Portside

Scholars from multiple disciplines around the world, weigh in on the social, psychological and political issues impacting transgender students.

For Sylvia Serfaty, mathematics is all about truth and beauty and building scientific and human connections.

This was first time in more than three decades that a federal court ruled for the plaintiffs in a partisan-gerrymandering suit after a full trial. It also dealt a critical blow to a very particular kind of gerrymander—call it “extreme seat-maximization”—that emerged in Wisconsin and a handful of other states in the most recent redistricting cycle.

The laws’ intent is increasing the penalties for protest-related activity to the point that it results in self-censorship among protesters who have every intention to obey the law.

After national leaders of the Building Trades unions met with President Donald Trump January 25 and heaped praise on him, two Labor Notes readers sent in their thoughts. One is a local assistant business manager, the other a retired communications staffer for the Electrical Workers (IBEW). Here are excerpts from both.

Henwick spoke how the series is looking to investigate the Asian stereotypes that spawned the character, rather than rely on them. When asked about concerns over the character’s Orientalist origins, Henwick recounted her own recent journey from actively avoiding Asian character roles to embracing them — so long as there’s something meaningful to say.

The Obama administration’s war plans in Iraq and Syria are illegal, ill-conceived, and destined to fail. With scarcely a whisper of serious debate, Obama has become the fourth consecutive U.S. president to launch a war in Iraq—and in fact has outdone his predecessors by spreading the war to Syria as well. Here’s everything wrong with the White House’s so-called War on the Islamic State. And here's what should be done instead.