Browsing Tag

queer

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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Spectrum South’s Best of Queer Music 2018

A photo of queer music.

Innovators, advocates, and revelers in the weird—queer artists often create the work that impacts society the most. Eye-opening, thought provoking, and sometimes even unsettling, it’s often art that turns tides. This year, we asked our staff for their personal nominations for best song by a queer artist in 2018. We’re excited to share with you our top picks—and few runners up! We won’t judge if you’re suddenly compelled to dance around your apartment in your underwear to the Spotify playlist…

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Spectrum South’s 2018 Year in Review

Happy (almost) New Year, queers! 20GayTeen has been a wonderful whirlwind for the Spectrum South team—full of transformative interviews, profound personal narratives, heartwarming celebrations of community, and our continued efforts to create a digital safe space for queer folks across the South.…

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Supporting Queer Sex Workers: How and Why

A photo of the sex workers red umbrella.

Sex work is term and concept that is, at best, misunderstood and vilified at worst. While almost everyone has benefited from sex workers’ labor at some point in their lives, few acknowledge this fact or think about the lack of support or rights that these artists and healers have in western modern society.…

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Stitching Up Trouble: Tallahassee Trans Man Uses Embroidery for Social Activism

A photo of Loss Cat Stitchery embroidery.

When you think of embroidery, the image of a delicate grandmother stitching dainty flowers on a pillow might come to mind. Loss Cat Stitchery, however, is smashing that stereotype. Putting a modern, risqué twist on this old-fashioned hobby, the Tallahassee-based makers’ boutique stitches up designs with profanity, edgy jokes, social activism, and support for the queer community.  …

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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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Queer Dance Theory: On Smashing the Heteropatriarchy, Creating Body- and Sex-Positive Dances, and What it Means to be a Queer Artist

A photo of queer dance theory.

I recently attended a Choreographers' Forum at Houston's 2018 Dance Salad Festival. The panel consisted of two gay male choreographers and one straight female choreographer. During the question and answer portion of the evening, I stood up and asked the artists if they had choreographed any work that explored queer experience and romantic relationships. Given how common love duets are in dance, I expected at least one or both of the gay choreographers to name queer-themed works they had created.…

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Traveling While Queer: Philadelphia

A photo of travel destination Philadelphia.

Welcome, my vagabond and adventuring friends, to the first installment of Traveling While Queer! As an entrepreneur and consultant, traveling is a huge part of my job—building a strong network of movers-and-shakers means venturing from my home in Florida, out of the South, and journeying to cities across the nation. Along the way, I aim to share these cities’ vibrant LGBTQ histories (ones that are too often forgotten), as well as to lend my own personal queer perspectives on the…

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