When I came out to my brother, he couldn’t understand why I seemed so scared to tell him. To him, it was clear-cut: if I was gay, then that was that, and how could I be any less than perfectly…
Marina and a Dancing Diamond
A week ago, I attended a Marina and the Diamonds concert in Pomona. Yes, as one expects, it was a magical, transcendental, orgasmic experience. Being one of the most genuine pop artists of our generation, Marina never ceases to amaze…
Love in the Age of Alcohol: An Interview with Buster Ross
Sex, drugs, and rock and roll. Rampant immorality. Breeding grounds of future devil-worshippers, communists, and worst of all, homosexuals. All of these have been included in near-apocalyptic descriptors to American high schoolers of what they may experience, not attending Woodstock,…
In honor of National Coming Out Day
Artwork by Austin Wang To come out or not to come out — that is the perpetual question. No singular incident can define the collective coming-out of the LGBT+ community, nor does any one piece of advice seem sufficient enough…
Keep On Fighting: Creating Change 2015 Conference
Image by Rommy Torrico “What does your liberated world look like?” asked the man who stood before the microphone. “IT LOOKED FUCKING QUEER,” someone yelled back even more vivaciously. A roar of *snaps* ensued. From February 4th to February 8th…
Piss Politics: The Problems With UCLA’s “Gender-Inclusive” Bathrooms
Image by OutWrite On the eighth floor of Bunche Hall, I stand baffled before one of the twenty-five or so “gender inclusive” bathrooms on campus, except this bathroom doesn’t seem very inclusive at all. There are two signs with sliding…
By Any Other Name: What UCLA’s Preferred Name Policy Means for You
The cold sweat. The pit of dread in your gut. The gnawing sense of unrest as the professor moves down the list, calling out student names in alphabetical order. And then they reach you, call out a name you no…
Why You Should Download the LGBT Healthcare Bill of Rights
For a majority of queer youth, coming out to a doctor is extremely nerve-wracking– especially since it is someone who will decide what medical care you should receive. The chance of receiving subpar medical treatment deters some queer individuals from…
Give Us a Mask and We’ll Tell You the Truth: An Ode to Halloween
Photos by Kennedy Levi/OutWrite This is the night we celebrate the divine, the beautiful, the messy, the legendary in ourselves. Halloween has passed and chances are that just because you were a little too old to go trick-or-treating, (all the…
I Am the Gay Cousin: Thanksgiving Edition
Photo by Kennedy Levi/OutWrite There’s one in every family… and it might be you. A glimpse into the art of surviving being queer at your friendly family Thanksgiving. Thursday is a holiday and that means I have to see my…