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.…
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.…
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. …
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.…
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 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…
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…
As contentious as the word “Latinx” is, it has emerged as the most commonly used gender-neutral word for “Latino” in the United States. From politics to pop culture, “Latinx” has been used in an effort to be more inclusive of transgender and non-binary people who are of Latin American descent. However, there is a similar word that is gaining traction in the U.S. that goes further to address gender bias in the Spanish language: Latine. …
By Jaxson Benjamin Author’s Note: This article space centers disabled sexuality because, for the most part, we are left out of the conversation. The narratives around disability and sexuality frequently regard us as partial, lacking in sexuality, or not whole people. Rewriting sexual scripts around disability means centering the lived experiences of people with disabilities. Does that mean that you if you don’t identify as disabled that you aren’t welcome here? You are very welcome, whether you live with a…
About a month ago, my godmother asked me a question: Jasmine, who are you? The first thought that came to my mind was, “Would you like to know who I truly am, or just who you want me to be?” The truth is that I am a Black, queer Millennial. And as someone who has grown up in the Millennial generation, I have worked hard to develop my own interpretations of who and what I am and to not define…
