Intimacy bubbles are the new polycules, the conversations to have before considering an unmasked hangout, why you were right to break up with that person who was wrong for you and more.

I’m not sure what it says about me — or, more precisely perhaps, what it says about television — that this list isn’t full of characters that feel like representations of me or the people that I’m drawn to in real life.

How NYC’s jail policies are being changed in response to Layleen Polanco’s death, the highs and lows of last weekend’s NWSL Challenge Cup, Sonia Sotomayor’s legacy of standing against systemic racism on the Supreme Court, and more.

Tegan & Sara perform “Alligator” on a Canadian kids television show, new albums on the horizon for Gaga, Blink 182, and Radiohead, new vid from Crystal Castles, tour dates from The xx, Jenny & Johnny, Gucci Mane releases new mixtape, and fresh new releases from Kele of Bloc Party, The Roots, and Sia.

As annoying as it is, probably, to hear it, you really have to lead with love. It’s not our responsibility to love people who hate us or wish us ill, but if those people are your friends or family, it is yours. If you genuinely care about your family and want them to be and do better, let that ground your conversation.

Geffen digs into the collision between gender and technology in music and beyond to demonstrate how pop and rock music have been a vehicle for gender disruption for their entire existence.

All I ever wanted to say is, “this thing that happened to me…is why I am the way I am.” But it was easier to deal with everyone else’s disappointment than to speak that truth aloud. I wasn’t strong enough for that. Annalise Keating was.

Autostraddle’s political news roundup is a new weekly series where we will watch the world burn down together and try, in our way, to put out one small fire. This is a space where Autostraddle writers will come together to discuss the latest current events and why we think they’re important. This week: impeachment proceedings, rights for trans kids in South Dakota, Pete Buttigieg and more!

I’m not sure I am any of the things that the aunties here tell me I am: Good. Hindu. Girl. I’m not sure about a lot of things these days. But I’ve found a way to care for myself that keeps me alive.

New year, new decade, and the most dramatic astrology of our lives. Buckle up and get ready to get real.

Queers, allow me to introduce you to Saint Martha.

Also, Aisha Hinds is going to break your heart on 911. Plus updates on HTGAWM, Legacies, S.W.A.T., and the finale of American Horror Story: 1984.

When Rose Cleveland and Evangeline Simpson met in 1890, they fell for each other hard. Their once-hidden letters are collected in a new book.

12. Sometimes Love Doesn’t Win, Quinn

Most of my old hiking companions from Los Angeles are queer. Now I have Goldie, who takes breaks while we walk, just to jump up and kiss me. She places her paws just over my heart.

Mostly Dead Things is the story of what happens to a young woman when her life is torn open and reset in a different pose, and how she deals with herself — and her queerness — as a part of that confusion soup.

The couples (or maybe just VERY CLOSE FRIENDS) who set our hearts aflutter all year long.

Bestselling author of The Incendiaries is out as bisexual, proud, and giving us big feelings about eyeshadow and representation.

Topics include Erotic Photo Hunt, Dorothy Allison, school lunch, alt-right extremists, The Spotted Pig, “People in Trouble,” murder on the Appalachian trail, and so much more!

Some good news and hope to fill your week: Taiwan’s Pride Parade, new queer movies, Raveena celebrating queer brown love, Janelle Monáe, and queer polyamorous foster families!