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Identity

Changing Pronouns: An Interview with Publicly Private’s Kollyn Conrad

Posted on September 12, 2022

A photo of Kollyn Conrad of Publicly Private

As a non-binary southerner, I’m all too familiar with society’s pushback to gender and sexuality exploration. Like so many other queer and trans folks, my process of finding the identity that feels best to me is one that is ever-evolving. Yet, from broader society—and often, from within the LGBTQ community—we’re not given the grace to navigate identity at our own speed, to be brave enough to come out over and over again as that identity evolves, and to stand in…

Unlearning Leviticus: Bridging the Gay-Christian Gap

Posted on December 29, 2021

However, from the boundaries of my own lived experience, and despite Christ “ending the old law,” Christians who condemn LGBTQIA+ identities and experiences often cite one Old Testament passage in particular, and there has perhaps been no text with a larger influence on attitudes toward gay people than the biblical book of Leviticus.…

On Containing Multitudes: Discovering My Jewish Roots

Posted on December 20, 2021

A photo of a menorah, a part of Dr. Laura McGuire's Jewish faith.

When I was seven years old, I asked for a rather unusual gift—a menorah. Now, if I had been growing up in a Jewish household, this might not have seemed so out of place; but, as a second-grader who was raised between two Baptist and Catholic families—and attended a Methodist church—this was an odd request. Nevertheless, my mom took me to a craft store and we picked out a paint-it-yourself clay menorah with beautiful Stars of David all across it.…

Texas, Why Don’t You Want Me Here?: On the Culture of the Lone Star State and My Trans Feelings

Posted on December 15, 2021

Before I knew what “trans” was, I knew not to be it. As an overtly masculine Black girl in Texas, the state was already out to get me for my skin. Even worse though, my own Black community was out to get me for being different. …

A Tale of Two Flags: A Letter to Queer Kids Growing Up in the South

Posted on August 26, 2021

A photo of queer kids Christian necklace.

On a recent drive through a rural community in the South, I stopped for a bite to eat at a local restaurant. A few months ago, I started an online business making rainbow crosses and other queer, Christian, and ChristoPagan items on Etsy. I try to wear the cross I made for myself as much as I can, and the exchanges I have had because of it have been deeply moving.…

Sax Hacks with Jax: Why I Made a Video Series on Chronic Pain and Sexuality

Posted on August 13, 2021

A photo of Sax Hacks with Jax, a video series on chronic pain and sexuality.

Ten years ago, when I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia as a high-school senior, Instagram wasn’t a thing. Facebook was all the rage, YouTube the feature of most teenage hangouts. I searched these platforms and others, desperately looking for virtual community forums of other people living with chronic pain—only to find the occasional group of middle-aged women, usually Anglo-Christian, living in the suburbs. I went to one of their meetups, over an hour drive from my parents’ house. As I lay…

PhotoMania: The Barbara Levine and Paige Ramey Photography Collection is a Glimpse into our Shared Queer History

Posted on July 9, 2021

A photo of one of the works in the Barbara Levine and Paige Ramey Photography Collection.

While fine art museums have long slept on vernacular, or “found,” photography, Houston and San Miguel de Allende–based artists and collectors Barbara Levine and Paige Ramey have not. The couple has spent over 30 years sifting through junk shops, flea markets, and online stores to build a vernacular photography collection they lovingly call “PhotoMania.” The collection comprises over 5,000 photographic objects—from postcards, to family portraits, to photographic sculpture and altered photographs. “Barb and I, when we travel, anywhere we go…

‘They’: A Poetic Ode to Non-Binary Identity

Posted on June 1, 2021

They By Sojourner They lives in the nucleus of my cells, it rarely boils to the surface of my flesh. Most days it’s not ready to face the eyes of others. They is not interested in what my appearance is read as by external forces, it carries no regard for social morays or stratification. They remembers and honors the child that often said “I want to be a boy,” while equally loving femme aesthetics because they knew no box could quantify…

Call Me By My Name: The Journey to Finding and Embracing My True Name

Posted on May 20, 2021

I found my name four years ago—across the world from where I was born, after years of looking and waiting. I was sitting at a friend’s family table with her mom and my dad. “What does J.B. stand for?” her mom asked. I explained how it stood for the initials of my last name, of which I had two at the time. My first name had never fit right. I recalled how I’d even gone through a phase as a…

Continuing the Conversation: Black Queer History Doesn’t End in February

Posted on March 11, 2021

Well, Black History Month is officially over. As someone in the Black community, the fact that our history is confined to the shortest month of the year is troublesome to say the least. The month is also shared with other holidays, like Valentine’s Day, that tend to dominate the conversation, putting Black History Month on the back burner. And when Black History is acknowledged, it's often focused on slavery, oppression, and campaigns featuring quotes from the most well-known Black historical…

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