I grew up in a rural town where being unapologetically bold and beautiful was the mark of a troublemaker. I was raised in an area where being queer or identifying with the LGBTQIA+ community was considered a sin, a bedroom secret never to be talked about. In my reality, it felt more like I should move or disappear in order to please the traditions of a predominantly white, heterosexual, cisgender, Christian, and country mindset.…
non-binary
Queer and Trans BIPOC Artists ‘Shapeshift,’ Push Artistic Boundaries
Posted on May 8, 2023The Austin-based queer transmedia festival OUTsider, founded by Curran Nault and co-founded by filmmaker PJ Raval, has long been known for pushing artistic boundaries. Last year, I was delighted to profile three of the festival’s BIPOC artists, focusing on how each found moments of liberation in their art during the era of COVID. Although I’ve since moved to my new home in Richmond, Virginia, I was excited to virtually reconnect with my Texas ties to interview a few of the…
AFAF Ep. 14: Jewish Perspectives on the Queer Experience with Orlando Meier-Brix
Posted on April 18, 2023On this episode of Asking for a Friend, host Dr. Laura McGuire welcomes the podcast's first international guest, queer and trans Jewish scholar Orlando Meier-Brix, to discuss his conversion to Judaism, queer inclusivity in the Jewish faith, coming out as non-binary in his home country of Austria, and evolving trans rights in Europe.…
Queer and Trans Reproductive Justice and Support With Amy Miller
Posted on May 10, 2022On this episode of the Asking for a Friend podcast, host Dr. Laura McGuire sits down with birth worker and educator Amy Miller to discuss the full spectrum of birth work, including support with birth, abortion, fertility, and postpartum; navigating the medical landscape as a queer person; and being a non-binary, polyamorous parent.…
Enby Tznius: Examining Modesty as a Non-binary Person
Posted on April 20, 2022Finding progressive and empowering conceptualizations around dressing and behaving in ways that protect my energy—how I would define modesty—is a challenge. Bringing those resources into a fold that includes non-binary fashion, however, can feel even harder—and super limiting.…
On Containing Multitudes: Discovering My Jewish Roots
Posted on December 20, 2021When I was seven years old, I asked for a rather unusual gift—a menorah. Now, if I had been growing up in a Jewish household, this might not have seemed so out of place; but, as a second-grader who was raised between two Baptist and Catholic families—and attended a Methodist church—this was an odd request. Nevertheless, my mom took me to a craft store and we picked out a paint-it-yourself clay menorah with beautiful Stars of David all across it.…
Visionary Futures: DiverseWorks Exhibition Explores Questions of the Future Through Queer, Non-binary BIPOC Lens
Posted on April 2, 2021Showcased by Houston’s DiverseWorks and running between February 19–April 11, the online exhibition Visionary Futures is a series of projects created by six queer, non-binary artists of color that critically explores questions of the future, the ways in which we survive, and the legacies that we leave behind. “We are conditioned through popular culture, art, and music to believe a certain set of standards, and that we have to achieve them,” says DiverseWorks curator Ashley DeHoyos. “Through Visionary Futures and…
How Can We Talk to Kids About Consent? Sexologist Dr. Laura McGuire’s New Book is Here to Help
Posted on April 1, 2021This queer and non-binary sexologist is helping parents and teachers of K-12 students navigate conversations about consent in their debut book, Creating Cultures of Consent. …
A Surprise Love: My Queer Journey from Committed Singlehood to Marriage
Posted on February 26, 2021I hate surprises—always have, always will. I remember making the terrible mistake of asking for a surprise party in elementary school. One peaceful Sunday afternoon, I came home from church thinking about how much I was looking forward to a nap, and instead found a house full of people screaming “Happy Birthday!” I immediately turned around and burst into a fountain of tears. I wasn’t emotionally prepared, I had other plans set in my mind, and I wasn’t ready to…
Taking Things ‘One Gay at a Time’: Houstonian Mycah Angelou Taylor’s New Podcast is All Things LGBTQ
Posted on February 2, 2021Mycah Angelou Taylor's podcast, One Gay at a Time, feels like listening to a good friend talk about anything and everything. Every other Wednesday evening marks the launch of a new episode, in which Taylor dives into topics ranging from their own coming out tale, to the “lavender tax,” to the intersection of Blackness and queerness. Whatever the discussion of the week may be, Taylor both educates and entertains their audience.…