Christopher Ikonomou (Xe/He)
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Christopher Ikonomou (Xe/He) is a former Editor-In-Chief at OutWrite, as well as an illustrator on the Graphics Team. Xe is a Communication major and Disability Studies minor. He loves making art for the queer and disabled communities, watching horror movies and shows, and listening to Phoebe Bridgers. Xe is part of the Class of 2023.

A Trip in Westwood

UCLA made me disabled.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been ill my whole life. I was diagnosed with Marfan Syndrome at 18 months old, a rare genetic disorder that makes my connective tissue more elastic and prone to spontaneous breakage. I hear from every medical professional I see that I am a textbook marfanoid; there was even a photo of 6-year-old me on The Marfan Foundation’s “Signs & Symptoms” page for a decade. I am a literal poster child for my condition.

Our Final Farewell: Generate Inspiration

You step into the first meeting of Student Media’s queerest magazine, OutWrite. It is one of UCLA’s hidden gems, where people can truly be themselves. You applied as a writer on a whim. This was the first queer organization you were involved with during your college career. Seeing other people enjoy their time at OutWrite (and finding you do, too), you stay in the organization for the remainder of your academic years. You drift from being a staff writer to becoming a Developmental Editor and even a co-host of “Speak Out,” OutWrite’s very own podcast, each role challenging your creativity. Here, you are allowed to flourish, trying different techniques to hone your craft. 

Letter From The Editor (Spring 2023)

Illustrated by Charis/OutWrite This letter was originally published in our Spring 2023 print issue “Color.” Dear Reader, I stand at the end of an era. To be entirely dramatic, I have put my heart and soul into this magazine for…

Letter From The Editor (Winter 2023)

Dear Reader, OutWrite was founded 44 years ago as an underground beacon for community in a hostile world. We are far from hunky gay daddies taking out ads in our paper and dozens of “Homo Happenings” gracing our pages like we did in the 80s and 90s (unfortunately). We are far from cruising in the third floor Ackerman bathrooms, where queers were desperate to skirt anti-gay sex laws that weren’t repealed until 2003. We are also far from being a publication that excluded transness from its collective identity until the mid-2000s.

To Walk A Mile in Her Shoes You Must First Wear Her Skin

The horror genre has a transphobia problem. I’m an avid horror fan whose apartment requires a warning to enter with all the horror villains plastered to my walls. I am also a transgender person who knows that negative depictions of my community, however unintentionally harmful, do have an impact. To understand these consequences, I will be discussing four horror films that feature transmisogynist tropes and explore how their portrayal causes real harm to the trans community.

Letter From The Editor (Fall 2022)

I wish I could welcome you with nothing but vigorous optimism, but the precariousness of my community’s position in this country is too important to be waved away. As a historical queer publication, it is our responsibility to make sure the most marginalized do not go unnoticed. The theme of our Fall 2022 print edition is Satanic Panic, named after the hysteria of the late 20th century that cast a dangerous shadow over queer people everywhere.

The Queers Are Already Rocking The 2023 Grammys: A Breakdown of LGBTQ+ Nominees

Nominations for the 2023 Grammy Aawards were livestreamed by the Recording Academy on Tuesday (Nov. 15) and quite a few queer artists made the cut. Here’s a breakdown of the openly LGBTQ+ acts on the list and what they’ve done for our community, along with some honorary ally mentions.

King Princess “Hold On Baby” Tour – October 26th at The Theater at Ace Hotel

Lesbian icon King Princess lit up their first hometown stop on her Hold On Baby tour last night!

National Center for Transgender Equality Announces Launch Date for 2022 U.S. Trans Survey

The National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE) recently announced that the 2022 U.S. Trans Survey (also known as the USTS) is set to launch on October 19th.

Letter From The Editor: On Queer Joy (Spring 2022)

Dear Reader, I would first like to introduce myself. My name is Christopher and I am OutWrite Newsmagazine’s resident trans/(gender)queer Marfanoid and now Editor-in-Chief. I am finishing up my third year as a part of the OutWrite family and UCLA community, having grown from a hopeful, L-G-B-T, physically exhausted pure Mathematics major to the proud queercrip and rejected art student studying Communication and Disability Studies, who led two of the biggest disability rights actions in the University of California’s history. It’s been an interesting few years, and our collective isolation has allowed me plenty of time to reflect.