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health

‘I Feel Incredibly Bad and Guilty After Masturbating’

Feeling bad about masturbation is a remarkably normal thing, especially for people who were immersed (drowned) in shame from the…

Summer Tao

11 Hours

Both/And, Extinction Capital of the World, and The Midnight Shift

BOOK LISTS

Our Most Anticipated Queer Books for August 2025

There’s a lot of new hot queer horror headed your way this August. Plus, more…

Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya

—

17 Hours

POP CULTURE FIX

Help I Can’t Stop Watching Clips of Cynthia Erivo as Black Lesbian Jesus

Cynthia Erivo was Jesus and Phillipa Soo sang her love songs at the Hollywood Bowl…

Valerie Anne

—

Aug 4, 2025

BOOK FEATURES

78 Years Of Lesbian Magazines Keeping Our Queer Legacy Alive

The desire to connect with other people like us has been the driving force of…

Riese

—

Aug 4, 2025

book lists

Our Most Anticipated Queer Books for August 2025

There’s a lot of new hot queer horror headed your way this August. Plus, more LGBTQ+ lit across all genres!

Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya —

17 Hours

pop culture fix

Help I Can’t Stop Watching Clips of Cynthia Erivo as Black Lesbian Jesus

Cynthia Erivo was Jesus and Phillipa Soo sang her love songs at the Hollywood Bowl this weekend! Plus, more buried and unburied gays on TV, Doechii announces upcoming tour, Jinkx…

Valerie Anne —

Aug 4, 2025

book features

78 Years Of Lesbian Magazines Keeping Our Queer Legacy Alive

The desire to connect with other people like us has been the driving force of queer media since the first lesbian print magazine ever launched in 1947. Here are just…

Riese —

Aug 4, 2025

Latest Articles

‘I Feel Incredibly Bad and Guilty After Masturbating’

Life

11 Hours

Our Most Anticipated Queer Books for August 2025

Literature

17 Hours

Help I Can’t Stop Watching Clips of Cynthia Erivo as Black Lesbian Jesus

News

Aug 4, 2025

78 Years Of Lesbian Magazines Keeping Our Queer Legacy Alive

Literature

Aug 4, 2025

How To Choose Between Two Paths Using the Tarot

Astrology, Tarot & Witchcraft

Aug 4, 2025

community check

covid-19

politics + activism

Queens Center for Gay Seniors Creates Phone Check-In Project, Connecting LGBTQ Elders and Youths During the Pandemic and Beyond

This incredible showing of support and care across generations makes us hopeful for what the future of the New York queer community will look like moving forward.

Abbie LeWarn —

Jun 15, 2020

Dispatches from the Country Culture War

rural

culture

Juniper Moon Folk Arts: Crafters, Activists, and the Glories of Gas Station Food

During Pride month, rural queer owned Juniper Moon Folk Art is doing weekly giveaways to raise funds for black-led organizations and bail funds working in antiracism and prison abolition.

Lauren Parker —

Jun 14, 2020

lena waithe

link roundup

society + culture

Sunday Funday Says F*CK Them Cops, I’ll Hang With Lena Waithe and Jonica Gibbs Instead

Here’s some good news: me and all my friends hate the cops! Also, a FREE Be Steadwell concert, Hawa Hassan is making lamb burgers, and Utah is celebrating women’s suffrage.…

Ari —

Jun 14, 2020

link roundup

NSFW

nsfw sunday

NSFW Lesbosexy Sunday Is A Pandemic Gloryhole

Protecting your sexual health as lockdown lifts, advice on sharing a very small space for a very long time and more.

Ryan Yates —

Jun 14, 2020

Reine

Saturday Morning Cartoons

webcomics

Reine #9: Take Care of Each Other

From a distance, or side by side in the streets, we take care of each other.

Ren Strapp —

Jun 13, 2020

2020 election

covid-19

politics + activism

Extra, Extra!: Police Violence Continues; the Argument About What “Defund Police” Means Begins

Overwhelmed by the news? So are we, but here’s our effort at highlighting some important stories and discussions. This week’s Extra! Extra! continues to look at police brutality, the protests…

the team —

Jun 12, 2020

amazon prime video

janelle monae

tv reviews

“Homecoming” Is a Homo-Coming, but It’s Not the Star Vehicle Janelle Monáe Deserved

I wanted “Homecoming” to be Janelle Monáe’s star vehicle and for her search to be as compelling as Julia Roberts’ during the first season, but sadly — it simply wasn’t.

Natalie —

Jun 12, 2020

friday open thread

straddleverse

Friday Open Thread: What’s Motivating You and Getting You Through?

This is your Friday open thread for June 12!

