Kayla, Author at Autostraddle

Kayla

Managing Editor

Articles written: 322

autostraddle member profile

About Kayla

Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya is the managing editor of Autostraddle and 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

Yellowjackets 103 recap: Taissa doing Akilah's hair by a lake

TV Show Recaps

“Yellowjackets” Episode 103 Recap: Never Quite As It Seems

Leighton kisses her Tinder match against the hotel wall.

TV Show Recaps

Boobs on Your Tube: “The Sex Lives of College Girls” Is — Surprise! — G A Y

Holigays

Autostraddle’s Ultimate Team Holigay Gift Guide 2021: We’ll Tell You What We Want (What We Really Really Want)

Yellowjackets 102 Recap screenshot of Misty with blood spatter on her face in the woods

TV Show Recaps

“Yellowjackets” Episode 102 Recap: Girlhood Is a Horror

Two women sitting at a coffee shop, not looking at each other

Breakups

You Need Help: I Feel Like a Bad Queer Because I’m Not Good at Being Friends After Breakups

Showtime's Yellowjackets screenshot of Taissa (played by Jasmin Savoy Brown)

TV Show Recaps

“Yellowjackets” Episode 101 Recap: Okay, This Teen Girl Survival-Horror Series RULES!

Wild Cravings: Chicken Salad, Shrimp, and Soup

Holigays

Holigay Gift Guide: For Final Girls

First Person

Dispatches From My First Few Weeks in Florida

A collage of stock photos representing different fanfiction tropes

Quizzes

Quiz: What Fanfiction Trope Are You?

Wild Cravings: The Lonely Cheeseburger

Kristen Stewart and Dylan Meyer, who recently became engaged, cuddling on the floor in matching outfits

Celebrities (Vapid Fluff)

Well, That Was Fast! Kristen Stewart Is Engaged!

A collage of images from zombie TV show and movies, including Warm Bodies, The Walking Dead, Z Nation, Army Of The Dead, Anna And The Apocalypse, Little Monsters, and Zombieland

Quiz: What’s Your Fate in a Zombie Movie?

A woman with curly brown hair is looking at her phone with a frustrated face

Lesbian Dating Apps

You Need Help: I’ve Matched With the Same Person Three Times on Tinder

Carrie (Stefanie Scott) and Sara (Kylie Liya Page) discuss Carrie’s performance.

TV Reviews

“The Girl In The Woods” Delivers a Complex, Queer Horror Hero

A bowl of green soup with a little sour cream drizzle

Wild Cravings: Memory Soup

A collage of photos of Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya, a South Asian dyke with long brown curly hair and blue glasses

Straddleverse

Welcome Our New Managing Editor, Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya!

A sign reads "Leo's Coney Island: Family Dining" against a blue sky

First Person

Wild Cravings: Nothing Tastes The Same

An alligator scull with a pumpkin on top of a clear bar

House & Garden

How To Do Fall in Florida ( Or Any Other Seasonless, Hot Place)

Collage of the possible results of this quiz

Quizzes

Quiz: What Horror Movie Stock Character Are You?

Two white coffee cups are on white plates with spoons. Each cup features latte art of a heart.

First Person

Well, That’s Mortifying: That Time I Let My Friend’s Mom Crash My Date

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

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

Yorum On Classic Christmas Songs, Ranked by Lesbianism "Haha I was just coming to post this same thing!"

morrissey-girl On December 2021: Whats New, Gay and Streaming on Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, HBO Max and Peacock "Her smell recommended:It also stars queer actresses Cara Delevingne&amber benson as lizzies new bandmates&amber heard as a rival. The queer…"

September On NEW HOLIDAY MERCH ALERT: Gay Chaos Socks, Fresh Tees, Queer Hoodies, More Pronoun Pins, etc! "Yay, it worked this time and I ended up buying two shirts… I mean it’s sensible with the shipping cost…"

madiz On Foolish Child #109: Foolish Child(ren’s Books) "This speaks to me in a deep way. This is indeed the food, thank you"

Maggie On There’s Something About a Scary Woman With Questionable Morals "Loving that there’s been an Eliza Dushku character in all of the posts in this series so far. There’s something…"

alchemille On There’s Something About a Scary Woman With Questionable Morals "Faith. Actually horribly evil? Yes. Do I want her to top Buffy? Yes. Do I want her to top me…"

A. On December 2021: Whats New, Gay and Streaming on Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, HBO Max and Peacock "Hey Riese! Thanks for this breakdown, looking forward to checking out these upcoming titles.But wanted to correct some Christmas Is…"

morrissey-girl On Taylor Swift’s Red (Emily Dickinson’s Version) "Anyone who follows taylor on her social media channels , should link that article , she would love that lovely…"