personal essay

haunting of hill house

personal essay

first person

Haunting of Hill House’s Spooky Lesbian Empath Helped Me Understand My Own Ghosts

“I have enough of my own grief, I don’t need yours, too.”

Valerie Anne —

Oct 31, 2019

personal essay

transgender

first person

“Transparent” Changed Me (And TV) Forever

“Do you have something to tell us?” my mom joked. It was a joke, because of course I didn’t. “No,” I said with a laugh. And I thought I was…

Drew Burnett Gregory —

Sep 23, 2019

non-binary

personal essay

friendship

Finding Friendship Between Past and Present

She is living her best life. I am living mine. It is as though we released each other.

Oliver Reeson —

Aug 21, 2019

chronic illness

disability

first person

The None-est of All: My Journey as a Reluctant, Disabled Athlete

Watching them sweat from my spa on the sidelines, I’d thank my body. On the one hand, so humiliating; on the other, its own defense mechanism against the wretchedness of…

Rax King —

Aug 5, 2019

personal essay

first person

How I Claimed Being Thirsty as a Personal Lifestyle and Learned to Live My Dreams

The more I allowed myself to want, the more I realized I wanted. The more I leaned in to my desires, the clearer they became.

Vanessa —

Jul 23, 2019

alcohol

mental health

first person

Marching at the End of a Very Long Parade: On Being A Queer Alcoholic

I got sober alone, in a village about an hour north of Kampala, Uganda. I had moved there for a job opportunity, naively confident I, as an openly queer person…

Sagaree Jain —

Jul 18, 2019

Lists/Top 10s

personal essay

first person

15 Crushes and the Art They Gave to Me

Listening to a song your crush recommends is a low-stakes window into their identity. It’s a way to get closer to someone, away from them. And isn’t that what a…

Drew Burnett Gregory —

Jul 11, 2019

personal essay

photoessay

issues

PHOTOESSAY: Taking My Chosen Body Outdoors

I decided to meet Syd in Oakland to celebrate my newly healed chest. We hiked out into the Happy Boulders, selected our first climb and immediately took off our shirts.…

Lou Bank —

Jun 25, 2019

personal essay

trans women

movie features

Why Do So Many People Have Goodbye Horses as Their Tinder Anthem?

“When I first matched with the “Goodbye Horses” fans and asked them about it one said, “that buffalo bill scene is classic” and the other said, “I LOVE the song.”…

Drew Burnett Gregory —

Jun 13, 2019

fleabag

personal essay

tv feature

Fleabag’s First Season Captures the Trauma of Being a Woman

“When it first came out I loved the show for its humor, for its raw portrayal of depression and grief, and because, like any rational person, I’m deeply in love…

Drew Burnett Gregory —

May 9, 2019

butch

gaming

first person

How My Badass Butch Skyrim Character Saved My Life

In the mirror, I saw a scrawny, hollow-eyed girl dressed in ill-fitting boys’ clothes, a parody of a parody of masculinity. But in the screen, I saw myself made strong,…

Rae Nieves —

May 2, 2019

los angeles

personal essay

first person

You’re Just You: An Accidental Love Letter to Los Angeles

“Towards the end of the night you fall and tear the skin on your knee. But you pop back up and keep skating. You’re relieved. Now that you’ve fallen once…

Drew Burnett Gregory —

Apr 30, 2019