Also.Also.Also: When You Defeat All the Other Masc Lesbians, Raven Saunders Is the Final Boss

Feature image of lesbian icon Raven Saunders by David Ramos/Getty Images, Matthias Hangst/Getty Images, and INA FASSBENDER/AFP via Getty Images

Today I’m having a left over taco salad for dinner that I made last night at 2am because I had insomnia and couldn’t sleep. WHEEEEEEEE!


Queer as in F*ck You

I fucking love this.

Raven Saunders Won Olympic Silver, Is Being Investigated for Onstage Protest (in case you forgot that protesting during the flag ceremony is now against Olympic rules, a fun little racist fact for your Tuesday evening.) It was also announced today that Raven’s mom has passed away, so we are deeply sending all of our love.

And speaking of things that I love, that list includes when Black queer people get to interview other Black queer people and when I tell you that Tre’vell Anderson’s feature profile of Lil Nas X for OUT is my favorite thing I read today and should absolutely be your evening MUST READ (yes all caps), please know I mean that. I really, really do.

The LGBTQ+ Generational Wealth Gap Is a Serious Issue. If You’re Queer, Here’s Why You Should Be Concerned.

All Hail Erica Sullivan, Olympic Silver Medalist, Swiftie, and Queer Icon. “The swimmer isn’t ‘just the gay weirdo on stan Twitter’ anymore.” Ok this lil nerd is very adorable!

Italian Olympic Archer Lucilla Boari Comes Out After Winning Bronze. “A surprise video message from her girlfriend at a press conference led Boari to come out publicly.”

Why Should the Church Reach Out to LGBTQ People? Some Shocking Statistics Can Answer That.

“Being a trans woman can often feel like being an object with no permanence.” Niko Stratis is one of my favorite writers and I really appreciated reading her voice today, As a Trans Woman, There Is No Such Thing as a Simple Walk around the Neighbourhood.

Trans Artist Cassils Is Auctioning Off Cans of Human… Poop. “The poop tins, which are bundled with NFTs representing the canned crap, will be sold on July 29 at Phillips”

How TikTok Became a Haven for Queer and Questioning Kids

Am I including this JUST for the title? 100% I am: DaBaby Is Losing DaMoney and DaBookings After Homophobic Rant

🚨🚨 New Kehlani Dropped 🚨🚨

(No shade, but also what a great time to remind yall to read When Will Black Queer Artists Realize That Fat Black Girls Need Love Too? A conversation between Shelli and Dani that I’m so proud we published this week. Get into it!!)


Saw This, Thought of You

From Himani “not a ton of new info here but a good read nonetheless,” It’s Hard to Be a Moral Person. Technology Is Making It Harder.

Simone Biles’ Balance Beam Final Is One of Her Career’s Greatest Moments. Congratulations to the GOAT on her return and her Bronze.

How Black Foragers Find Freedom in the Natural World

Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine Sold for $900 Million to Media Company Backed by Blackstone (I preferred the Jezebel headline, Reese Witherspoon Gets $900 Million to Let Two White Dudes Help Her Tell Stories About Women)

In the nearly 20 months since I took over this column, I don’t think I’ve ever highlighted a feature about a straight cis man before, and that’s how you know Tressie McMillan Cotton put her whole entire foot in this Puff Daddy cover story: “I Got a Second Chance”: From Puff Daddy to Diddy to Love


Political Snacks

Just 0.19 Percent of Elected Officials Are LGBTQ, a Massive Gap from General Population

I don’t even know what to say, everything today is about Andrew Cuomo and if it brought back memories for you about anything that’s happened in your own life, know that we are here for you and we love you: Biden Calls on Cuomo to Resign after Bombshell Sexual Harassment Report

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Carmen Phillips

Carmen Phillips is Autostraddle's former editor in chief. She began at Autostraddle in 2017 as a freelance team writer and worked her way up through the company, eventually becoming the EIC from 2021-2024. A Black Puerto Rican feminist writer with a PhD in American Studies from New York University, Carmen specializes in writing about Blackness, race, queerness, politics, culture, and the many ways we find community and connection with each other.  During her time at Autostraddle, Carmen focused on pop culture, TV and film reviews, criticism, interviews, and news analysis. She claims many past homes, but left the largest parts of her heart in Detroit, Brooklyn, and Buffalo, NY. And there were several years in her early 20s when she earnestly slept with a copy of James Baldwin’s “Fire Next Time” under her pillow. To reach out, you can find Carmen on Twitter, Instagram, or her website.

Carmen has written 716 articles for us.

6 Comments

  1. Erica Sullivan is adorable. Not only is she a Swiftie, she’s a Gaylor (and a Swiftgron true believer, for the record). Her Twitter makes me laugh. She’s so unabashed with her fangirling.

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