Valentine’s Day

Will Men Organize to End Gun Violence?

It’s been six years since the Valentine’s Day massacre of 14 students and three teachers at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., and gun violence remains as virulent a disease as ever, with regular new outbreaks in states across the country.

Like many debates about social conditions in the U.S., too many men remain silent, rarely weighing in, whether the issue is mass shootings, women’s reproductive rights or the climate emergency. What if, in this critically important election year, men organized themselves as men to speak out?

Forget His Roses—You’re Better Off Single

Sixty-one percent of single women say they are content with being solo, while only 49 percent of single men said the same. Sixty-five percent of men said they were not looking for a partner, compared to 75 percent of women who said their singledom was a choice. The single life actually extends women’s lifespan; men, however, live longer if hitched. So if you’re a woman, don’t bother. 

Am I upset about having no beau on Valentine’s Day? When the drug store cashier asked about my (lack of) a husband, did I run straight to the tissue aisle? Or lose it when settled snugly in my car? Hell no. In fact, my mind went to the poor women in unhappy marriages and toxic relationships who don’t know how incredible it feels on the outside. 

When “I’m Sorry” Falls Flat: The Last I’m Sorry Campaign Highlights Overlooked Abuse

The chilling “I’m Sorry” campaign showcases another side of abuse—the inevitable apology—via a medium which abusers cannot hide from their victims: public billboards. The PSA was curated by domestic violence nonprofits Safe in Harm’s Way Foundation Inc. and DomesticShelters.org who joined forces with two major advertising organizations to connect victims of abuse with the help they need.

“If you talk to survivors, there’s a lot of people who say, ‘I didn’t even realize I was being abused.’”

“We’re Reclaiming Valentine’s Day!”: The Global Movement Rising for the Bodies of All Women, Girls and the Earth

One Billion Rising, a mass action to end violence against women, launched on Valentine’s Day 2012. It’s based on the staggering statistic that one in three women on the planet will be beaten or raped during her lifetime.

Every Valentine’s Day is a reminder of how much more is needed to free women to fulfill their potential and live without fear of violence. I’m writing a valentine to V, to the V-Day team and the One Billion Rising global coordinators, who are committed to creating a new kind of consciousness—one where violence will be resisted until it is unthinkable.

Make Some Love: Sexperts on Staying Safe During COVID-19

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Make Some Love: Sexperts on Staying Safe During COVID-19

A global pandemic puts a serious wrench in the plans of any feminist seeking an active sex life. Luckily, there are concrete steps that can be taken to increase safety, without sacrifice. Just in time for our first COVID-era Valentine’s Day, Ms.’s Roxy Szal spoke with three sexperts— Dr. Raegan McDonald-Mosley, Dr. Megan Stubbs and Vanessa Geffrard —about pleasure, self-love and self-care during the pandemic and beyond.

Radical Romance: Examining Our Disruptive Affection for AOC

I felt a heart-warming spark of hope as I stamped my frozen feet this January in New York City, awaiting my beloved Ocasio Cortez at the 2019 Women’s March. Maybe we have finally wiped the fairy dust out of our eyes. Maybe we have started building a future that is not about our own individual love stories, but our love for humanity and our love for the Earth.