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LGBT women’s health

Health + Athletics

My Doctor Said Lesbians Don’t Need Pap Smears, but She’s Wrong

If you have a cervix, you should get pap smears regularly.

By Hannah Brashers| October 31, 2019 | 30 Comments
Health + Athletics

The Autostraddle Guide To Queer Mental Health

An epically organized guide to some of our best work on topics including depression, anxiety, grief, eating disorders, substance abuse and other legitimately important topics.

By The Editors| October 24, 2019 | 24 Comments
Advice

You Need Help: Finding a Therapist for the First Time

Therapy is your place to be all about YOU. It’s your place to be safe, vulnerable, and authentic, in order for your to learn about yourself. It’s never too early to start practicing how to prioritize yourself and your needs.

By Christina Tesoro| April 11, 2019 | 19 Comments
Health + Athletics

Zumba Sisterhood of the Traveling Hips

In short, Zumba is a dance fitness class set to popular Latin music but honestly, for me, Zumba is more than just that, it’s given me life.

By Yvonne| September 14, 2018 | 7 Comments
dot pattern adult in fetal position
First Person Issues

Begging to Be Sterilized

“It seemed at the time to be exactly what life was about, and only just barely staying alive, curling up in corners of lonely, unclean rooms in shaking fits of sadness too raw to keep inside my head, screaming into my bent knees.”

By Rebecca Epstein| August 28, 2018 | 17 Comments
Speculum Redesign
Health + Athletics

Building a Better Speculum: How Design That’s Inclusive of Queer and Trans People Can Change Reproductive Care

The speculum hasn’t been meaningfully redesigned since the 1800s. These three women are working to change that, but they have a ways to go, needing to overcome medical barriers and focus on better health for queer and trans people. The good news? We can help!

By Raquel| June 7, 2018 | 15 Comments
Society + Culture

Also.Also.Also: Another Study Finds Lesbian and Bisexual Women Are Just Doomed 4-Ever I Guess and Other Stories

Cool it down, horse domestication, that story about the crabs that has ruined my life (!!), baseball, Jasika Nicole, a thing about the south, free speech and racism, abortion is a human right, and so much more!

By Laneia| May 10, 2018 | 8 Comments
Health + Athletics

9 LGBTQ People Speak Out About Pre-Menstrual Dysphoric Disorder

The following are stories from LGBTQ people living with PMDD — how it manifests for us, what helps and what doesn’t help, and any challenges or opportunities we have found in seeking help. 

By Creatrix Tiara| January 31, 2018 | 22 Comments
Sex + Relationships

How I Learned to Navigate Vaginismus as a Lesbian

“This is what happened for me: I started crying as soon as I put my legs into the stirrups.”

By Lauren| November 14, 2017 | 29 Comments
chaise lounge pattern
Health + Athletics

Autostraddle Roundtable: All About Our Mental Health

A lot of the requests from readers for advice and for personal writing are about mental health, so today we thought we’d share with you about our brain situations, what helps, what doesn’t, and what we’re still working on.

By the team| November 6, 2017 | 66 Comments
Sex + Relationships

“Do Fingers Count?” Vulvodynia, Medical Heteronormativity and Me

Doctors agreed about what kind of sex I should want to have, and how much pain and inconvenience I should be willing to endure to have it.

By Guest| November 6, 2017 | 51 Comments
Health + Athletics

All the Small Things: 5 Simple Self-Care Methods For Your Daily Routine

Sometimes getting out of bed and onto the couch is the biggest thing you will achieve in day, and that is okay.

By Reneice Charles| August 10, 2017 | 18 Comments
bathtub tipping to pour out contents, a hazy rainbow
First Person

Beyond Self-Care Bubble Baths: A Vision for Community Care

If I and other people with certain disabilities are going to survive, we need care — and not from ourselves. Because when it gets really bad for me, self-care is literally impossible. In those moments, I need community care.

By Abeni Jones| July 20, 2017 | 49 Comments
Politics + Activism

Trumpcare Is an Attack on Trans People of Color. Let’s Fight Like Hell Against It.

