Love Potion

Graphic by Vi  Summer break after my sophomore year of high school. It was the first time my parents left me home alone while they went on a trip. I was going to be alone for about a week, and…

Meet Matthew Gifford, the Youngest Openly Gay Candidate Running for Office in America

Photo courtesy of Matthew Gifford for Board of Education “We need to focus on the big picture and tackle the big problems we’re facing – for our schools and for our students – so that we don’t have the same…

How Ariana Grande Became 2018’s Pop Star

Earlier this quarter I was asked: If given the opportunity to interview any artist, who and what would I ask? Like a predictive text, my answer came to mind immediately; I would ask Ariana Grande, “Are you okay?” If you…

On the Importance of Community

Graphic by Angela Zheng Group distinctions, and the separation of people by identity, are sometimes suggested to be divisive and contrary to the idea of progress. Why divide by specific identity when you can connect through shared humanity? What fails…

India Decriminalizes Queer Sex

Graphic by Angela Zheng On September 6, the Supreme Court of India issued a milestone ruling decriminalizing consensual gay sex, CNN reports. Stemming from a law imposed during British imperialism in India, the previously legal Section 377 dictated that  “Whoever…

Ashe Center Ranks As One Of The Best College LGBTQ Health Centers

Photo by Kai Huang On April 2nd, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) named the UCLA’s Arthur Ashe Student Health and Wellness Center a “Leader in LGBTQ Healthcare Equality.” The HRC surveyed more than 600 health care facilities and UCLA’s hospitals…

Other: The Unheard Voices of QPOC Adoptees

You know what’s always stressed me out? Back in high school, when we had to take standardized tests, there’d always be a preface question about which race you identify as. They’d list the options — African American, Caucasian, Asian, Latino,…

Thy Neighbor was a MAN?! A Case for the Historically Queer Jesus

Jesus has long been a figure representing wholesome celibacy in the Christian faith, but assuming he was a real person, the odds are that he had sexual desires like the rest of us. One way Jesus could have handled those…

“Queer,” or “LGBT?”

Graphic by Liana Kindler  The increasingly popular use of “queer” has become an area of contention in many LGBT communities. On one hand, “queer” has a historically negative connotation, carrying with it the weight of both collective and personal marginalization…

The Decision to Come Out

After the first time I came out to a friend, I struggled a lot with deciding whether, when, and how to tell people about my sexuality. Like a lot of people, I was hesitant for many reasons, which mainly boil…