“Diversity in any show will make that show stronger. It’s just hard to stay interested in the opinions of 87 straight white dudes in a row.”

“I struggled with my sexuality for a long time and I think it would have been so much easier if I’d seen someone like me on TV or in a movies or in books. Femslash fan fiction gave me that; the stories I read showed I wasn’t alone because other people had to think like me if they’re writing about this stuff.”

Put a rainbow on this week’s party as we watch the video for “The Gayest of All time”, listen to Taye Diggs ruin hip hop, and check out the new show about women in prison from the creator of “Weeds”.

“We’ve traveled the great wide countryside, but there’s nothing like coming home.”

“Why? Because I WANT to eat pancakes at 2 pm without feeling like a complete waste of human life.”

A #herocrush isn’t romantic or sexual, it’s about people you admire. People you’d love to work with to dismantle systems of oppression. This year most of my #herocrushes happened to be trans women.

This shiny new collection of queer Southern poetry and stories is guaranteed to stick to your ribs.

Doing your hair yourself is fun, much cheaper than going to the salon, and probably only moderately hazardous to your health.

Recipes from my birthday bake sale: criss-cross peanut butter oatmeal cookies, chocolate mint brownies, seven-layer bars, vegan gluten-free applesauce situations and chocolate chip cookies!

A different kind of camp, a book you’ll want to pre-order, a victory for trans* people in the workplace, and LESBIANS.

Is it pop because there are so many catchy hooks? Is it rock because it has that new wave-y grungy garage sound? Is it electronic music because it has synthetic drums and cymbals, deep bass drums, and clap tracks that have the authenticity of a sitcom laugh track?

“For trans* women who are locked up, getting access to medical care and safety from the guards and inmates is a serious problem. But the problem starts when they are put in prisons designed for men.”

This week in lit links: book-inspired ice cream, why “women’s stories” aren’t the same as stories about women’s lives, writing gay YA in Russia and more.

This epic megapost is your glorious opportunity to meet more than 100 amazing black LGBT women who’ve made their mark over the last 150 years.

Shelby lives in Chicago and is on track to become a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor. She talks about A-Camp, her wedding, and the costumes she makes for sci-fi conventions.

The great tides of fashion are ahead! Come scope the massive styles (and cute bois and grrls) under the sea in Atlantis 2050: Marimacho’s Spring/Summer 2014 New York Fashion Week debut!

This month we visit Club Drizzy, Heather gets punched in the face by a racist stranger at the airport, we pause to admire new merch, B wants to interview her not-ex-girlfriend and WHO WILL BE THE BUTT OF OUR GENERATION?

Fall’s short on queer ladies, but we do have a killer vagina, Sean Hayes playing a gay dad, a new Joss Whedon show, Lizzy Caplan as a sex researcher, a new love interest for Kalinda and an Anna Faris sitcom.

One way to develop your understanding of the tarot is to look at how the four elements — earth, air, fire and water — play out in the cards.

For my birthday, I wanna give gifts to other humans: specifically, Team Autostraddle. If you donate, you’ll be giving me the best birthday ever, and I’m willing to bake you cookies or even raffle off an A-Camp campership and more!