Hello! Happy Love Is Not a Lie* Day!

*for these 24 hours only

Very seriously, I love you. I hope you are warm. I hope you are happy. And thank you for coming to spend the next five minutes with me. You mean a lot and I’m glad you’re here.

Saw This, Thought of You

I know that, depending on who you are reading this, this might appear to be a small story. But Catapult has been a digital home for a lot of writers that no one else would give a chance too — because they were early in their career, or POC, or queer, or just fucking weird (and awesome). There are so few indie places left to publish the kind of heartfelt, quirky writing that I think a lot of you come to Autostraddle to read. Catapult was one of them. And with every loss, the waters around our little island start to feel ever more choppy. It’s been a hard, sad day around the Autostraddle Slack. I’m sending the team at Catapult of my love this evening. 🌹 Catapult to Shutter Online Magazine, Writing Classes

This is particularly well put:

Catapult was one of the very few avenues BIPOC and working-class writers could access to the literary world via classes or generous editors who took a chance on pitches. I just feel so much for the editors, writers, and teachers, and the huge loss this means for us all. https://t.co/JkDDAvfDYd

— El Norte Recuerda (@Vanessid) February 14, 2023

And next, I have thought so much about this! In part because as a perpetually online millennial, I often worry about aging well on the internet. But also because I think wanting to be perceived as “cool” (or not) is a tale as old as time. This is such a fascinating study in digital anthropology. The Changing Online Language of Hearts. “How to show a heart — the universal symbol of love — has shifted on the internet over the years, driven by new technology.”

“In the U.S., the richest mothers and their newborns are the most likely to survive the year after childbirth — except when the family is Black, according to a groundbreaking new study.” Childbirth Is Deadlier for Black Families Even When They’re Rich, Expansive Study Finds

Great news, lesbians! Having a Cat in Your Dating Profile Makes You More Attractive, According to Poll

Queer as in F*ck You

This is cute!

Happy Valentine’s Day from little Tegan and Sara to you all💌 

When given the chance to recreate a photo from childhood for @guardian we of course said yes! 
https://t.co/8fRR0h4Y1N pic.twitter.com/y4y7rq5IsP

— Tegan and Sara (@teganandsara) February 14, 2023

Tegan and Sara Look Back: We Had Terrible Haircuts but We Had Self-Belief. “The Canadian indie pop duo recreate an old photo and ponder their ups and downs as twins”

Trans Witches Are Witches: Queer Gamers Launch Hogwarts Legacy Alternative

Tennessee Bill Filed After Drag Show Controversy Advances in General Assembly

Club Q, Site of Deadly Mass Shooting, Set to Reopen in the Fall. Sending them all of my strength and love.

Miss Argentina and Miss Puerto Rico’s Love Story Is Focus of New Fenty Ad

And speaking of my beloved Borinquen, Senate confirms Biden nominee, Puerto Rico’s first LGBTQ+ federal judge — “Gina Méndez-Miró, previously a Puerto Rico appeals court judge, was approved in the Senate on a 54 to 45 vote.”

Political Snacks

This act of resistance is a shot of serotonin, it’s been shared with me no less than four times since this weekend. Let it be a reminder and a lesson for all of us of what we are capable of.

Lindsey Spero, a 25 year old trans masc person from St. Petersburg, FL left the medical board in stunned silence as he used his allotted time to administer his HRT in front of them to show what his care actually looks like. pic.twitter.com/A2pGqxs4ZH

— Alejandra Caraballo (@Esqueer_) February 10, 2023

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