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The Autostraddle Yearbook: A Decade Of Gay Work

the team —
Mar 11, 2019

2012

“At some point you have to get your shit together, right?”

RIESE BERNARD, APRIL 25, 2012
  • Bad Romance at A-Camp 1.0 (Angelus Oaks, CA)
  • Lauren & Brittani at the GLAAD Awards (Los Angeles, CA)
  • Carly and Gabby host Speed Dating at the Strand (New York, NY)
  • Phoenix, Gabby, Whitney, Brittani and Carmen on the Women of Color Panel at A-Camp 2012
  • Robin shooting the 2013 Calendar (Los Angeles, CA)
  • In awe of your talent at A-Camp 1.0 (Angelus Oaks, CA)
  • Hannah Hart and Brittani Nichols in “Words With Girls” (LA)
  • Robin with the 2013 Calendar Girls Shoot (Los Angeles, CA)
  • Austen & Gabrielle at the Babeland x Autostraddle Cocktail Party (New York, NY)
  • Stef, Taylor & Brittani at A-Camp 1.0 A-Camp (Angelus Oaks, CA)
  • Laneia and Riese at A-Camp 2.0 (Angelus Oaks, CA)
  • The OG Autostraddle Team at A-Camp 1.0 (Angelus Oaks, CA)
  • Carmen’s Brunch Meetup (Washington DC)
  • Hannah Hart and Robin at A-Camp 2.0 (Angelus Oaks, CA)
  • Autostraddle Meet-Up (Los Angeles, CA)
  • Robin and Marni doing announcements at A-Camp 2.0 A-Camp (Angelus Oaks, CA)
  • Vanessa, Gabby, Stef & Gabrielle in New York, NY
  • Julie, Brandy and Grace at A-Camp 2.0 (Angelus Oaks, CA)
  • A-Camp 2.0 (Angelus Oaks, CA)
  • Gabby & Phoenix at A-Camp 1.0 (Angelus Oaks, CA)
  • Autostraddle Meet-Up (San Francisco, CA)
  • Alex, Croce and Kelli, a formidable Street Team (Los Angeles, CA)
  • Gabrielle hosting a meet-up at the Lesbian Herstory Archives (New York, NY)
  • Klub Deer (Angelus Oaks, CA)
  • A-Camp 1.0 (Angelus Oaks, CA)

see riese’s mock-up for cee of what she wants author pages to look like
see 😈
see riese’s big ideas

freshmen

  • Cee Webster, Tech Director
  • Vanessa Friedman, Writer
  • Kate Severance, Writer
  • Intern Eli
  • Rory Middleton, Illustrator
  • Cara Giaimo, Writer
  • Malaika Aleba, Writer
  • Kristen Ford, Writer
  • Sarah Hansen, Writer
  • Gabrielle Korn, Writer
  • Sarah Fonseca, Writer
  • Intern Ara
  • Intern Chelsey
  • Intern Naimah
  • Intern Rachel
  • Intern Geneva
  • Red McCormick, Contributor
  • Austen Osworth, Writer
“I was there when the legendary “Klub Deer” was born.”
Read Carrie Cuy’s memory >

I was an Autostraddle Moderator / Community Manager from 2011-2016ish. It was a dream job and I felt unbelievably lucky to attend a bunch of A-Camps and get to know the staff and ‘straddlers pretty well. I have loads of Autostraddle memories but the one I’ll tell my queer grandchildren about is how I was there when the legendary “Klub Deer” was born.

To be honest, Klub Deer really only happened because karaoke night failed and somehow it turned dance party (credit to Cee’s portable speakers and a poppy playlist on the nearest phone). But it was definitely an “If you build it, the lesbians will come” scenario. In the nights that followed, campers lined up outside Deer Lodge to join the party. I don’t know whether it was the highly technical headlamp strobe lights, the handwritten event flyers, or the “bouncers” who asked campers to show them photos of their pet cats before entering, but we were onto something! The fact that we called it “Klub Deer” was always so funny to me. Of course it wasn’t a club, it was small rec lodge in the middle of the mountains. And yet it wasn’t. It was a queer zine come to life, the inclusive gay homecoming dance of your dreams and absolutely the most fun underground party in California for a few magical nights a year.

—Carrie Cuy

most popular posts

  1. The Autostraddle Hot 100 2012: The Hottest Queerest Women in All The Land, assembled by Riese and Intern Grace
  2. Epic Gallery: 150 Years of Lesbians And Other Lady-Loving Ladies, by Riese
  3. Jillian Michaels and Heidi Rhoades Become Two Mommies With Two Kiddies, by Riese
  4. 50 Adorable Lesbian Couples Having Adorable Lesbian Weddings, by Carolyn
  5. Texting Your Ex-Girlfriend In Five Easy Steps, by Lizz
  6. 50 Queer Women With Outrageously Good Hair, assembled by Lizz and Riese
  7. 15 Ways to Spot a Lesbian, According To Some Really Old Medical Journals, by Riese/Tinkerbell
  8. The 21 Most Lesbianish Cities in the US: The Autostraddle Guide, by Riese
  9. The Real L Word’s Nikki and Jill: The Autostraddle Interview, by Jess
  10. My Little Pony: Lesbianism is Magic, by Rose

When I first began working for Autostraddle in 2012, a family member expressed concern that I was suddenly “on the radical fringe.” I scoffed but it turns out that person was right! Autostraddle radicalized me in pretty much all possible ways. Working there introduced me to brand new political and social ideas. It brought me into a group of friends more interesting and diverse than I’d ever had before. It convinced me that a mullet—itself a radical fringe, if you think about it—could work for me. Most of all, it taught me that a group of dedicated people can make something amazing and keep it alive. All of these lessons have energized me ever since. Long live Autostraddle and long live queers.

Cara Giaimo

the year of us

this year we did a lot of…

  • Herstory
  • So Many Columns from our first solid Team of Writers
  • Camp and fundraising-related content
  • Fashion, especially suiting
  • Queer Girl City Guides

awards

most prolific writers

  1. Riese Bernard
  2. Rachel Kincaid
  3. Carmen Rios
  4. A.E. Osworth
  5. Kristen Ford
  6. Sarah Hansen
  7. Gabrielle Korn
  8. Carolyn Yates
  9. Vanessa Friedman
  10. Laneia Jones

the year of…

tv

pop culture

movies

politics

2009 –♡– 2010 –♡– 2011–♡– 2012–♡– 2013–♡– 2014 –♡– 2015–♡– 2016–♡–2017 –♡– 2018–♡

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