International Autostraddle Meetup Week Happened And This Is What It Looked Like

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I know October seems like a lifetime ago, but remember when it happened? My October was a whirlwind of pumpkin spice lattes and Halloween and grandpa sweaters. Was that your experience too? Maybe you live in a warm-all-year city and your October looked like my July…who knows! I do know that all of our Octobers had something in common, and that something is only one of the best and most amazing things to have happened all year: We all celebrated International Autostraddle Meet-Up Week(s) together! 

Yes, it’s true. Y’all helped us raise $116,645, and we really can’t ever stop thanking you, and one of the perks for hitting that insane amount of money was to have a huge international meetup week. But you guys are so awesome and enthusiastic that it turned into a meetup month! And not like anyone should be surprised, because Autostraddle readers are obviously the coolest, but the meetups were really cool!

You went on hikes and climbed tress and played with your puppies. You grabbed October by the collar and hosted Halloween parties, pumpkin carving extravaganzas, and fall picnics. There were crafting days, activist events, and a Kaki King concert. A few of you crazy kids attended a clothing optional pool party (!) while others queeraokied your little hearts out. You brunched and you drank, you made new friends and potential partners, and a few of you even emailed us to let us know you kissed a pretty girl (!) and now you’re dating that pretty girl (!!!) so I’m gonna go ahead and call this whole shebang a huge fucking success. As one reader said in an email: “We’re all grateful for meetup week…Autostraddle for the win, as always!” To which I say, AMEN.

I also say you all are very very very cute, and I think we should take this moment to celebrate that cuteness in the form of a gallery with over 300 images. I’m warning you, clicking through all of these photos might make you die of cute, but it’s totally worth it.

Thank you for participating in International Autostraddle Meetup Week(s), thank you for sending in photos, and thank you for being incredible. We love you. You love each other. Everything is beautiful and nothing hurts. Enjoy this gallery, and keep meeting up! We’re gonna take over the world one day, I just know it. And we’re gonna look really fucking adorable when we do.

Note: It was extremely labor-intensive to make this giant gallery, so we did not include individual photo credits on images unless the photographer specifically requested it. If your photos are up here and you would like credit, please send an email to vanessa [at] autostraddle [dot] com and we’ll make it happen. Thanks! 

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Vanessa

Vanessa is a writer, a teacher, and the community editor at Autostraddle. Very hot, very fun, very weird. Find her on twitter and instagram.

Vanessa has written 404 articles for us.

70 Comments

  4. Um guys this just made me so excited. It’s like 4 AM here, I had to get out of bed and run around showing it to everyone who is staying here (most of whom were at said meet up.)
    They don’t all apparently love AS as much as me…some even requested to “just look at it in the morning PLEASE rosalie.”
    But my AS referrer is just as happy, so we can have our own two person happy club tomorrow.
    And we all look fucking gorgeous.

    PS if there are any more Adelaide kids out there (fondly known as Adelstraddlers), we are following up our meetup with a bit of a camping adventure in January. So you should come too.

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  12. Love. The. Photos. Love seeing what everyone else did :)

    Vanessa – is it too late to send in photos/add them to the gallery. I hosted a stellar pumpkin carving/cider drinking party, and I totally forgot to send in our hilarious and attractive photos. I would love you forever if I could add them, but totally understand if I can’t!! I just feel bad for the other Vancouver Straddlers who were counting on me for proof of our shenanigans!

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  17. The Chicago meetup looked epic. Bacon, Binders, Babes.
    The London meetup looked like some The xx-inspired sensual orgy.
    The Portland meetup went to Kaki King?! Lucky girls.
    Also, love those glasses in photo #37.

    But, all the meetups looked great – including the one I went to.

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  26. Thank you Heather from St. Louis for posting the pic of us at Off The G.R.I.D!! It was sooo much fun and I have since fallen in love with Shameless Grounds. I don’t know how your girl managed to make me look good in that pic cuz I usually look like shit in pictures but its much appreciated!

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  28. awww man the pics are great…you could definitely tell everyone in those pics were having a blast.

    my favorite picture has got to be 185, props goes to the photographer.:) 333 is by far the best looking dog. And the girl in the back in black with the scarf from Netherlands in picture 329 **sighs** Gorgeous!!

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    • darling ali, i have a feeling us brooklyn queers can make it happen again. in fact, gabrielle and i have discussed a lesbian herstory archives PART TWO event, and i can promise that when spring comes around we’ll be hosting more picnics. MEETUPS FOREVER, is what i’m saying.

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  34. Sigh. Gotta say the Tdot short-haired blonde was cwute. I would’ve loved to meet her…had I been not at the Vancouver meetup, where I know which to have another meetup, because that one just made me feel all warm and fuzzy.

    And I had a voice and I felt nice and happy.

    Ok…more than happy. I felt appreciated and it was just nice to be there and acknowledged.

    I loved the pumpkin carving meetup. It was nice. And cute.

    Also, this is kind of the closest thing to celebrity I’ve got right now so i’m fully taking it. Next up, writing an Autostraddle-worthy article…

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  37. After looking through these pictures I’ve decided that an LA meet-up is going to happen next time, even if I’m the only one there. Seriously though, LA Autostraddlers, let’s get something together!

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