The COVID-19 pandemic forced us to get creative—in the ways we work, the hobbies we adopt, and the art we make. For queer Houstonian Chuck Ohamara, that creativity birthed Paradox Moth, a fully inclusive, LGBTQ-focused, minimalist streetwear brand. Along with fellow co-creator and queer model Alex Sundstrom, Ohamara set out with a simple mission: to build a fashion brand for everybody and every body. “It started as a side hustle,” Ohamara explains. “We wanted to test how to run…
queer
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.…
Black Queer AF: The Normal Anomaly Initiative Presents Houston’s First-Ever Black + Queer Music Festival
Posted on April 29, 2022This weekend, Blackness and queerness will be at the center of Houston’s music scene. On Saturday, April 30, Black and queer people from all over the nation will gather in Space City for the Black Queer AF Music Festival, an unforgettable night of celebration, empowerment, and community. …
AFAF 9: Sex Education in Black Southern Communities with Jasmine Phillips
Posted on April 5, 2022On this episode of the Asking for a Friend podcast, host Dr. Laura McGuire sits down with sex educator, Ph.D. candidate, and disease intervention specialist Jasmine Phillips to discuss being a Black LGBTQ researcher, sexual satisfaction and communication among partners, healing generational trauma, and how to meet communities where they're at when it comes to sex education.…
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.…
Holding Space and Creating Magic: The Wanderoo Lodge is a Queer Haven for Travelers and Locals Alike
Posted on October 15, 2021By Barrett White The land where Eureka Springs, Arkansas, sits is Osage land. Though the Osage people protected their land from neighboring tribes, they allowed people from any tribe—hostile neighbors or not—to bring their ill onto the land to visit the natural springs, believed to have healing properties. This historic, benevolent gesture of goodwill is well-remembered in present-day Eureka Springs. Just ask locals David and Ethan Avanzino, who jointly run the Wanderoo Lodge—an LGBTQ-owned and -operated outdoor adventure lodge in…
A Tale of Two Flags: A Letter to Queer Kids Growing Up in the South
Posted on August 26, 2021On a recent drive through a rural community in the South, I stopped for a bite to eat at a local restaurant. A few months ago, I started an online business making rainbow crosses and other queer, Christian, and ChristoPagan items on Etsy. I try to wear the cross I made for myself as much as I can, and the exchanges I have had because of it have been deeply moving.…
Queer Film Summer: MFAH’s Virtual Cinema Streams Three LGBTQ Masterpieces
Posted on July 27, 2021While Pride month may be over, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH), is keeping the queer vibes alive all summer long. As part of their virtual cinema program, MFAH is streaming three queer films: Against The Current and Truman & Tennessee: An Intimate Conversation (which the Museum premiered in June), and Can You Bring It: Bill T. Jones and D-Man in the Waters, which debuted on July 16. Although these films vary greatly, each tells a beautiful and deeply…
AFAF 5: Ethical Porn and the Liberating Powers of Erotic Art with G and Kei
Posted on July 14, 2021In this month's episode of the Asking for a Friend podcast, host Dr. Laura McGuire sits down with G and Kei, founders of BEYONDEEP Productions, to talk Black, queer representation in porn, living as a married, kinky, and polyamorous couple, preconceived notions of erotica, and more.…
Journals of a Leo and a Virgo: Pandemic Passion Projects
Posted on June 4, 2021The start of 2021 was rife with big events—on the macro scale, the nation watched in shock as a riot stormed the Capitol of the United States, and only a few weeks later, we witnessed our first female vice president step into her role. After a year under varying states of lockdown and social isolation, we rejoiced at the rollout of the long-awaited COVID-19 vaccine. At the micro scale, families around the nation saw their broods expand with the births…