First Person Archives

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What If The Girl You Make Out With On New Year’s Eve Becomes Your Wife?

“You tell everyone you see that night, including but not limited to all the friends you came with, another friend…

Riese

Dec 31, 2025

first person

The Answer To My Pain Was Pain

I have no casual interests, only obsessions.

Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya

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Oct 1, 2025

first person

Fall Is Always a Time for New Beginning

When it comes to decorating, my wife and I are polar opposites.

Sa'iyda Shabazz

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Sep 3, 2025

first person

Twenty-Five Years Later, Michelle Tea’s ‘Valencia’ Remains Stunning Portrait of Lesbian Life

Valencia permitted me to romanticize my world.

Malavika Kannan

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Aug 29, 2025

money + work

I Was Outed as Trans at Work

When I transitioned and changed my name, I went through all of my accounts and switched them to my new name. Banks and airlines were shockingly no problem. TSA precheck…

Gabe Dunn

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Aug 28, 2025

the author Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya posing in St. Augustine

first person

Under a Big Old Florida Tree

The night has cooled; the air smells like saltwater, briny as our drinks.

Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya

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Aug 27, 2025

first person

On Never Seeing Someone Again

The most jarring parts of my breakups have been the number of people who I will never see again.

Gabe Dunn

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Aug 20, 2025

first person

I Was Already Afraid of My Inbox. Then a Death Threat Came

The deadline for my compliance with the “blackmail” had already passed. It was supposed to be noon.

Nico

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Aug 13, 2025

a person holding flowers in their shirt in black and white

first person

What Is Queer Generational Trauma, and How Do We Tell Stories About It?

Lately, I’ve been obsessing over the concept of queer generational trauma: the pain passed down to us from our ancestors, which we bequeath in turn to those who come after…

Charlie Jane Anders

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Aug 7, 2025

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What If The Girl You Make Out With On New Year’s Eve Becomes Your Wife?

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