Vanessa

Vanessa’s Team Pick: Queerituality is a collection of portraits and stories from LGBTQ people about their religious journeys and their spiritual lives. If you are a queer person of faith, you should add your voice.

Jackie talks about her love for America, her connection with God and religion, and her non-traditional approach to school and higher education. This interview should be titled “Basically Every Subject You’re Supposed To Avoid At Dinner Parties.”

Lauren is a young artist in New York with big plans (and a soft spot for Jenny Schecter).

Brooklyn-based Shira E has shared stages with Coco Rosie, TuNe-YaRdS, Mirah, and Andrea Gibson. They all love her and you will too.

Launa is a writer, editor, freelance artist and film producer, exotic dance teacher, and nanny… and that’s not all. Basically, she’s a superhero and you definitely want to hear what she has to say.

Come have dinner with me and the One Table crew in Brooklyn! Chef Ashley Merriman will be there! We love her.

Vanessa’s Team Pick: “Stay Here With Me is a place for everyone who has ever wanted to die. And for everyone who has wanted to live.”

Say hi to Brooklyn – she’s a campership winner Texan trans* girl who spoke openly and honestly about her unsupportive family, being homeless and the importance of having a loving community to fall back on.

After reading this post please be sure to invite us to all the perfect tea parties you host in the future, okay?

Here at Autostraddle, we love kickass women. We’re presenting a list of 20 of our favorite kickass fictional heroines as a way to jumpstart this feelingsfest and leaving the rest up to you!

If you need to drown your sorrows about not going to A-camp, I pinky swear these chocolate peanut butter cookie dough s’more cupcakes will do the trick.

Jillian made me want to run away to a farm. Specifically her farm, in Kansas. I think you might feel the same way once you’ve read this interview.

Vanessa’s Team Pick: Awesome mom dresses 5-year-old daughter up as independent strong women from history, results in infinite cuteness and warm fuzzy girl power feelings.

Let me be clear: I am not just team picking the treadmill desk. That would be silly. I am team picking the article in the New Yorker that Susan Orlean wrote about treadmill desks. Glad we’re all on the same page now.

Maile first stole my heart when she said she’s been reading Autostraddle since she was “a wee closeted baby dyke” and she won me over when she told me she “continues to be a diehard fan.”

Say hello to Chloe, our very first New Zealand Straddler, on this cheery Monday morning – though for her, it may already be tomorrow!

This play kicks the living crap out of you while asking you to acknowledge the softest, sweetest, most vulnerable human parts of this world, and then it kicks you some more. I loved it.

NBA center Jason Collins just became the very first male professional athlete to come out publicly via a candid and moving essay in Sports Illustrated magazine, and this is a Very Big Deal.

If you’ve been here for 10 seconds, you’ve seen user paper0flowers comment on something. Now it’s time to meet the girl behind the username!

Exclusive video of Beth Ditto not reading off a prompter at the LA GLAAD Awards “because I’m not good at doing what I’m told.” Instead she kicks ass, takes names, and is perfect.

Haviland Stillwell will be performing live with Amir Levi (of Unicorn Plan-It hilarity and fame) and a bevy of talented musicians, including Autostraddle’s own Alex Vega tomorrow night in LA. Get into it!

What are Thea’s hopes and dreams for the future? “Slay demons and zombies. You know, typical girl stuff.”

Artist Paul Harfleet has spent the past seven years responding to experiences of homophobic harassment with small gestures of quiet resistance, one planted pansy at a time.

“One big dimly lit table where good food doesn’t stop coming and rad interesting girls are talking, eating, flirting, and wanting to come back!” So…we’re all going this month, right?!

This post includes an adorable photo of Dhati as a small child, along with some words of wisdom about coming out, not coming out, and crushing on Korean pop stars.