a tv on a stand with a wood paneled wall behind it

Just Waiting To Be Found

For my entire childhood, I spent every summer in the Appalachian Mountains.

First Person Music

10 Mountain Goats Songs, Ranked by Transness

I’m not alone in my obsession with finding themes of gender oppression and transformation in their raw, high-wire, indie-rock lyrics about tragedy, monstrosity, drugs, and sickness.

Untethered vol. 2 against a blobby yellow and pink neon background with a giant raspberry

First Person

Untethered: Turning Dancing, D&D, and Body Piercings Into Friendships

One of the things about not having spent significant time being single is that my friends have often been tangled up with partners.

A beach at sunset with an instagram filter over it to look like a vintage postcard.

First Person Health

Sad in a Prettier Place

A big reason for my move was the fact that I’m immune compromised. Instagram’s creepy algorithm delivered me an image, “moving won’t solve your problems, you’ll just be sad in a prettier place.”

cartoon image of a mother and daughter walking around together

First Person

You and Me Against the World

The first time I told you I was queer. You didn’t speak to me for 24 hours.

a woman sitting against a moss-covered wall outside with purple heart made of flowers over her head, with a retro collage-like effect

First Person Parenting & Family

What To Expect When Your Friends Are Expecting (as a Childfree Queer)

As my community transforms, I’ve developed a curiosity on how to transmute isolation into connection.

Janelle Monáe holding a rainbow heart at a mic on a Pride float

First Person Music

Leaning Into Pleasure at the Janelle Monáe Listening Party

The leftover swirls of emotion from the sheer queerness of the event, of the attendees, of the joy, are still sustaining me, even as Pride month comes to a close.

a hand reaching out with an eyeball and three tropical leaves against a layered background of orange and red toned palm trees and a blue brick wall

First Person

Overheating: Leaving My Home State of Florida

I have not given up on Florida, even if for now it is best we spend time apart.

A collage of the author, shea wesley martin, in four different pair of Chino pants, each in a gold picture frame. shea is a fat black nonbinary person with glasses and a fade haircut.

First Person Queer Fashion

Porkchop’s Odyssey: On Fatness, Transness, and Pants

This snapshot sits on a shelf in the back of my mind. I keep it in an album called “euphoria.” It includes moments – me in my first bowtie at my college graduation, me on my wedding day, me in the mountains with my first jean jacket. In each, I am myself.

First Person LGBT Pride

Making An Independent Documentary About Queer Women Is Like Jumping Without A Net

I will never stop trying to tell our stories.

Two images of the author, Aisha — a brown, tattooed person with short, blue hair that's parted down the middle — appear side by side. On the left, Aisha wears a pink medical gown, a white N95 mask, white socks, and black sneakers with teal laces. They lean against a table in a doctor's office. On the right, Aisha wears a blue medical gown while sitting in a chair in a hospital. They look down at their chest and hold it in their hands.

First Person

Top Surgery, Magnolia Trees, and the Trans Art of Letting Go

What’s transness if not a long lesson in choosing which beautiful things are meant for you?

A collage of items in front of a gradient blue background that includes: flavored seltzer water, skin care products, three different fashion choices, and a set of bowls

First Person

10 Things I Spend My Money on Now That Isn’t Drugs or Alcohol

When I got sober, I also thought I would be saving so much money. What happened instead is that I found different ways to spend my money.

The background is black. On the far right, there is the chin and upper toro of a Black woman wearing a short-sleeved, white collared shirt. She clasps her hands in prayer.

First Person

I Still Pray After I Masturbate

Erasing decades of religious trauma doesn’t happen overnight.

Against a blue sky filled with fluffy clouds, there is a green street sign with white text that reads, "Menopause: next exit." A white arrow points to the right.

First Person

Old Gal, New Tricks: Queer Menopause and Masturbation

This is what we don’t talk about when we (don’t) talk about menopause…and masturbation.

3d glasses, a bucket of popcorn, and a remote

First Person

The Need for Trans Girl Trash

If media that’s traditionally targeted at women, whether they are queer or not, isn’t making a space for the girls like me, then where exactly are we expected to look for entertainment that keeps us in mind?