Two years ago, I came out as queer, kinky, polyamorous, and transgender, all in the space of a few months. I’m not young; I'm approaching the age bracket known as “middle age.” In fact, I worried initially that my coming out explosion was some sort of midlife crisis brought on by reading too many queer comics and following too many trans Twitter accounts. Part of me shies away … [Read more...]
7 Things Not to Say to a Child Wrestling With Their Sexuality
As a young person, I didn’t have any queer adult mentors to teach me about the positivity of exploring my sexual orientation, not to mention my gender identity. Most of what I learned about being LGBTIQ came from '90s mainstream media and my Gay Straight Alliance in high school. After high school, a couple of my friends eventually came out as gay. I listened and learned from … [Read more...]
You’re Worth Loving: My Letter For Those Still in the Closet
Dear you, This letter is for you. Your In The Closet But Still Worth Loving quiet, powerful, gentle celebration. Let me tell you a story. In middle school, I was the opposite of cool. I wore colorful striped leggings. My hair was always frizzy and in a ponytail with one strand hanging down, because I thought that was neat. There was a gap between my front teeth. I didn’t hate … [Read more...]
7 Cosas Ridículas que no hay que decir a gente Bisexual
A lo largo de los años he sido objeto de muchas observaciones bifóbicas. La bifobia no es solo una expresión específica de homofobia para las personas que son “parcialmente” gays. La bifobia viene de la comunidad queer y heterosexual, y en mi experiencia, es una expresión del pensamiento y/o binario que puede ser muy destructivo para nuestro mundo en muchas maneras. Las que … [Read more...]
Smiling Under Capitalism: 14 Ways LGBTQ+ Workers Face Discrimination in the Service Industry
Lately I’ve been puzzled by the number of people who seem to think it’s possible to have a conversation about gender equality and transgender liberation without discussing economic injustice and racialized experiences. One reason this thought is so common is because of mainstream media. While media engaging with certain transgender bodies and experiences has become more … [Read more...]
How White LGBT Spaces Erase Queer People of Colour
This article has been republished from Xtra, and is reprinted here by permission. For as long as I could remember, I had always known I was queer in some way. In the way that my feelings for girls and women around me seemed to be more intense than they were supposed to, or the way that I would feel very strange if I happened to see a sexy scene of a woman in a … [Read more...]
Am I Queer Enough to Claim Queerness?”
If I remember correctly, I was eight. I walked into the kitchen looking for a fork, and thought to myself, “hmm I am attracted to a girl in my class, so I guess that makes me bisexual. Hmmm,” grabbed my fork and went back to my room. I don’t remember learning the word, but I knew what it meant and how to use it. That is the earliest memory I have of me understanding what my … [Read more...]
7 Ridiculous Things NOT to Say to Bisexual Folks
Over the years I have been subjected to many biphobic remarks. Biphobia is not just a specific expression of homophobia for folks who are “partly” gay. Biphobia comes from the queer community and straight community alike, and in my experience, is an expression of binary and either/or thinking that is so destructive to our world in many ways. These below are … [Read more...]
Queer Eye: Inviting Social Change, One Makeover at a Time
When I first saw an ad for the new Queer Eye, my primary reaction was one of bemusement. I remembered the original Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, and I liked it a lot at the time. I liked how the show would delve more into the lives and backgrounds of the weekly Straight Guys than other makeover shows. I also cannot deny the original show’s importance in LGBTQIA+ … [Read more...]
Flee in Fear or Choose Love?: A Queer Wedding the Day After Pulse
The day after the Pulse Nightclub Massacre, I got married. The timing was random coincidence. A mess of circumstances had surprised us just the week prior, and we realized that Monday, June 13th was the only day that our ideal wedding would be possible. So in five short days, we planned our wedding. No one knew we were about to get married. When we broke the news late on … [Read more...]
Black Liberation Demands Queer Liberation: How the Black Community Must Step-Up to Support the LGBTQ Community in 2018
I’ve been an activist with Black Lives Matter for two years now. My inspiration to found the second Black Lives Matter chapter in Canada stemmed from a desire to bring the lives (and deaths) of Black folks into the Canadian imaginary; to encourage white Canadian settlers to acknowledge their ancestors’ involvement in slavery, colonialism and segregation and to celebrate … [Read more...]
Don’t Tell Me to #KeepKissing: I Am Afraid, But Not Ashamed & That’s Okay
I want to tell you all a story. The year was 2005 and I was a high school freshmen at North Syracuse Junior High school. I was female, and known to be by most, but androgynous in appearance. I was under regular threat of assault, with varying degrees of ability to escape. Those who knew me called me a dyke. Strangers called me a fag. I don’t mean this as a metaphor. It … [Read more...]
7 Ways to Celebrate a Radical Valentine’s Day (Without Falling Into Heteronormative Scripts)
Well, readers, it’s an extra tough time to experience cuffing season and Valentine’s Day. With 45 and his administration continuing to fight against everything we stand for, it’s easy to get exhausted and demoralized (check out some tips for coping here, here, here, here, and here, for starters). If you’re dealing with mental illness, experiencing a heightened level … [Read more...]
We Honor Their Names: Remembering the Victims of the Pulse Orlando Shooting
Yesterday we awoke to the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S.history. The shooter targeted a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida and ended the lives of 50 people. The Body is Not An Apology does the work of fostering radical self-love because we believe that through making peace with our bodies we create the capacity to make true peace with the bodies of others. This … [Read more...]