Defeating this bill is a matter of life and death to the transgender, gender non-conforming and intersex people of color who depend on Medicaid to survive.

By Neesha Powell-Twagirumukiza| July 14, 2017 | 5 Comments
First Person

I Never Meant for My Hair to Be the Way Back to the Lighthouse

“I thought changing something on the outside would change the wrecked ruin of me on the inside. I thought somehow the inside would get a memo from my outside and get into shape. It didn’t, but my hair is the first way I was able to gain autonomy over my body.”

By Alexis| May 11, 2017 | 53 Comments
News + Politics

The Terrifying Part of the ACA Repeal That’s Already Affecting Trans and Pregnant People

A lot of terrible, overwhelming things are happening for our community, right now. Let’s hold one another and try to understand what’s going on.

By Priya| May 4, 2017 | 26 Comments
Health + Athletics

We Are One In the Same: Experts Explain What Self-Care and Community Care Really Look Like

We all know self-care is important, but what does that actually mean? I talked to four experts in mental and social health care to find out more about the nuts and bolts of what self-care and community care look like for queer communities.

By Caroline Catlin| April 12, 2017 | 11 Comments
Health + Athletics News + Politics

Blame Conservatives and Their Austerity Measures for Why LGBTQ Healthcare Sucks in the UK

Seven years of cuts have left the NHS on its knees, and we’re all suffering.

By Heather Davidson| March 21, 2017 | 14 Comments
First Person

A Recounting of the Morning I Spent Digging Garlic Out of My Vagina

My vagina and I get along most of the time. We know our routines, the things each of us like (orgasms and panty-free nights) and the things we don’t (periods and hard fingering meant to be pleasure inducing) but occasionally one of us fails each other.

By Kari| January 24, 2017 | 72 Comments
Health + Athletics

Autostraddle’s Staff Shares Their Stories About Why We Need to #SaveTheACA

“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.”

By the team| January 16, 2017 | 41 Comments
News + Politics

Republicans Forge Ahead with ACA Repeal, Promise to Definitely Figure Out Replacement Later

Republicans haven’t been able to figure out what they think should replace the Affordable Care Act since it was introduced in 2010, and repealing it now will leave millions of Americans uninsured, but they’re not letting that stop them! They say they’re going to try to move forward on a repeal by the end of the week.

By Rachel| January 9, 2017 | 13 Comments
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From the Archives

  • “That’s What She Said” is Queer Asian America In Your Face

    “That’s What She Said” is Queer Asian America In Your Face

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    Every Major “Law & Order” Character Ranked In Order Of Lesbianism

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    10 Badass Girl Team Movies

Latest Comments

  • Caitlin On Dating Download: Three Lesbians Try Bumble and Date On a Deadline "so the buzz is download bumble but we’re all exhausted so even a profile that’s more honey than vinegar may…"

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  • mimipaige On “Euphoria” Finally Gives Jules Agency In A Special Episode Co-Written By Hunter Schafer "Certain aspects of this show (and pretty much all aspects of Hunter Schafer’s amazing acting and characterization) are so so…"

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  • Chandra On Pop Culture Fix: Well and Here’s Kristen Stewart as Princess Diana "I would watch this Orphan Black reboot"

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Latest Posts

  • Dating Download: Three Lesbians Try Bumble and Date On a Deadline

    Dating Download: Three Lesbians Try Bumble and Date On a Deadline

  • Pop Culture Fix: Well and Here’s Kristen Stewart as Princess Diana

    Pop Culture Fix: Well and Here’s Kristen Stewart as Princess Diana

  • No Filter: We Must Look at Sarah Paulson With No Eyebrows Every Time, It’s Gay Law

    No Filter: We Must Look at Sarah Paulson With No Eyebrows Every Time, It’s Gay Law

  • Also.Also.Also: Elliot Page Is Getting Divorced, Another Day in the Books for Love Being a Lie

    Also.Also.Also: Elliot Page Is Getting Divorced, Another Day in the Books for Love Being a Lie

  • You Need Help: How Do I Survive My First Breakup to Stay Friends on the Other Side?

    You Need Help: How Do I Survive My First Breakup to Stay Friends on the Other Side?

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