In The News: Department of Interdisciplinary, Gender, and Ethnic Studies
Why TV’s latest superhero is just what we need

Not in our city. No way, no how. This was the message that Houston city council members sent last week when they unanimously voted to change a city ordinance that regulates sex businesses to block a proposed robot brothel from opening.

At a 70,000 square-foot, state-of-the art manufacturing facility six miles from the Las Vegas Strip, it’s all lube, all the time.

It’s pink, nine-inches long, and twirls, flutters and vibrates. Known for its disarmingly cute bunny ears, the Rabbit vibrator catapulted to fame 20 years ago this month when it made its star turn during the first season of HBO’s Sex and the City. It became not only a pop culture sensation, but a case study in sex-toy product placement that ushered in a new era of sexual consumerism, one in which female shoppers boldly strutted into sex-toy stores looking to purchase the vibrator they’d seen on Sex and the City.
It's tough to create the perfect lunch-break read. Ideally, the article takes less than 30 minutes to read, and you don’t have to be an academic to understand it. Maybe it’s thought-provoking enough that you can’t concentrate on eating. Then you send it to a friend.

Family Court Judge Sandra Pomrenze will not be removed from a custody case for making an “insensitive” comment about a child’s hair, the county’s chief district judge has ruled.
On Wednesday, May 30, Kim Kardashian went to the White House to campaign for the early release of Alice Marie Johnson, a 63-year-old woman serving a life sentence in federal prison for a drug-related crime committed over two decades ago. The next day, the president indeed announced plans for a pardon, just for someone else. On Thursday, Trump pardoned Dinesh D'Souza, the right-wing figure famous for his frequent appearances on Fox News and his reputation for being a provocative political commentator.
As images of college graduates walking across that stage in their caps and gowns have dominated our social media feeds over the last few weeks, you might have noticed a trend that’s taking off. Their graduation caps — those mortarboards sitting on top of their heads — are decorated.
For college students across the country, commencement formally marks the transition from student to graduate.
On May 20, the Magic Wand vibrator, formerly known as the Hitachi Magic Wand, turns 50 years old, marking a milestone in the history of the sexual revolution. The Magic Wand’s popularity has only increased since its 1968 inception, and unlike an orgasm, its rising action doesn’t end.
