boycott.

The Hidden Epidemic of Undiagnosed Disabilities Among Students of Color

Posted on: Jul 2, 2012, Source: AlterNet

To fix racial disproportionality in school discipline, we must first address the gap in the diagnosis and treatment of disabilities among children of color.

Police Handcuffing 7-Year-Olds? The Brutality Unleashed on Kids With Disabilities in Our School Systems

Posted on: May 22, 2012, Source: AlterNet

As school budgets are cut, disabled students are being handed over to police for behavioral infractions -- and handcuffs are just the beginning of what they're forced to endure.

The Media's Sleazy Treatment of Trans Women

Posted on: May 22, 2012, Source: xojane

Lorena Escalera's life as a performer and model was cut short, and the Times decided to mark that by sensationalising and exploiting her death.

Sweden Pwns U.S. on Gender by Introducing Gender-Neutral Pronoun

Posted on: May 8, 2012, Source: xojane

"Hen" will give Swedes an option beyond male and female-marked pronouns. Could the move serve as a model for Americans?

Disposable Professors? How the Labor Crisis Threatens Higher Education

Posted on: Apr 3, 2012, Source: AlterNet

Adjunct faculty and grad students across America have had enough of service cuts and low wages. Should we expect an "Adjunct Spring"?

Hyatt Hotel Housekeepers, Fired After Protesting Sexual Harassment, Rally for Better Treatment

Posted on: Mar 6, 2012, Source: AlterNet

Hyatt has a funny way of showing appreciation for its housekeepers; first it tapes their faces onto pictures of bikini-clad babes, and then it fires them.

Frozen Out: Is Congress About to Slash Heating Assistance Funds Just as Temperatures Plummet?

Posted on: Dec 25, 2011, Source: AlterNet

As the heating assistance lifeline is cut away, the depth of fuel poverty in the United States is being revealed, and it is not a pretty picture.

$260 Million After Death? How Rich Executives Make Money From Beyond the Grave

Posted on: Sep 19, 2011, Source: AlterNet

Under "golden coffin" arrangements, CEOs who die while still employed may be entitled to lavish payouts upon death.

How Predatory Lenders Are Leaving Veterans Homeless, Broke and In Debt

Posted on: Aug 4, 2011, Source: AlterNet

Highly decorated veterans die in the streets because America tolerates a financial system that preys on vets.

Is Cutting Benefits For Public Workers Actually Wage Theft? Reframing the Right's Attacks On Unions

Posted on: Jul 13, 2011, Source: AlterNet

"Wage theft" has been a helpful frame for labor unions to fight for their workers' rights. Could it be applied to attacks on public workers' pensions--or Social Security?

Forced Labor? Georgia's Anti-Immigrant Law Is Pushing Probationers Into Farm Work

Posted on: Jun 30, 2011, Source: AlterNet

Draconian anti-immigrant laws have pushed immigrants out of farm work in Georgia. The solution? Push people on probation into those jobs.