greatest hits

greatest hits

lesbian bar culture

the scene

Let’s Hash It Out: How Do You Feel About Men and Straight People Going To Lesbian Bars?

We’re not sure that there’s a right answer to this question, but we’ve laid out some arguments for and against and now it’s time to dig in.

Riese —

Dec 4, 2014

a+ photoessay

af+ personal essay

af+

Admitting That You’re Home: A Photo Diary

A girl spends 19 days in rural Tennessee with her girlfriend and her family, takes a million pictures, then tells her whole life story in just under 4,000 words. What’s…

Laneia —

Sep 4, 2014

greatest hits

personal essay

coming out

Learning to Use Chopsticks: Coming Out as Korean-American

“At 27, I came out as Korean-American. I was always Korean, of course. I checked the “Asian” box when filling out a form. My ethnicity was written on my face…

KaeLyn —

Sep 4, 2014

greatest hits

michfest

music

Michfest Could Change Its Trans Female Exclusionary Intention Only If It Tried, Only If It Wanted To

LGBTQ rights groups are joining activists, allies and former performers in opposing Michfest’s trans-female-exclusionary intention, and if Michfest wants to attract new fans, it needs to listen up.

Riese —

Aug 13, 2014

greatest hits

geekery

Femslash Can Save the World If We Let It

Culture doesn’t need exploring so much as it needs exploding. We need to destroy things and reconstruct them in our own image, because the people who make our media aren’t…

Kate —

Jul 29, 2014

body dysphoria

body image

first person

The Disappearing Act: Fighting Disordered Eating as a Masculine-of-Center Woman

I got a taste of something I had never known — shopping in the men’s department afforded my body the opportunity to take up the amount of space it actually…

A.E. Osworth —

Jul 22, 2014

bell hooks

cultural appropriation

politics + activism

It’s Time for White Feminists to Stop Talking About Solidarity and Start Acting

“When will white feminists take collective responsibility for educating themselves? When will they understand the power at play that sings in their skins? We don’t exist in a vacuum and…

Cleo —

Jul 10, 2014

greatest hits

mental health

first person

Me, Piper Chapman, the Psych Ward, and the Incarcerated 2.2 Million

“Real human change requires space to be honest with yourself, honest with others; a space that doesn’t exist when you’re trapped by necessity behind a fortress of self-protection. As the…

Jenna Leigh Evans —

Jul 7, 2014

greatest hits

personal essay

first person

The Language of Comedy: On Defensiveness and Being Wrong

“LANGUAGE MATTERS. In the same way a racial slur brings back a SLEW of painful memories for me and a reminder of the entire history of those words and what…

El Sanchez —

Jul 2, 2014

greatest hits

gun violence

first person

One Year Ago, A Gunman Opened Fire On Our Car

Around 4:20 a.m. on May 26, an armed gunman pulled up beside us and opened fire on our vehicle… the bullet shattered my phone, took out a chunk of my…

Laura Mandanas —

Jun 19, 2014

butch

fatness

first person

Fat-Booty Butch Buys A Suit On A Budget

There are moments when if we can, we want to wear the articles of clothing that bring us close to joy. My suit isn’t that thing, not yet, but it…

gabby —

Jun 17, 2014

death is sad

greatest hits

first person

Before You Know It Something’s Over

“He didn’t feel any pain. He died instantly.” That was how she told me that my father was dead. I was 14.

Riese —

Jun 15, 2014