The hardest part about being a Brown person who was socialized as a girl was enduring the constant jabs about my hair. I hit puberty at 9, which meant that there were years and years of constant insecurity about my hair. It was too much, too messy, and there was always hair in all the wrong places. The hair on my head was beautiful, thick, and long, but the hair on my body was ugly, thick, and wrong. As a Brown person, my facial and body hair were always under scrutiny, especially because my hair grew at faster rates (and was much thicker) than my other peers. I was tormented for my Frida Kahlo-like brows, for my arms that looked like a werewolf’s, for my body not being up to par with white, cishet beauty standards. One time, my aunt cruelly joked that she was going to gift me money for laser hair removal because the hair on my arms was too much for her.
Growing Together
My dad was, at best, very uncomfortable with queerness before I came out to him. For him, this discomfort stemmed from two prominent aspects of Latino culture: Christianity and machismo. Today, 77% of Latinos in the United States identify as Christian, and traditionally, Christianity has rejected queer people (with some exceptions of more progressive Christian denominations; however, these branches are not predominant in Latino culture).
Do Progressive High Schools Facilitate Queer Joy?
In the fall, I discussed how internalized homophobia produced complicated feelings about my old middle school’s increasingly progressive attitudes towards queer identities and rising numbers of “out” queer students. I unpacked my slight resentment toward those queer students, who seem to have an easier time exploring their queer identities out in the open since they exist in a less oppressive environment.
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.
La Rousse
Illustrated by Christopher Ikonomou (Xe/He) This piece was originally published in our Winter 2022 Volume 2 print issue “Wanting: A Queer Beauty & Burden.“ Since checking into work that morning, Lynn had done little besides load up the popcorn machine…
There is Not Only Sex in Homosexuality
Illustrated by Cole Lopez (They/Them) I am going to start this piece with a declaration of what it is not: it is not a cry against sexuality and sex. The fight for equality in the queer community includes the fight…
The Hidden Homophobe: An Analysis of Sleeping With The Homophobe (Fall 2000)
Graphic by Christopher Ikonomou (Xe/He) *This article is a modern analysis of the themes and content of “Sleeping With The Homophobe“ (Fall 2000), the tenth installment of our From The Archive series.* So, really, how gay is California? Jordan, the author…
Forgiveness and Trying to Deserve It: A Look at “Happiest Season” (2020)
Photo by Lacey Terrell **This article contains spoilers for “Happiest Season” (2020).** In late November of 2020, “Happiest Season” was released. “Happiest Season” was written and directed by Clea DuVall, a lesbian actress, writer, producer, and director. This movie follows…
Coming Out(Write): Our Stories
Graphic by Christopher Ikonomou (Xe/He) Members of the queer community are expected to “come out” because our society views being cisgender and heterosexual as the default. However, everyone’s identity is their own. We should be able to come out on…
wherever you are
Photo by Zoë Collins (She/Her) come out. come out. the voices only murmur, but they reverberate along the walls, amplifying with every echo as they reach your ears. it’s a call. it’s a threat. come out. come out. the shiver…
