Updated: Nov 9, 2022
When we were brainstorming ideas for the first ever theme of The Margins, we wanted a theme that would allow writers to toe the line, while remaining on its face mostly neutral. We realized that everyone has a body, no matter who you are, you can relate to this theme in some way, shape, or form. So this issue is the Body Issue, and we want writers to submit work that is rationally related to that theme. We also decided to give author's some guidance by adding a comment section. Editors and Staff have taken the time to interpret the theme in their own way and they have included their comments here for you to read. Maybe you will find inspiration, maybe it will set you on your own journey to submit. Either way we encourage authors to submit pieces that somehow intersect the Body and the Law.
STAFF COMMENTS:
In 2022, The Body and how it intersects with the law has become an ever more hostile debate, whether that be in the court room or in the state assembly house. When I think “The Body,” I think Abortion rights, access to Health Care, and Human Rights for all.
Wyatt Wilson
Social Chair
Whether we’re talking about reproductive rights, gay marriage, vaccination mandates or the criminalization of homelessness, the law impacts what we can do with our bodies in more ways than one. This issue is about exploring the complex intersection of the body and the law and the impact it has on our day-to-day lives.
Kaleigh Shupp
Copy Editor
The law, instituted and enforced by individuals influenced by the context of their society, prohibits the full exercise of autonomy over one's own body. Exposed skin, euthanasia, sodomy, head coverings, elective surgeries, reproduction. The creation and enforcement of these laws have a disparate impact as to whom they benefit and whom they punish.
Dante Bellardita Fernandez
Writer
There are few things more gross/terrifying than the idea of having a body (in an ideal world, we would all be beams of energy) And there is literally nothing more gross/terrifying than efforts from the State to regulate bodies. In the era of drone warfare, attacks on trans and nonbinary people seeking access to lifesaving healthcare, and restrictions on abortion, the body is inseparable from our understanding of politics. The Margins' Body Issue will address the nuances of whateverthefuck this all means.
Tufha Begum
Writer
There is a constant war between the government and bodily autonomy. It’s assumed that everyone has bodily autonomy but that’s far from the truth. The body and how we treat it is heavily regulated by the government. Big pharma cooks up the cure and we take it. But aren’t there other options out there? Clinical studies show that cannabis has some of the widest healing properties for multiple illnesses. Psilocybin has been proven to treat mental health issues more effectively than most FDA approved prescriptions. Both of these “controlled substances” are proven to work yet are still illegal on a federal level. Why does our government find these drugs so dangerous? Why are we limited to big pharma? The law is regulating what drugs we can and cannot use to heal our bodies, we would love to see submissions that deal with this topic.
Kathryn Venezia
Executive Director
