On my dresser sits a small, gold and purple felt hat. I have no idea how old it is. It was a prized possession of my partner’s grandfather. Pinned to it are various accolades from the Lions Club of Barcelona, Venezuela—where my partner and his family are from. A perfect attendance pin from 1962, another from 1964, and so on.…
Marfa is a liminal space. It’s undeniable—the dusty roads, the streets that are somehow simultaneously vibrant and silent, and of course the infamous Marfa Mystery Lights. The small West Texas town exists on a plane that isn’t quite here nor there; a spot in the nether between Central Texas and the adobe settlements of New Mexico. If a film were to be made of the Welcome to Night Vale podcast and Marfa were chosen as the filming location, no one…
If you would have told me at the beginning of 2020, “Jas, all of your trips will be cancelled this year,” I would have never believed you. Me? I’m going on vacation no matter what. Well, COVID-19 had other plans. Now, “vacation” looks like traveling from the bedroom, to the kitchen, to the couch.…
Porn can be divisive—and, often, whether you view the erotic subject as good, bad, or neutral depends largely on the lens and framework of your gaze. On one side is the camp that sees almost all porn, as long as it's between consenting adults, as fun and fine. On the other side are the folks who equalize all types of porn and generalize them all as bad. This latter group is an interesting mix of liberal feminists, violence prevention advocates,…
Desmond Briggs has adored baking from the time he was a child growing up in Memphis, Tennessee. There he spent countless weekends baking with his grandmother in her kitchen, whipping up delicious desserts and absorbing her love for the hobby. Now, as the owner of the Houston-based bakery Suga In Your Tank, Briggs is fulfilling his baking dreams while positively impacting the daily lives of others. “It’s something that I am passionate about,” Briggs says. “I am so overwhelmed with…
When dating someone new, I always tell them that I don’t “do” anger. I’ve had unwarranted anger wielded against me before and I know how lasting those marks can be. Anger is unpredictable, unfair, and terrifying. I can’t handle another person’s abuse, another relationship spent walking on eggshells and fearing rage.…
I’m standing in line to check out at my local grocery store. COVID-19 is breathing down my neck: as an entity, as a presence, as an atmosphere. Behind my homemade fabric face mask and my meticulously sanitized disposable gloves, I’m buying two weeks of groceries for my queer household. …
Growing up, we’re all fed the same fairytale ending: We’ll find our person, they’ll offer us love and devotion, they’ll complete us, and together, we’ll settle into a life of fulfillment. From story books, to romantic comedies, to the arc of almost every book, romantic partnering is presented as the ideal. Surprise, things aren’t that easy.…
I must disclaim that I am in no way a health and fitness professional, I am a city boy who likes to be out in the city and a gym bunny who enjoys the rush of a good workout. What ever am I doing during the lockdown, then? Let me lay out some workarounds that have been good to me, physically and mentally. Perhaps, if you’re looking to get your own endorphins flowing (whether you’re a gym regular or not),…
What a crazy time we find ourselves in. March has ended (finally!) and, in just a single month, the world has changed in ways we won’t fully realize for years and decades to come. Lives have been forever altered, destroyed, or lost completely. And now the ways in which we interact with one another, the best practices in every sector, the systems that are supposed to be there when we needed a safety net, and the planet we live on…
