Hello, luxurious 800-thread count organic bed sheets! Life is full of beauty and grace and a frantic amount of babyproofing as our 9-month old tries to destroy everything in her path. At this moment, she is hanging off the TV stand by one arm and trying to reach the cords behind the cable box.

A post shared by KaeLyn Rich (@kaelynrich) on

That’s her standing up in her crib, nomming on the crib rail. We had to install that fabric cover over the rails because she was scraping the (stained, treated, probably totally safe right totally) wood off with her cute little teeth! So sweet! Babies are a joy, y’all! Highly recommend.

Thank all that is good in the world for her adorable, soft, silly face. Also, here’s some other shit that’s good in the world. Soak it in!

U.S. Soccer Going Rainbow for Pride

U.S. Soccer announced on Twitter that the U.S. men’s national and women’s national teams would be wearing these very nice rainbow letter jerseys for Pride month. The jerseys are also available in a customizable rainbow version to benefit the LGBTQ sports organization You Can Play.

For just the low, low price of $124.99 – $199.99, you could own one of these beauties with your or your soccer-obsessed partner! CONSIDER IT.

Corporations Love Capitalism Always and Love Us Queers in June!

+ Nike wants your money for their newest rainbow-bedecked sneakers and apparel in their Betrue line in U.S. stores June 1 through June 5. “The key for us was to create something that people could unite around to show their support for LGBTQ athletes,” said Robert Gorman, leader of Nike’s LBGT Network. I mean, I boycotted Nike in college because sweatshops, but I have to admit some of these are kind of badass.

+ Converse is also getting in on the rainbow action with their annual release of new pride styles. “Through this collection, Converse says YES TO ALL, standing with the belief that whatever your gender, sexual orientation, or identity, everyone is free to be who they are,” the company said in a release. The new kicks are on sale now and a portion of the proceeds will be donated to the It Gets Better Project and Miley Cyrus’ Happy Hippie Foundation to support LGBTQ youth.

+ Studio71’s creators have put together a S71 Pride Box that includes a “Love Wins” hat, drawstring bag, water bottle, mini-flag, enamel pin and temporary tattoos for $19.99 with a portion of proceeds benefitting the LA LGBT Center. There’s a gay unicorn pin. Just so you know.

Astraea’s Frontlines Awards Celebrate Badass Leaders and Activists Fueling Our Movements

The Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice held their fourth annual Fueling the Frontlines Awards on May 25th to “recognize the contributions of leaders and grassroots activists whose work is meaningfully furthering the LGBTQI movement in the United States and around the world.” According to a press statement, the 2017 awards were held in Los Angeles specifically to recognize the importance of art, film, music and journalism in the fight for LGBTQI justice.

The Fueling the Frontlines Awards is an amazing opportunity to celebrate our radical community – our successes and our fight. If we want to maintain and build on the resistance in this current moment then we need to celebrate and support the activists at the forefront of the movement.
– J. Bob Alotta, Executive Director of the Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice.

The honorees were:

  • Patrisse Cullors, Organizer and Co-founder of Black Lives Matter and Executive Director of Dignity and Power Now, is also a performance artist
  • Jennicet Gutiérrez, Activist and Transgender Latina Organizer at Familia Trans Queer Liberation Movement
  • Jorge Ramos, Emmy-Award winning Anchorman for Univision News
  • Paola Ramos, Spokeswoman for New York City Council Speaker, Melissa Mark-Viverito
  • Bruce Cohen, Academy-Award Winning Producer of American Beauty and Silver Linings Playbook and Executive Producer of When We Rise

The night included a timely performance by Toshi Regan and the cast of Octavia E. Butler’s Parable of the Sower: The Opera. Channeling the words of Octavia Butler, Toshi Regan reminded the audience, “All that you touch you change. All that you change, changes you.”

Astraea was founded in 1977 by a cross-class, interracial group of woman activists as the first philanthropic organization working exclusively to advance LGBTQI justice.

Patrisse Cullors, Co-Founder, Black Lives Matter and Executive Director, Dignity and Power Now

This recognition from Astraea is deeply personal to me as a queer, black, female advocate. Astraea has always understood that the fight for LGBTQI equality is intersectional – it requires fighting for black and brown rights, for migrant rights, economic rights and more. I’m proud to be part of the resistance and ready to continue the fight.
– Patrisse Cullors, Co-Founder of Black Lives Matter and Executive Director of Dignity and Power Now.

Here, Queer, Etc.

+ Read this feature in Latina magazine: How Latina Artist Amanda Perez Helped Queer R&B in the Early 2000s

+ The charity album Rainbow Riots features LGBT musicians from countries where homosexuality is a punishable crime and where anti-LGBT violence is epidemic including Uganda, Malawi, and Jamaica. Some of the artists are anonymous to protect their personal safety. All proceeds from sales of the album will benefit the Rainbow Riots charity, a Swedish nonprofit committed to ending anti-LGBT discrimination around the world.

+ Check out this gorgeous photo project by queer Nigerian-American photographer Mikael Owunna, who has traveled North America for over three years documenting LGBTQ African immigrants and communities.

25 Famous Women on Their Self-Care Rituals

via thebodynarratives.tumblr.com

Ever wonder what Laverne Cox, Michelle Obama, Amandla Stenberg, Dolly Parton, Erykah Badu, and Beyoncé do for self-care? Wonder no more!