personal essay

AAPI Heritage Month

Asian American

identity

Mourning the Loss of Indigenous Queer Identities

This is the legacy of colonization. It is the mass extinction of identities and languages that can no longer exist because someone else said they were bad.

Astrud Bowman —

May 24, 2021

AAPI Heritage Month

Asian American

first person

When Love Is A Matter Of Desperation

Loneliness is an old bedfellow of mine; despair, my oldest friend. If I can come to embrace those parts of myself I’ve always tried to push away — perhaps, that…

himani —

May 11, 2021

personal essay

sexual assault

first person

When Restorative Justice Language, Instead of Action, Perpetuates Sexual Abuse

I tried to lead restorative justice in my own sexually abusive (former) t4t relationship. I did this because I am an abolitionist and know people are more than the worst…

Lexie Bean —

Mar 26, 2021

personal essay

trans women

first person

This Is an Essay About Penises

“I spent years not thinking about my penis — or, at least, thinking about it as little as possible. After I transitioned, my penis became the most important part of…

Drew Burnett Gregory —

Mar 25, 2021

love is sometimes not a lie

personal essay

love + sex

Love Is Not a Lie: In Sickness and in Health

“Our wedding plans went on hold when I found myself unable to get out of bed.”

Heather Hogan —

Feb 12, 2021

personal essay

the speakeasy

first person

Making Amends with Valentine’s Day

I hid behind instruments, computers, Whitney’s voice, Prince’s guitar. I sat in front of my computer surrounded by cassettes, illegally downloading songs, awkwardly whispering “I love you more than I…

shea wesley martin —

Feb 11, 2021

masturbation

personal essay

friendship

I Can Masturbate, No Hands: Innovative Masturbation and the Power of Friendship

“Through frank conversations with cross country mates and cheeky hints in coming-of-age films, I learned that masturbation is something people do to their vaginas with fingers, shower heads and (though…

Bella Dally-Steele —

Jan 6, 2021

hanukkah

judaism

first person

Hold Us in the Light

The thing about miscarriage is that the word itself does no justice to the great tragedy that it is. There are very few things I know anymore, but I do…

Risa Lichtman —

Dec 17, 2020

personal essay

trans

first person

A Letter to My Ex on the Occasion of The Danish Girl’s 5th Anniversary

“People were always so impressed that you didn’t leave me, but your gift wasn’t staying — it was seeing. Most people don’t get to transition under the pansexual gaze of…

Drew Burnett Gregory —

Nov 23, 2020

#blacklivesmatter

fatness

society + culture

Wild, Fat, Queer and Black: How I Became Free In The Mountains And Never Left

If you have ever met a mountain, you know that can’t nobody really own a mountain because they are too majestic, too strong, too beautiful to be tamed or owned.…

shea wesley martin —

Nov 12, 2020

personal essay

quarantine

love + sex

In Pandemic Times, I’m Having a Digital Victorian Gay Romance

COVID-19 turned our relationship long-distance. We’re getting through it with Jane Austen and love letters.

Shelly Jay Shore —

Nov 11, 2020

covid-19

gender identity

first person

I Stopped Tweezing in Quarantine and Realized I’m Nonbinary

On the 24th day of quarantine, I turned on all of the lamps in my room and took off all my clothes. Then I stood in front of the mirror…

Rae Nieves —

Nov 10, 2020