Kayla, Author at Autostraddle

Kayla

Writer

Articles written: 301

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About Kayla

Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya is a lesbian writer of essays, short stories, and pop culture criticism living in Miami. She is the assistant managing editor of TriQuarterly, and her short stories appear or are forthcoming in McSweeney's Quarterly Concern, Joyland, Catapult, The Offing, and more. Some of her pop culture writing can be found at The A.V. Club, Vulture, The Cut, and others. You can follow her on Twitter or Instagram and learn more about her work on her website.

All Posts on Autostraddle

First Person

Wild Cravings: The Mystery Breakfast

A black woman with natural hair, laughing and smiling at a friend.

Friendship

You Need Help: I Feel Left Out By My New Friends

An Asian woman sits with her chin in her hands as she thinks pensively.

Friendship

You Need Help: How Do I Stop Feeling Like A Loser After Rejection?

all illustrations for this series by A. Andrews

First Person

Welcome To The Dinner Party

a tweet that says "sectionals. best. episode of. glee. ever!!!"

Quizzes

Personality Quiz: Which Kayla Kumari Tweet From When She Was Closeted Are You?

Two women sit far apart together on a beach

Breakups

You Need Help: My First Girlfriend Broke Up With Me — Can We Be Friends?

In a screenshot from the first season of The L Word: Generation Q, Bette pours Tina a glass of wine

Yes, Chaotic Queers Are Still Watching “The L Word: Generation Q” With Their Exes

A pink and peach gradient background with emoji knives and the text "Which The L Word character would you let destroy you." There are photos of all the possible quiz answers.

Which L Word Character Would You Let Destroy You?

Book Lists

10 Books To Obsess Over This August

Image shows two women talking to each other. one has text that says "Me explaining why I want to see some Real Housewives fall in love with each other" the other one has text that says "Dykes who love drama who didn't think they'd care intensely listening"

Television

I Would Like To See It: I Think Two Real Housewives Should Fall In Love

The cast of Family Karma which follows several desi families in Miami;

TV Reviews

Bravo’s “Family Karma”: When Queerness and Cultural Expectations Clash

image shows a picture of Jennifer lopez sitting down with her elbows resting on her knees.

A Playlist For My Celebrity Crush: Jennifer Lopez

Image shows a background photo of a child in a rainbow striped sweater. There is a tweet over it that says "mom: why'd it take u so long to tell me ur gay? me: what r u talkin bout I tried to tell u every year on picture day"

First Person

My Pinned Tweet Is Solid Proof That Queer Time Travel Exists

FEAR STREET PART 3: 1666 (L to R) KIANA MADEIRA as SARAH FIER and OLIVIA SCOTT WELCH as HANNAH MILLER. NETFLIX © 2021

Movie Reviews

“Fear Street: 1666” Brings The Trilogy to a Very Gay Close

Feature image collage showing all the possible results of the quiz

Quizzes

Quiz: What Disney Channel Original Movie Made You Gay?

Feature image showing a bookcase and a record player

Dating a Librarian Is The Best Thing To Happen To My Bookshelves

Image of a red 20 sided rpg die hold by a woman of color blowing onto it for good luck.

Dating

You Need Help: How Do I Find Nerdy Women to Date?

Shane, Alice, and Bette perform karaoke on stage during season two of The L Word: Generation Q

The L Word: Generation Q

The L Word: Generation Q: What Every Character Would Sing at Queer Karaoke Night

Fear Street's gay characters look alarmed in the foreground as a late 70s summer camp looms in the background

Movie Reviews

“Fear Street: 1978” Plays it Too Straight for a Queer Slasher

A person with long black hair wearing a sweatshirt sits in a white comforter on a bed, looking off into the distance

Relationships

You Need Help: Why Am I So Apprehensive and Anxious About Sex?

fear street 1994 gay characters huddle in a corner crying

Movie Reviews

Queer Slasher “Fear Street: 1994” Delivers Trashy Fun, Gay Drama, and 90s Nostalgia

A figure lays down on their stomach on a white bed, journaling while propped up on their elbows.

Breakups

You Need Help: How Do I Move On From My Ex the “Right” Way?

Shot of three young entrepreneur women toasting with a bottle of beer to celebrate a success in the office.

Friendship

You Need Help: Why Is My Coworker/ Friend/ Crush Pulling Away?

A still from the movie Plan B, with Lupe and Sunny standing at pharmacy looking for Plan B.

Movie Reviews

“Plan B” Review: Natalie Morales Directs a High-Stakes Teen Sex Comedy with Humor and Horror

Movie Reviews

Your Questions About Tig Notaro in “Army Of The Dead,” Answered

A photo of two women's hands holding coffee and gesturing at a brunch table laid over a newsprint background

First Person

MISSED CONNECTION: Gay Brunch Apology

Bethenny Frankel talks on the phone on Real Housewives of New York

TV Feature

I Still Can’t Believe How Relatable Jill and Bethenny’s Friendship Breakup Was On “Real Housewives Of New York”

A collage of 8 images of deep fried appetizers from your favorite chain restaurants

Quizzes

What Chain Restaurant Appetizer Are You?

