If you’re recovering from a busy Thanksgiving weekend and looking to catch up on what’s been going on at Law Street, look no further. ICYMI, check out the best stories of the past week.

#1 What’s Up With All the “White Student Unions?”

College students around the U.S. and Canada have been seeing “White Student Union” pages pop up for their respective schools–as of this morning there were more than 30 around the country. But is this a new trend–are random college students really trying to create “white student communities,” or just a bunch of annoying trolls? Read the full story here.

#2 American Medical Association Calls for Ban of Prescription Drug Ads

It doesn’t matter what you’re watching–it’s almost impossible to get through a TV program without seeing at least a few ads for prescription drugs. But is the constant barrage of drug ads a good thing? The American Medical Association (AMA) has decided no, and is calling for a ban on direct-to-consumer ads for prescription drugs. Read the full story here.

#3 LGBTQ Groups Are Not Happy with the New “Zoolander 2” Trailer

The newest trailer for “Zoolander 2” follows the main characters, Derek Zoolander (Ben Stiller) and his fellow model buddy Hansel (Owen Wilson), from the 2001 original as they deal with their inevitable replacement by newer, fresher-faced models. But one of those new faces is sparking quite the controversy: an eyebrow-less Benedict Cumberbatch as a gender-flexible androgynous model named All that Stiller and Wilson find confusing. In the trailer, Stiller asks Cumberbatch if the character is a male or female model, and Wilson follows up by asking, “do you have a hot dog or a bun?” LGBTQ groups, trans advocates, and many onlookers are not pleased. Read the full story here.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post ICYMI: Best of the Week appeared first on Law Street.

The newest trailer for “Zoolander 2” follows the main characters, Derek Zoolander (Ben Stiller) and his fellow model buddy Hansel (Owen Wilson), from the 2001 original as they deal with their inevitable replacement by newer, fresher-faced models. But one of those new faces is sparking quite the controversy: an eyebrow-less Benedict Cumberbatch as a gender-flexible androgynous model named All that Stiller and Wilson find confusing. In the trailer, Stiller asks Cumberbatch if the character is a male or female model, and Wilson follows up by asking, “do you have a hot dog or a bun?“

LGBTQ groups, trans advocates, and many onlookers are not pleased. Los Angeles Magazine called the trailer “sexist and transphobic” and called out the movie for using women and trans individuals as punchlines. Sarah Rose, an LGBTQ activist, created an online petition calling for a boycott of the movie for “its offensive representation of non-binary individuals!” The petition refers to Cumberbatch’s character as an “over-the top, cartoonish mockery of androgyne/trans/non-binary individuals. This is the modern equivalent of using blackface to represent a minority.” Rose also argues that “by hiring a cis actor to play a non-binary individual in a clearly negative way, the film endorses harmful and dangerous perceptions of the queer community at large.” As of now, the petition has almost 10,000 signatures. The Zoolander team has made no official response to the criticism.

Overall, 2015 has been such a pivotal year for androgyne/trans/non-binary individuals. Between influential public figures sharing their own personal histories of struggle with gender identification, and the subsequent media coverage of many different peoples’ stories, there has been a significant growth in knowledge and awareness of gender identification. We have begun the groundwork to a change in the ways in which we view gender and identification altogether. Is “Zoolander 2’s” proposed depiction of Cumberbatch’s character a mockery of this movement, or a testament to society’s increased comfort level with these issues that we are able to satirize them? Although progress has been made, the LGBTQ community still faces violence, stigma, and misunderstanding. This social movement toward better understandings of gender fluidity and identification is still in its infancy, and “Zoolander 2’s” lack of sensitivity may ultimately hinder this progress.

Kui Mwai

Kui Mwai is a junior at American University, studying Law and Literature. She is from Nairobi, Kenya. Contact Kui at Staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

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