Vanessa

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.

This salad looks really pretty and tastes really yummy, not to mention it’s really easy. Really.

Maddy is the president of Q, Barnard’s only queer student group, and now she’s running for president of the Student Government Association! Go Maddy, go!

This is an exclusive Autostraddle interview with Andrea Gibson. Happy National Poetry Month, queermos!

Charrise is the Miami-based Straddler who organized the Audre Lorde documentary event we told you about last week, and today she’s chatting with us about law school, empowering youth and all of her favorite things.

Hey Miami, wondering what you should be doing tonight? It involves Audre Lorde, open mic, and Stand Tall, Autostraddle’s very favorite (lesbian-owned!) wine company. And if that’s not enough to convince ya, know that it was put together by a local Straddler!

Blake told me all about living on Vancouver Island, working as an LGBTQ facilitator for a major national company, writing poetry, contemplating the sky and the universe…and which Tegan & Sara song changed her life.

Vanessa and Lizz went to the NYC GLAAD Media Awards 2013 and managed to become BFFs with the girls who play lesbians on Degrassi and exclusively interview Wilson Cruz, Milla Jovovich, Honey Boo Boo’s Mama June, and more important humans!

If you are an NYC-based transgender or genderqueer parent, parent-to-be, or wannabe parent, you should go to this FREE workshop!

Veronika is our third Miami Straddler, leading me to believe that there’s something magical in the Floridian sun that helps create particularly amazing women. We chatted about Regina Spektor, museum studies and her failed attempt at vegetarianism.