A photograph of yellow sneakers with red and black socks.
Community
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.

illustration of three women of color wearing face masks and holding violet flames
Opinion
to live, not just to survive: the queer indomitable spirit

Queerness is often about survival. While Torres is alluding to a space free from discrimination and violence, with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, queer survival is being threatened even more. As much as we want to create a “safe space,” there is no true safe space as long as people are dying and becoming disabled from COVID-19. COVID-19 is being swept under the rug by our government despite clear evidence that repeat infections can leave lasting damage in almost every organ in the body.7 Currently, there is also a resurgence of anti-LGBTQIA+, anti-Black, anti-immigrant, and anti-free speech rhetoric and legislation. When queer people are denied the chance to exist, we must find a way to live. By critically examining our past, we can shed light on the present.

photo of Christopher, a white genderqueer man with short brown hair tucked under a light blue baseball cap, glasses, a black mask, a white Disabled Student Union shirt, and black pants speaking into a microphone and holding up a protest sign that reads "Accessibility Now! We Deserve Better."
Community
Inherently and Creatively Political with Christopher Ikonomou: Disability Pride (Month) Spotlight

For a special edition of the Disability Month Spotlight series, I was fortunate enough to interview our very own Editor-in-Chief, Christopher Ikonomou (xe/he).

photo of Walela Nehanda, a Black nonbinary person with dark braids threaded with colorful beads and shells, a beaded necklace, a deep yellow layered top, and tattoos. they stand in front of green foliage with a powerful expression
Community
Finding and Standing Up For Yourself with Walela Nehanda: Disability Pride (Month) Spotlight

Photo by Walela Nehanda (They/Them) **Content Warning: brief mentions of abuse** This article will highlight the moments when the CW is relevant, but regardless, please read at your own discretion.  Welcome to the fourth installment of our Disability Pride Month…

Collage of words colored by a disability pride flag gradient on an almost black background. The words cluster around “disabled & queer” and include ADHD, Latine, cancer survivor, Black, nonbinary, autistic, chronically ill, mad, transgender, sick, lesbian, Deaf, Marfanoid, low vision, OCD, aromantic, Filipinx, acespec
Community
Disability Pride Month: An Introduction

Graphic by Christopher Ikonomou (Xe/He) As we leave June’s LGBTQ+ Pride Month, we are welcomed by July’s Disability Pride Month. First celebrated in 1990 in Boston, Disability Pride is essentially a celebration of the bodies and minds we have. This…

Creative Writing
To Be Ugly

Created by Christopher Ikonomou (Xe/He) This project was originally published in our Winter 2022 Volume 1 zine “Queer Rage, Resistance, & Renaissance.“ I will never be pretty. Most people’s view on “growing up ugly” consists of a nerdy brunette taking…

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