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Love+Sex

The Queer Southern Wedding I Didn’t Need to Throw

Posted on January 8, 2018
A photo of Sasha Lamprea and Natalie Arrevalo's queer southern wedding.

I spent most of 2017 planning (and secretly dreading) a queer southern wedding.  My partner and I were together for nearly seven years before getting engaged, and a full eight before the actual wedding. We went through undergrad, grad school, four apartments, three cats, two dogs, countless trips together, an infinite number of laughs and tears, and more than a handful of awkward family moments before getting to the alter. …

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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.…

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Living by Choice: My First HIV Test

Posted on November 27, 2017
A photo of Russell Etherton sharing his story about his first HIV test.

I try and live my life by choice. My first HIV test, however, was in reaction—reaction to a love story and a partner I thought I knew. Once upon a time, in a gay land far away… I vividly remember the day I met my ex-boyfriend. Like so many of my friends, Grindr was how I found “connection.” I opened the app and, in the endless scroll of faces and torsos, I’d find someone who would quench whatever thirst I had that…

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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…

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Landline: An Introduction to Gay Porn

Posted on November 17, 2017
A photo of an introduction to gay porn.

The door slides open, and I hop down the steps and onto the street. The school bus drops me and a few other kids off at the entry to our neighborhood. The cement feels soft beneath my new Sketchers. Mother bought them for me last weekend. After pay day, she took me to the Payless and let me pick out a new pair. She said my last ones needed to be replaced because they had gone to hell. The other…

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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…

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Your Friendly Neighborhood Queer: Rooster Teeth’s Mariel Salcedo

Posted on September 29, 2017
A photo of Mariel Salcedo on Always Open on Rooster Teeth.

Mariel Salcedo has become a Rooster Teeth fan favorite, previously producing and guest starring in the now cult classic, Free Play, before taking on her current role on Always Open. For the production company’s LGBTQ devotees, however, she’s more than a comedic Internet celebrity—she’s someone they can connect to on a deeper level, someone they can call their own.…

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No, I’m Not Sleeping with Your Bisexual Boyfriend

Posted on September 20, 2017
An illustration of three bisexual hearts.

The last time Dan and I had spoken seriously was during our road trip out West where we spent three summer weeks crisscrossing national parks and mountain towns. The journey was our Americana rite of passage, as well as my graduation trip—Dan still had two years left to go, but I had finished undergrad just two months prior. Over a thousand miles away from home in Houston, we buried—or so we thought then—the rumors about each other’s sexuality, particularly mine.…

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Asking For A Friend: Where Do I Fall On The Sexuality Spectrum?

Posted on September 1, 2017
An illustration of the sexuality spectrum.

We love to talk about sex and sexuality as something everyone enjoys, but this isn’t completely true or inclusive. Many folks fall along the asexual spectrum, and for them, sex isn’t the main course in their life, but an occasional snack or, in some cases, is completely off the menu. An asexual person is generally defined as “someone who does not experience sexual attraction.” However, asexuality—just like any sexuality or gender identity—is a spectrum.…

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