2012
“At some point you have to get your shit together, right?”
RIESE BERNARD, APRIL 25, 2012
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

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.
โCarrie Cuy
most popular posts
- The Autostraddle Hot 100 2012: The Hottest Queerest Women in All The Land, assembled by Riese and Intern Grace
- Epic Gallery: 150 Years of Lesbians And Other Lady-Loving Ladies, by Riese
- Jillian Michaels and Heidi Rhoades Become Two Mommies With Two Kiddies, by Riese
- 50 Adorable Lesbian Couples Having Adorable Lesbian Weddings, by Carolyn
- Texting Your Ex-Girlfriend In Five Easy Steps, by Lizz
- 50 Queer Women With Outrageously Good Hair, assembled by Lizz and Riese
- 15 Ways to Spot a Lesbian, According To Some Really Old Medical Journals, by Riese/Tinkerbell
- The 21 Most Lesbianish Cities in the US: The Autostraddle Guide, by Riese
- The Real L Wordโs Nikki and Jill: The Autostraddle Interview, by Jess
- 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 mulletโitself a radical fringe, if you think about itโcould 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๏ปฟ


the year of us
this year we did a lot ofโฆ
- Herstory
- So Many Columns from our first solid Team of Writers
- Camp and fundraising-related content
- Fashion, especially suiting
- Queer Girl City Guides
awards
- 2012 Weblog Awards: Weblog of the Year // Best Group/Community Blog // Best Entertainment Blog
- Indiegogo’s Top 12 Creative Campaigns of 2012
most prolific writers

the year of…
tv

pop culture
- Kate McKinnon begins as a cast member on SNL
- The first Hunger Games movie hits theaters
- Macklemore releases the kinda-weird track “Same Love,” which samples Mary Lambert and puts marriage equality on the mainstream radio
- Emily m. Danforth releases revelatory YA novel “The Miseducation of Cameron Post“
- Whitney Houston dies
- Sally Ride dies
- Adrienne Rich dies
movies

- Mosquita y Mari
- Yes or No (Yak Rak Ko Rak Loei)
- Jack and Diane
- Farewell My Queen
- The Perks of Being a Wallflower
- United in Anger
- Pitch Perfect
politics
- Barack Obama becomes first president to publicly support same-sex marriage
- Barack Obama gets re-elected
- Maine, Maryland and Washington become the first U.S. states to legalize same-sex marriage by popular vote.
- Tammy Baldwin becomes the first openly gay woman elected to the Senate