Stanford Politics

Editor’s Note

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ur first issue of the academic year, and my first issue as editor-in-chief, arrives a little later than usual — but the diverse and thoughtful work inside is the same high-quality journalism that this campus has come to expect from Stanford Politics. I’m exceptionally proud of every writer who contributed to this magazine, all but one of whom are new members of our staff this year. 

While this issue has no central theme, each piece is a timely and necessary response to the crucial moments of change we find ourselves in — nationally, internationally, and at Stanford. On a range of topics, this issue asks: How did we get where we are, and what happens next? In the cover story, Decker Paulmeier and Kyle Wang examine the history of Stanford housing, and of housing at peer institutions, to provide valuable insight into what a radical new neighborhood-style system could mean for the university. Beatrice Phi traces the lineage of three LGBTQ employment discrimination cases recently heard by the Supreme Court to the McCarthy-era Lavender Scare; complementing that article, Valeria Gonzalez interviewed Stanford law professor Pamela Karlan, who argued one of those three cases before the court in Oct. 2019. In “Fighting Blind,” Sierra Burgon argues that Stanford’s political landscape is damaged by uninformed activism, and asks students to take greater responsibility for learning about the movements they align themselves with. And in the final piece in this issue, Catarina Buchatskiy explains how the spelling of Ukraine’s capital city represents a much larger struggle for an internationally-recognized national identity.

This magazine wouldn’t be possible without the hard work of our excellent editors and our invaluable magazine director, Nathalie Kiersznowski. I am also so grateful for the rest of the leadership team and for the support and guidance offered by previous editors-in-chief. I hope that as we enter a new decade, Stanford Politics will continue to be a vibrant, inquisitive, incisive presence on this campus that earns your attention and your respect.

Roxy Bonafont
Editor in Chief, Stanford Politics

Contents

Remembering the Lavender Scare
Employment Discrimination and the Queer Fight for America’s Moral Conscience

Beatrice Phi

Professor Pamela Karlan on LGBT discrimination in the Supreme Court

Valeria Gonzalez

Fighting Blind
A Telescope in Hawaii and the Dangers of Uninformed Activism

Sierra Burgon

Welcome to the Neighborhood
Can Stanford’s Plan to Radically Change Housing Make a Forced Community Feel Like Home?

Decker Paulmeier and Kyle Wang

Kyiv vs Kiev
What Two Letters Mean for Ukrainian Independence

Catarina Buchatskiy

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Roxy Bonafont, a junior studying English, is the editor in chief of Stanford Politics.