personal essay

No Justice No Pride

personal essay

first person

How To Write A Spell Against White Supremacy

To me, magic means resilience and connecting to ancestors who survived the tragedy of the Middle Passage. Magic runs through my veins and feels like my birthright. It’s stronger than…

Neesha Powell-Twagirumukiza —

Jun 19, 2020

family

fullscreen

visual art

One American Goes to See “30 Americans”

“And I thought how interesting is it that America can be this dark star, death star, and also at the same time this incredible shining light.”

Aisha —

Jun 12, 2020

AAPI Heritage Month

death is sad

first person

Learning To Live After My Younger Brother Died

When I unexpectedly lost my little brother to cancer, I had to learn how to close out his unfinished business and live life again without him.

An Bùi —

May 26, 2020

AAPI Heritage Month

personal essay

identity

The Price I Pay For(ever) My Culture

Being a first-gen, Indigenous, queer, Samoan girl in diaspora almost cost me my Samoan culture. But one day, I’m going to be the queer Samoan elder who looks my grandchildren…

Terisa Siagatonu —

May 25, 2020

AAPI Heritage Month

Asian American

identity

Lost and Found in the Fish Sauce: How I Cooked My Way Back Home

Through my mother’s recipes, I’m reminded of the resilience that flows in our blood. Instead of disconnecting from my body to survive, I nurtured it. Like me, cooking is hella…

Sal Tran —

May 21, 2020

AIDS

AIDS and COVID

first person

What Being a Child of the AIDS Epidemic Taught Me About Coronavirus

All we have is each other. And we are the only ones we know, if we believe in the myth of ourselves enough to create truth, who will save us.

Audrey Olivero —

May 20, 2020

AAPI Heritage Month

Asian American

identity

Stepping Out Of Silence

When love is a matter of desperation, how do you even begin to know what it is you desire? It doesn’t matter what shape love takes. Or does it?

himani —

May 12, 2020

AAPI Heritage Month

Asian American

first person

The Illusion Of Safety

I don’t want to be caught parading around in last generation’s false sense of security. I’m kicking off Autostraddle’s first Asian Pacific Islander American (APIA) Heritage month by exploring the…

Kamala Puligandla —

May 1, 2020

mental health

personal essay

first person

How to Quit Smoking

Tell yourself that you’re not like one of those chain smokers, that you can stop whenever you want. Start smoking American Spirits, so it’s like, not even that bad for…

Abbie Jones —

Apr 21, 2020

mental health

personal essay

first person

Bipolar Disorder, Trans Dykes, and Celestial Catastrophe

One patient in the study “Observation of Trends in Manic-Depressive Psychosis” by O. Spurgeon English recounted that living with bipolar disorder “is like opening all my pores on a cold…

June Amelia Rose —

Apr 9, 2020

covid-19

personal essay

first person

I Have a Mild Case of COVID-19 and I’m Battling it Out at Home

When I told my partner I thought I needed to call the ER for a telemedicine appointment, her face was devastated but not shocked. We’d been listing off symptoms to…

Heather Hogan —

Apr 8, 2020

covid-19

personal essay

first person

What Self-Quarantine is Teaching Me About Gender Dysphoria

Three weeks ago I began my Coronavirus self-quarantine. Faced with the reality that I wouldn’t see anyone, I started an experiment. I wasn’t going to shave, paint my nails, or…

Drew Burnett Gregory —

Apr 2, 2020