I met Oliver less than 48 hours ago and had no plans of interviewing him. The second I learned about his incredible artistic talent, I knew I had to learn more about who he is and why he does what he does.

Stating himself as a “Painter of strong women”, artist Oliver Schäfer (he/him) of Essen, Germany is becoming increasingly known for his breathtaking ability of painting color-blossomed portraits of change-making women and girls from around the world. This includes the likes of Helen Caldicott, Michelle Obama, Sophie Scholl, Greta Thunberg, and a soon-to-be portrait of the late Justice Ruth…

Whether it’s “F**k Me” pasties, clitoris suckers, a genderqueer pride-themed butt plug, or a plethora of different types of harnesses, this shop is run by Queers, for Queers in more than one way. For specification purposes, I will be referring to this shop’s Etsy presence, how I personally found them, rather than their stand-alone route which is also a great option.

“DoubleDHarnesses” owner Dimarnae Deveau (alliteration at its finest) provides a wide range of products for sex, apparel, and just everyday Queer necessities. The latter coming forward in the form of gender confirmation products for our TGNCNB community members. …

If you have been paying attention to the last few election cycles, you’ll see that representation, candidate identity, is at the forefront of political focus. Not just for the sake of representation alone, but because of the policy that comes out of broader, more holistic governmental say that ultimately benefits all. Well, minus the billionaires, but that’s okay.

Jaslin Kaur (she/her) is currently running for Queens’ 23rd District in the New York City Council. The district specifically covers the areas of Bayside Hills, Bellerose, Douglaston, Floral Park, Fresh Meadows, Glen Oaks, Hollis, Hollis Hills, Holliswood, Little Neck, New Hyde Park…

Experiencing life through the eyes of a Queer Latinx woman, Natalie M. Esparza (she/her) is a life coach and motivational speaker based out of Marietta, Georgia. Adding to her repertoire of accomplishments, Natalie is set to become the author of her first book late this April.

With her work titled, “Spectacle: Discovering a Vibrant Life Through the Lens of Curiosity”, along with Esparza’s occupations, one may be inclined to stereotypically assume that this is just another self-help guide like the rest of them. That is not the case by any means.

Esparza takes an incredibly intuitive, yet easily comprehensible route…

Running for public office consists of a wide range of experiences, of many different connotations. That range only becomes wider when running for office in a city that is simultaneously infamous and revered for its political operations. The revering born from people-powered movements of everyday constituents who have had enough of the shame their infamous government has brought them for far too long. These same movements not only addressing important systemic issues, but producing representatives in themselves to truly make a government of, by, and for the people.

Brandon West (he/him), a bold progressive, is running to represent Brooklyn’s 39th…

I got my ears pierced recently for the first time ever. Just regular lobe piercings on each ear. Though initially just a basic aesthetic desire, when looking into the mirror right after they were pierced a wave of positive emotions came over me. I can only summarize these feelings as another moment of gender confirmation. For me, it was a little bit of Queer magic.

Gender euphoria is defined as, “A feeling of well-being arising from the affirmation of a person’s gender.” These are the moments of joy and contentment people experience when their true gender identity is validated and…

Personally, I’m a bottom-side. I love to bottom, but also like to have just as pleasurable nonpenetrative sex. Whether something is going in my butt or not, sex is sex, and one expression is not more or less “real” or valid than the other. Many apparently have their whole worlds shattered when they are told the bottom-side existence is not a dichotomy. They say, “Max, you can’t like anal sex, especially as a bottom, and also ‘not like’ anal sex.” to which I say in nicer words, “Maybe you should read a book.”

This wrongful stigmatization and inaccurate interpretations are…

Though at one point low functioning, I have lived most of my life with varying diagnosed levels of high-functioning depression. Anxiety and depression each run rampant on both sides of my family and I also identify as Queer. Maybe lower-case adjective queer as well, but that’s irrelevant. LGBTQ+ people statistically experience mental health issues at alarmingly high levels.

I’m also a suicide attempt survivor as well as a recovering, but I feel “recovered” alcoholic. Not to be morbid, because I’m absolutely in an above stable place, but it would be odd if I wasn’t experiencing depression. …