gay man – OutWrite

narrative photography depicting Jericho, an Asian person, emerging in a gold, radiant form from a dull, purple lotus flower

The Feminine Man: Homophobia, Femininity, And The Cisheteropatriarchy

I experienced homophobia within my first two weeks at UCLA — a surprise considering Chancellor Gene Block deemed UCLA no place for discrimination in his new undergraduate student welcome speech.

illustration of the late Leslie Jordan posing with a cowboy hat in front of a rainbow background

Community

Remembering Leslie Jordan

Only two weeks ago on Monday, Oct. 24, 2022, actor, comedian, writer, singer, and dazzling social media presence Leslie Jordan died in a car accident.

photo of Kevin Atwater, a white man with short blonde hair and a blue short sleeve button up with the top few buttons unbuttoned

Community

Kevin Atwater (he/him) is a singer-songwriter from a small town in Illinois called Downers Grove. He gained a significant following on TikTok, and is known for sharing his personal and confessional songwriting with the world.

Poetry

patchwork

This poem was originally published in our Spring 2022 print issue “Reflections of Radiance.”

we are
building a new life
painting a new life
writing a new life

cover of the book "filthy animals" by brandon taylor next to a picture of the author, a Black man with short hair and glasses. the background is deep yellow with multicolored stripes

Arts & Entertainment

“Filthy Animals”: An Exploration of Queer Sexuality and Masculinity

I recently read “Filthy Animals” by Brandon Taylor, which was released last year in 2021. I’d been looking to read more explicitly queer novels, ones that explored themes outside traditional YA themes. “Filthy Animals” is an exploration of queer sexuality and masculinity, a book that seems to understand the contradictions between all levels of queer identity. It is a book that aims to explore generational trauma, the past haunting its characters like an ambivalent ghost where the characters crave an intimacy they haven’t before.

a digital illustration of Jackson, a white man with long, brown hair staring off to right wearing purple jacket with a flower pattern and white collar, a white scarf, and a white cowboy hat with an upside down pink triangle stitched in the middle. From left to right, the background fades from dark blue, light blue, purple, red, and dark purple

Creative Writing

Archaic

Illustrated by Christopher Ikonomou (Xe/He) This poem was originally published in our Winter 2022 Volume 1 zine “Queer Rage, Resistance, & Renaissance.“ assembled in the literal and reaching out to touchsuits and ties and evil eyes on years and years…

Community

The History and Stigma of HIV/AIDS: HIV Long-Term Survivors Awareness Day

Graphic by Christopher Ikonomou (Xe/He) In 1981, the first cases of what would later be known as Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) were reported in America. In hindsight, there had been deaths that would later be attributed to AIDS as early…

still from Fire Island (2022) depicting the main group of characters looking sad and concerns around a dining table

Film

For Queers By Queers: A Spoiler-Free Fire Island Review

Still from Jeong Park/Searchlight Pictures Written by stand-up comic, writer, actor, and gay man Joel Kim Booster and directed by Andrew Ahn, “Fire Island” (2022) brings together a classic romance and the glitter-covered queer party scene off the shore of…

photo of print article "too femme to fit" in the winter 2002 issue of ten percent

From the Archive: Too Femme To Fit (Winter 2002)

Welcome to OutWrite’s “From the Archive” series! This series is designed to provide an opportunity to interact with our organization’s archives, assess the opinions and relevance of our past content, and bring that content into the present. In doing so,…