Two women standing inside a doorframe in a dark space, turning to look at each other

Lesbian Sex

You Need Help: I Thought We Were Both Switches, but My Girlfriend Won’t Touch Me

Katee Sackhoff as Captain Kara 'Starbuck' Thrace

TV Feature

I Still Can’t Believe Anyone on “Battlestar Galactica” Was Straight

A close up shot of a white woman laying down in bed and clutching at her forehead as if in frustration or despair

Lesbian Sex

You Need Help: My Partner Says I’m Awkward in Bed

Eight of the book covers featured in this quiz: Dance Hall Dyke, Dyke Farm, Girls From Hell, I Am a Lesbian, Lesbian Gym, Mademoiselle Lesbian, Lesbians in Black Lace, Lesbos Beach

Which Lesbian Pulp Book Cover Are You?

Cristin Milioti as Hazel in Made For Love realizes she has a surveillance chip in her head

Television

Made For Love’s Dystopian Dating Tech Is Absurdist and Too F*cking Real

A distraught-looking teen girl sits on a couch, looking at her phone screen with concern as she runs her hands through her long hair.

Parenting & Family

You Need Help: How Do I Get Through Living With My Homophobic Parents?

A photo of moving boxes, a small lamp and small potted plant stacked up against a wall.

Relationships

After a Crash Course in Cohabitation, My Pandemic Relationship Will Have to Weather Outside Socialization

Collage feature image showing scenes from Riverdale

Quizzes

Quiz: What “Riverdale” Subplot Are You?

A young woman with her hair in a bun and wearing a college hoodie leans up against a window at night, staring at the screen of her smartphone with a serious expression

Dating

You Need Help: Is It a Crush Or Am I Just Lonely in Quarantine?

TV Show Recaps

On Riverdale, Cheryl Blossom Lives in Her Own Lesbian Gothic Fairytale Now

Three repeating images of the cover of Forsythe Harmon's JUSTINE

LGBT Book Reviews

Forsyth Harmon’s “Justine” Is a Haunting Book About Intense Teenage Friendship

TV Reviews

Netflix’s The One: A Lesbian Love Triangle Gets Lost in a Murder Mystery

Cheryl Blossom stands on the sidelines of a Riverdale football game in her cheerleading coaching gear.

TV Show Recaps

“Riverdale” Episode 509 Recap: Betty Cooper Enters Chaos Mode

Two young women photographed from behind in the audience of a public outdoor event, one white and wearing a red floral print dress with shoulder-length brown hair, and one Black and wearing a black tank top with natural hair

You Need Help: How Do I Stop Focusing on My Ex in Shared Queer Spaces?

TV Show Recaps

“Riverdale” Episode 508: Let’s Have a Key Party

Cheryl and Toni face off in their various

TV Show Recaps

“Riverdale” Episode 507 Recap: Cheryl and Toni Are Frenemy-Exes Now, and it Rules

Moxie Review: Hadley Robinson and Lauren Tsai stand together in the hallway of their school.

Movie Reviews

Moxie Review: Netflix’s Teen Feminist Revolution Falls Short

A troubled-looking young woman lies on her side in a bed with her phone in front of her face, looking past it into the distance pensively

Breakups

You Need Help: How Do I Break Up During a Pandemic?

TV Show Recaps

Riverdale Episode 506 Recap: We’re Far From the Shallow Now

Rosamund Pike, Eiza González, and Dianne West in I Care a Lot.

Movie Reviews

“I Care A Lot” Review: Rosamund Pike Plays a Gay Grifter in This Relentlessly Cruel Thriller

TV Show Recaps

“Riverdale” Episode 505 Recap: Toni Topaz, at Last, Is a Main Player

TV Show Recaps

“Riverdale” Episode 504 Recap: Let’s Time-Jump, Baby!

Carmen Phillips On L Word Generation Q Episode 208 Recap: Launch My Party and I’ll Scream If I Want To "Mina I just wanted to say that I saw part of this comment on our sidebar and immediately clicked over…"

Kristen Brown On Queered & Careered: 10 Tips on Working From Home in the Era of Social Distancing "Good share. Thanks autostraddle.com"

Mina On L Word Generation Q Episode 208 Recap: Launch My Party and I’ll Scream If I Want To "There’s something so strange about how Bette seems to be most interested in using her Blackness as a sword and…"

Lesbian On Boobs on Your Tube: 2021 Fall TV Is Here and Heckin Queer! "NCIS: Hawai’i is actually pretty good! And it seems that it will have lesbian drama! The actresses are very beautiful…"