personal essay

family

personal essay

coming out

Making a Home in the Closet

I was a newly minted queer and everything I knew about queerness was rooted in coming out. I’d heard about the relief that came with coming out from everybody. If…

O.T. Taylor —

Nov 29, 2017

bisexuality

personal essay

book features

How YA Novels Unexpectedly Enabled My Own Bisexual Revelation

I wonder why the story of a bisexual teenage boy is the one that allowed me to explicitly consider my identity as a bisexual adult woman for the first time.

Jackie Hedeman —

Nov 22, 2017

family

personal essay

first person

I Met My Sperm Donor’s Mom and It Changed Everything

As the daughter of lesbian mothers, I always knew I had a sperm donor, and that I could meet him when I was 18. I loved my moms; I loved…

Sydney —

Nov 20, 2017

personal essay

sexual assault

first person

The Mammalian Dive Reflex

I changed. But it was a gradual process, in the way a forest becomes stone. Petrified forest of a body.

S. Désirée Tiamat Cha —

Nov 17, 2017

LGBT women's health

personal essay

lesbian sex

How I Learned to Navigate Vaginismus as a Lesbian

“This is what happened for me: I started crying as soon as I put my legs into the stirrups.”

Lauren —

Nov 14, 2017

album review

mental health

first person

Sad Enough Songs: On Julien Baker and Depression

Depression is not forever because it always ends, and depression is forever because it always comes back. It won’t work if I only want to stay on the days when…

Adrian —

Nov 14, 2017

LGBT women's health

personal essay

lesbian sex

“Do Fingers Count?” Vulvodynia, Medical Heteronormativity and Me

Doctors agreed about what kind of sex I should want to have, and how much pain and inconvenience I should be willing to endure to have it.

Guest —

Nov 6, 2017

bisexuality

online dating

lesbian dating apps

The Day My Students Found My HER Profile

“I was terrified that I was going to receive a bunch of angry phone calls from parents or a visit from the overly religious principal as a result of word…

Aila Alvina Boyd —

Oct 31, 2017

personal essay

rape culture

first person

Showstopper

He pressed further, asking if I was an actress. I said something along the lines of “I hope so.” He suggested that I meet his brother as well – his…

Alexi Melvin —

Oct 19, 2017

greatest hits

personal essay

first person

Such Softness in the Harsh World

Stacy asked what she could do, how she could help, all she wanted to do was be useful, and I said nothing, nothing, I’ve got everything under control. And so…

Heather Hogan —

Oct 5, 2017

bi week 2017

bisexuality

first person

Sharon Stone Crossing and Uncrossing Her Legs

“I watched her zip up her white dress in the mirror; I watched her cross and uncross her legs; I watched her, and my friends watched her, and in the…

Rachel —

Sep 21, 2017

disability

personal essay

first person

Why I’m Going To Run for Office

“I’m done putting my faith in well-meaning surrogates. That’s not enough now, and it never really was.”

Carrie —

Sep 13, 2017