Vanessa —

Jun 12, 2020

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Health

masturbation

‘I Feel Incredibly Bad and Guilty After Masturbating’

Feeling bad about masturbation is a remarkably normal thing, especially for people who were immersed (drowned) in shame from the…

Summer Tao

11 Hours

Book Lists

Our Most Anticipated Queer Books for August 2025

Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya

17 Hours

Pop Culture Fix

Help I Can’t Stop Watching Clips of Cynthia Erivo as Black Lesbian Jesus

Valerie Anne

Aug 4, 2025

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‘Sex Lives of College Girls’ Finale Confirms Our Gaydars With Main Character Coming Out Bisexual

Natalie

Jan 28, 2025

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From the Archive

into the af+ advice box

kink

sex advice

sex work

How to Find Local Kink Community and Also How to Hire a Sex Worker

"There’re contingencies of queer freaks everywhere, sometimes it just takes a little more effort."

Vanessa

four abstractly illustrated figures engage in a celebratory kinky dance. from left to right we have someone with top surgery scars wearing assless chaps, connected bvia a pair of cuffs to a person who is blindfolded and wearing cut out underwear, who is dancing next to someone in a mask and what appears to abe a full body rope bind, and followed by a person in a fishnet, corset and ballgag waving a flogger above their head. The figures are featureless and hairless and purple and the kink elements are red

af+

Into the AF+ Advice Box

How Do I Talk To My Family About Harry Potter?

How do you talk to your family about JK Rowling’s transphobia? And what to do about your poly kinky friend who seems bored by your monogamous life?

Af+

af+

Should I Cut My Maternity Leave Short To Help My Coworkers?

Your wife thinks your maternity leave plan is “crazy.” Also, how to navigate potential imbalances in a slightly open relationship.

Af+

af+

My Roommate’s Nudity Habit Is Weirding Me Out

Can you build healthy boundaries without body-shaming an unclothed roommate? Also can you teach a bad kisser to be a good kisser?

Af+

af+

Will Everyone Always Seem Second-Best to My Ex?

They checked every box, but now it’s over and nothing else seems to come close. Will it always be this way? Also, we help a reader decide if she should shave her bush just because someone asked her to.

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Hero Posts

health

‘I Feel Incredibly Bad and Guilty After Masturbating’

Feeling bad about masturbation is a remarkably normal thing, especially for people who were immersed (drowned) in shame from the…

Summer Tao

11 Hours

BOOK LISTS

Our Most Anticipated Queer Books for August 2025

There’s a lot of new hot queer horror headed your way this August. Plus, more…

Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya

—

17 Hours

POP CULTURE FIX

Help I Can’t Stop Watching Clips of Cynthia Erivo as Black Lesbian Jesus

Cynthia Erivo was Jesus and Phillipa Soo sang her love songs at the Hollywood Bowl…

Valerie Anne

—

Aug 4, 2025

BOOK FEATURES

78 Years Of Lesbian Magazines Keeping Our Queer Legacy Alive

The desire to connect with other people like us has been the driving force of…

Riese

—

Aug 4, 2025

book lists

Our Most Anticipated Queer Books for August 2025

There’s a lot of new hot queer horror headed your way this August. Plus, more LGBTQ+ lit across all genres!

Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya —

17 Hours

pop culture fix

Help I Can’t Stop Watching Clips of Cynthia Erivo as Black Lesbian Jesus

Cynthia Erivo was Jesus and Phillipa Soo sang her love songs at the Hollywood Bowl this weekend! Plus, more buried and unburied gays on TV, Doechii announces upcoming tour, Jinkx…

Valerie Anne —

Aug 4, 2025

book features

78 Years Of Lesbian Magazines Keeping Our Queer Legacy Alive

The desire to connect with other people like us has been the driving force of queer media since the first lesbian print magazine ever launched in 1947. Here are just…

Riese —

Aug 4, 2025

The Latest

Actresses Born Before My Grandma Ranked by How Badly I Want Them to Top Me

Film

Jan 4, 2024

What Does It Mean to Be a “Bottom” or “Submissive” in Lesbian Sex?

Love + Sex

Sep 5, 2023

Service Tops, Bratty Bottoms and Pillow Princesses: Other Words You Use to Describe How You Have Sex

Love + Sex

Jul 31, 2023

How Bottoming Helped Me Heal From Sexual Trauma

First Person

Sep 29, 2022

The Gay B C’s of Sex: P Is for Power Bottom

Love + Sex

Sep 1, 2022

Featured Series

Welcome to Out the Movies, a film newsletter by Autostraddle senior editor Drew Burnett Gregory. Instead of a basic roundup of new queer movies and Autostraddle articles, the newsletter will have a deep dive on a topic exclusively for AF+ members. We hope you enjoy!

AF Advice Box

Every Al Pacino Movie Is Gay

Drew Burnett Gregory

Jul 3, 2025

Welcome to a new series called Dykes Discuss, where we discuss media and topics that aren’t necessarily lesbian-forward but that we still want to weigh in on! We have fun!