Browsing Tag

LGBTQ

Keep Questioning: The Restrictive Nature of Labels Within the LGBTQ Community

A photo of LGBTQ labels.

Finding your identity within the LGBTQ community can be confusing to say the least. When I started to question my own identity in college, I anticipated finding guidance and opportunities for growth. Instead, I wound up exhausted. What began as an exciting journey to self-discovery soon became a downward spiral that resulted in feelings of doubt and a sense that I didn’t belong.…

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Five Essential Self-Care Habits for Queers

A photo of queer self-care.

Self-care is not just Instagram fodder, Lush bath bombs, aromatherapy, and crystals. It’s not selfies, expensive beverages, salads, yoga poses, or even spa services. Self-care is actually work. And it often can be free. It’s akin to the psychological concept of re-parenting, or self-stewardship. It is adulting 2.0. It’s an essential skill that combats the effects of living in the relentless consumerist culture we’re steeped in. But don’t let that discourage you, because here are my top 5 self-care tips…

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Traveling While Queer: Miami

A photo of queer Miami.

Welcome to the third installment of Traveling While Queer! Join me as I journey across the country to discover our shared queer history and sightsee in some of my favorite cities. Along the way, we will explore hidden havens, places of LGBTQ significance, and help you to plan a top-notch gay getaway. Our next stop is bringing that heat—welcome to Miami!…

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Traveling While Queer: New Orleans

A photo of gay New Orleans.

Welcome to the second installment of Traveling While Queer! Join me as I journey across the country to discover our shared queer history and sightsee in some of my favorite cities. Along the way, we will explore hidden havens, places of LGBTQ significance, and help you plan your dream va-gay-tion. Next stop, NOLA!…

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I AM LIFE: The T.R.U.T.H. Project Centers Female Voices for World AIDS Day

A photo from The T.R.U.T.H. Project's I AM LIFE.

As a young artist, Kevin Anderson regularly poured out his soul in the spoken word scene. He soon realized, however, that the vulnerability and lived truth he was sharing with the artistic community was not being returned. When at the mic, poets would often code-switch, changing the pronouns of their same-sex lovers to that of the opposite sex—until one day, a colleague didn’t. Rather than offering support, the poet who followed the act used his platform to belittle this fellow…

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The Queer Doula: Adventures in Providing Support and Education Around Birth, Abortion, and Pregnancy

A photo of a queer doula.

I have always loved birth. As a teen and young adult, I would spend hours glued to TLC’s A Birth Story and other ER shows that depicted live births with a twist of trauma and terror. I found every unique birth story endlessly fascinating. What was this family’s journey? How would this birth be different? What would the baby look like? As I observed birth after birth, I came away with one clear conclusion by the age of 14: I…

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