All Posts By

Laura McGuire

Southern Rebel: Embracing My Queer Redneck Roots

Posted on April 13, 2018
A photo of a redneck town.

I was born in Tennessee on a bright Thanksgiving morning, surrounded by the same Appalachian Mountains my family had called home since the 1790s. My mother is Mediterranean and Hispanic and hails from the Northeast, but my father’s family has thrived for nine generations in the deepest part of the South. As a little girl, I played on my great-papaw’s 87-acre farm, fishing, shooting, and eating grapes off the vine. Life’s pace is different here. I was gifted my first gun…

Continue Reading

Gently Healing from Within: Dr. Laura McGuire Hosts Houston Trauma Recovery Workshop

Posted on April 9, 2018
An illustration of healing after trauma.

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, a time when survivors and their allies come together to be seen, heard, and create change for the future. We talk a lot about prevention and crisis, which are both vital parts of the conversation, but rarely do we discuss long-term recovery. Sexual violence isn’t the kind of emotional or physical wound that heals easily. The pain and injury is deep and, even after the trauma has become a distant memory, it is a…

Continue Reading

Asking for a Friend: Out of The Closet and Into The Streets?

Posted on December 20, 2017
An illustration of coming out of the closet.

Dear Queer Comrade, Coming out is a huge journey. Whenever I talk to people about their coming out experiences, I always ask first how they came out to themselves. Coming in to your own truth is the hardest journey of all. Sometimes we come out to ourselves and immediately tell the world, and other times, we don’t, won’t, or can’t—and that is more than okay. Here are some ideas to help you navigate this chapter of your coming out journey.…

Continue Reading

Yuletide Pride: A Queer Guide to Surviving the Holidays

Posted on December 6, 2017
A photo of queer heart lights for the holidays.

Happy holidays! Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, and a Blessed Yule to all! With all of the hustle and bustle of these magical winter festivities, it seems impossible to feel alone. Yet, as queer folks, many of us often do. Sometime between Thanksgiving and the New Year, the feelings of loneliness and isolation begin to creep in. If we are single, have strained relationships with our families of origin, or are struggling with our identities, these feelings can be…

Continue Reading

Asking for a Friend: Six Queer-Friendly Dating Apps That’ll Make You Swipe Right

Posted on November 24, 2017
An illustration of dating apps.

Greetings queerios, allies, and friends! In this special edition of Asking For A Friend, I’m going to take you on my personal tour of dating apps. I frequently get asked which dating apps or sites I recommend and, to be honest, I don’t often know which ones are the most “in” at the moment. But, as a relationship expert, sexologist, and a single-and-ready-to-mingle woman, I decided to dive in and share my digital dating experiences. Full disclosure before we begin: these…

Continue Reading

Documentarian Fiona Dawson Headlines Houston Transgender Unity Banquet

Posted on November 3, 2017
A photo of Houston Transgender Unity Banquet speaker Fiona Dawson.

Last week, I had the pleasure of chatting with Fiona Dawson, a dynamic documentarian, bisexual advocate, and speaker at the 25th annual Houston Transgender Unity Banquet on November 4. Her recent work, which centers around trans military members, is especially near and dear to my heart as a child of veterans. The short documentary, 'Transgender, at War and in Love,' was nominated for "Outstanding Short Documentary" at the 37th Annual News & Documentary Emmy Awards, and is now used in…

Continue Reading

Asking For A Friend: Spooky STIs

Posted on October 17, 2017
An illustration of lesbian STIs

I know I'm supposed to get tested for STIs regularly and, while I do get tested at my annual well woman's exam, I feel like maybe that's not enough? I'm not in a monogamous relationship right now, sometimes have casual sex, and when [I do], it’s with other women and isn’t always "protected" sex. How often should I be getting tested for STIs? Also, I've never been tested outside of my annual exam. Are there free STI testing centers I…

Continue Reading