the speakeasy

Alternative Lifestyle Haircuts

greatest hits

first person

I Never Meant for My Hair to Be the Way Back to the Lighthouse

“I thought changing something on the outside would change the wrecked ruin of me on the inside. I thought somehow the inside would get a memo from my outside and…

A. Tony Jerome —

May 11, 2017

dear white people

netflix

tv reviews

Nia Long’s Lesbian Character in “Dear White People” Sure Was Underwhelming

Chapter III of “Dear White People” gives us Nia Long as Neika Hobbs in my dream job as an African-American studies professor and a beautiful self-proclaimed lesbian… but her storyline,…

Ari —

May 4, 2017

christianity

people of color

culture

Twitter Is the New Black Church

I grew up hearing stories from elders about how integral the black church was to their lives during the Civil Rights era. Being a queer woman, I never quite felt…

Cami Thomas —

May 2, 2017

the speakeasy

women of color

movie features

Searching for My Own Queerness in Bollywood

I needed Bollywood to show me it was possible to be a South Asian queer woman who could find love and have a happy ending.

Priya —

Apr 24, 2017

memoir

nonfiction

lgbt book reviews

For Runaways, Survivors and Dreamers: “Fierce Femmes and Notorious Liars”

Runaways, witches, and girl gangs: a review and conversation with Kai Cheng Thom on her new book, Fierce Femmes and Notorious Liars.

Luna —

Apr 17, 2017

brittani nichols

getting in bed with kristin

af+

VIDEO! Getting in Bed with Kristin #11: Brittani Nichols!

Brittani Nichols, world-renowned heartthrob, joined me in bed last week! We talked about Suicide Kale, Take My Wife, and I horrified Brittani with ghost stories and tales of oil pulling!…

Kristin —

Apr 16, 2017

Lists/Top 10s

the speakeasy

book lists

10 Poets to Strengthen You When the World Wants to Erase You

These 10 queer poets focus on rawness and beauty and the importance of being true.

Tammy Danan —

Apr 4, 2017

bisexuality

Drawn to Comics

geekery

Drawn to Comics: Chicana Bisexual Maddi Gonzalez Makes Beautiful Comics About Mental Illness and Life

Maddi is doing some really brilliant art right now — she’s having a ton of fun and loosening up her style at the same time as she’s refining it and…

Mey —

Apr 4, 2017

people of color

qpoc

gender

Here are Some Ways to Give Black Trans People Money

Across the country, Black TGNC people are performing serious emotional labor as organizers, healers, artists, sexual liberationists, and advocates. It’s time to give back.

Venus Selenite —

Mar 31, 2017

latina

latinx

movie reviews

“Power Rangers” Gives Young Queer Latinas Hope For A Superheroic Future

Trini, the Mexican-American Yellow Ranger, tells her friends that she’s figuring out her sexuality and that she likes girls, and in the process she finds a family.

Mey —

Mar 27, 2017

audre lorde

personal essay

first person

Line Breaks for Resistance: How Black Poetry Lets Us Rescue Ourselves

If Alice Walker once said “hard times require furious dancing,” then hard times call for reading poetry, particularly black poets. Follow zaynab’s journey in reconnecting with black poetry as a…

zaynab shahar —

Mar 27, 2017

mykki blanco

personal essay

first person

87 Weeks Ago: The Night Mykki Blanco Made a Small Girl Feel Big

“I pushed and shoved and laughed and danced in big black shoes that would later bruise my feet, next to a girl who would later love me back.”

Peyton Dix —

Mar 16, 2017