I don’t know how to be hopeful right now, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to stop writing or working or fighting, and I know everyone at Autostraddle stands firmly with me.

“I will lick that shit out of any allegedly “empty” sauce container of aioli regardless of its size in comparison to my tongue and how many people watch in horror or confusion when I refuse to let its gelatinous goodness remain clinging to the sides of its serving dish where it would otherwise remain unused, unwanted and unappreciated.”

So, we’re not at A-Camp. We can still bask in our queer feels and hang out here on the open thread. Also, Mari’s getting married tomorrow.

This week we’ve got allergies, The Babysitter’s Club, throwbacks and so much more.

Knowing I could take on a task and see it through, start to finish, reminds me that the same is true for my writing and my activism, too. I will literally start 2017 with my house in order — and the work I’ll do from there will be much better for it.

WE MISS YOU AND EVERYTHING

Whether you’re going to this year’s A-Camp and need a Met Gala outfit for the last night dance or you just want some more sequined metallic separates in your life, these are the pieces you need.

“As a poet, I normally have time to carefully construct my sentences, my metaphors, etc., but here I didn’t have any preparation, and honestly, I don’t think I needed any.”

“Reading ‘Fun Home’ was like someone turning on the lights for me. I immediately bought a book called ‘How To Make Comics’, went to (the now defunct) Pearl Paints and got all the tools I needed, and I just started drawing.”

“i’m stepping down from autostraddle
bye
you’ll miss calling me out when i give my body to the sea so”

When faith, spirituality, and cultural practice feel complicated and contradictory, it can help to have a physical object to hold onto and reflect upon. These items can root us to our histories of faith — or they may simply be a symbol of old memories.

Let’s be with each other on this most harrowing of days to follow updates as they come in and support each other as we drag ourselves across the finish line of this election cycle.

The queer aesthetic here is so strong and bold and aggressive. It looks you straight in the eye turns you queer. It’s a queer gorgon. It’s queer medusa.

I left the real world to hang out on the mountain but I’m not looking to leave the Autostraddle universe anytime soon, so let’s just hold each other or whatever. GET IN HERE!

Just because you aren’t on the Mountain right now doesn’t mean you can’t be a part of your very own music and magic making group of friends. I promise you won’t regret it.

Grieving a friend lost to suicide in childhood, the effects of harmful compulsory masculinity, and looking around at a life that could just barely have been imagined then.

Counterfeit sex toys, the secret history of graham crackers and masturbation, and some smut just for you.

“Obamacare turned me from a liability into a full citizen worth protecting, and to see it roll backward instead of march forward would be a stain on our national history and an immediate threat to countless people.”

Maybe I’m not the best candidate to talk politics with strangers. But I couldn’t shake the feeling — the knowledge, really — that I’d copped out. Bailing on our first female President, of all people, because you’re scared? Nah, girl. I called the guy back, told him I could make it after all, held myself accountable on social media, and freaked out for ten minutes. But it was on. I was going.

It’s scary when evil wizards rise to power, especially if your texting isn’t encrypted.