photo of Sophia Eiss
Music
Anonymity, Art, and Stevie Wonder: A Conversation with Upcoming Artist Sophia Eiss

Why would one demonize love? It’s a question all queer people have asked ourselves and the people around us at some point in our lives. In the face of every discriminatory law, every crime committed against us, every right that is so quickly stripped away, it is safe to say that no one in the queer community has truly found the answer, — but that hasn’t stopped us from trying. Queer artist Sophia Eiss explores this question and the emotions tied to our inability to answer it in her latest single, “INNOCENT LOVE.”

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Short Story
Umbrellas

A pair of unlikely friends caught in the pouring rain unpack a girl’s perhaps undeserved reputation.

compilation of posters for tv shows on OutWrite's best of 2022 queer tv list
TV
Best of 2022: Staff Picks for Queer TV

Enjoy our staff’s recommendations for 15 queer TV shows and seasons released in 2022 (in no particular order) and where to watch!

still from everything everywhere all at once, the rock scene
Film
Catharsis Through Queer Media: A Review of “Everything Everywhere All at Once”

“Everything Everywhere All at Once” is a love letter to the Asian American immigrant community and a startlingly sincere portrayal of modern queerness. In an era of formulaic superhero films and live-action Disney remakes, it is a breath of fresh air and a reminder that art can be transformative.

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Music
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!

still from trick or treat scooby doo showing velma and coco diablo
Arts & Entertainment
Velma Dinkley Just Came Out Of The Closet!

Still by Warner Bros. Animation “Scooby Doo” has been a long-running, popular children’s franchise since 1969. For around 50 years, Velma Dinkley has been the show’s token genius analyst. Her sexuality was questionable, often being paired with the show’s goofball,…

coming out write our stories. progress pride flag
Community
Coming Out(Write): Our Stories – National Coming Out Day 2022

Welcome back to Coming Out(Write): Our Stories, a social media series started in 2021. This series occurs annually during the week following National Coming Out Day (October 11th), exploring our staff’s experiences with and opinions on coming out.

I'm an educator at our local aquarium, and a few weeks ago, I had a band of young girls come up to me and listen attentively as I taught them about whale vertebrae and feeding patterns. One question seemed to prompt the next, and they stayed with me until the end of my shift. After I said goodbye, a young girl chased after me and shouted down the hallway. hey! I turned around to answer any lingering whale questions, but to my surprise, she just gave me a big hug. And she told me, "i want to be just like you when i grow up." In my search for "queer joy." I usually find myself coming up short. Because it would be amazing if I felt pride and joy in my identity, but usually I just wish that I could be like everybody else. It's exhausting to feel so often like a square peg in a round hole, but sometimes all you need is a whale cart. Sometimes it's just one thing that makes all the rest okay, and if "queer joy" feels like a million miles away, "queer getting by" or "queer keeping-my-head- above-water" is just as important. My guess is you're reading this in search of queer joy and I'm sorry I can't make content to fit that bill. but you being here searching for it is really beautiful, too.
Art & Illustration
Whale Cart

Created by Zoë Collins (She/Her) This piece was originally published in our Spring 2022 print issue “Reflections of Radiance.“

monochromatic dusty pink illustration of two female silhouettes walking down the street under a street lamp
Creative Writing
piper&jenny

Jenny and I met in the early days of middle school, when everyone was all acne and gangly legs, and got on like a gasoline-soaked house gets on with a match. Frankly, it was a nightmare for our parents. My mom, who I know had been quietly worrying about my ability to make friends, was suddenly unable to enter a shared space in our house without me bombarding her with requests to go to Jenny’s house, stories of something funny that Jenny had said at school today, of Jenny’s new puppy that she got last week.

digital painting of two pairs of young children. one shows a boy and girl kissing while the other are two shy girls holding hands in secret
Opinion
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…

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