When I first started writing for Autostraddle back in 2009 I still worked full-time doing something that wasn’t putting words on the internet. I met Riese at a Halloween party at Robin and Carly’s place in midtown that I went to with Kip. Back then I still thought I was going to go into something related to clinical psychology (that was the plan!) so I was working doing clinical neuropsych research in a hospital in Manhattan, gchatting with Riese and everyone else most of the day at work. I’d be like hey, hold on a sec I have a patient and go like literally put a lab coat on and draw someone’s blood… then come back to my desk and draw some weird cartoon about fisting or write something for Technostraddle (RIP). I honestly don’t remember why I told Riese I would launch a tech vertical for Autostraddle when we were drunk at that party, but it accidentally changed the course of my career! Also I made a lot of really weird friends and now we all see each other at our annual mid/quarterlife proto-retirement gathering, A-Camp.

—Taylor Hatmaker

most popular posts

1. Top Ten Best Lesbian Movies: Queer Girl Movies That Don’t Suck, by The Team
   
2. Top 10 Lesbian Fashion and Style Icons, by Riese and Alex
   
3. Maine and Washington Gay Marriage Election Day “Live-Blog”!, by Riese
   
4. Top Ten Queer Girl Movies That Don’t Suck: Top Ten Lesbian Movies Part 2, by The Team
   
5. The Top 10 (Okay, Top 15) L Word Sex Scenes of All Time, by Riese
   
6. Boyshorts 101: Your Complete Guide to Successful Underpants, by The Team
   
7. Lady Gaga and Adam Lambert on American Music Awards: Performance Art and Dirty Talk, by Riese
   
8. The Sweet Cruise Live-Blogged by Alex and Riese For Autostraddle, by Alex and Riese
   
9. A Shot at Tila Tequila: The Autostraddle Interview, by Lola
   
10. Reviewing Tegan and Sara: Sainthood Track-by-Track, by Emily

To Marie [Riese]: you are a visionary and a writer’s writer and oh so kind, and curious and smart – she’s always paying attention, isn’t she? – and all the beautiful people that were there at the beginning and continue to be apart of Autostraddle: you did it! I am soooooo honored to have been a little part of the beginning, to have contributed to this amazing space, and I support it with all my heart. Happy Birthday! Here’s to another 10!

Natalie Raaber

this year we did a lot of…

• Interviews / Photoshoots by Robin Roemer
  
• “Girl Galleries”
  
• Prop 8 coverage

awards

• Sisters Talk Radio Best Lesbian Website
  
• Golden Kitty Award for Best Lesbian Website (from Lesbian Lounge)
  
• Lezzy Award for Best New Blog
  
• Mashable Open Web Awards: Best Online Magazine

most prolific writers

1. Riese Bernard
   
2. Carly Usdin
   
3. Alex Vega
   
4. Emily Choo
   
5. Crystal Silvester
   
6. Laneia Jones
   
7. Robin Roemer
   
8. Jess Rothschild
   
9. Sarah Palmer
   
10. Stef Schwartz / Taylor Hatmaker (tie)

tv

• The L Word
  
• Glee
  
• Skins (UK)
  
• Gimme Sugar

pop culture

• Lindsay Lohan and Samantha Ronson break up
  
• Lady Gaga bisexual rises to fame
  
• Adam Lambert becomes a thing on American Idol
  
• Rosie O’Donnell and Kelli Carpenter break up

movies

• Jennifer’s Body
  
• The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (Swedish version)
  
• Whip It

politics

• Ballot amendments/propositions outlawing same-sex marriage fail in Washington, pass in Maine
  
• NOM / Gathering Storm
  
• October 2009 Equality March in Washington DC
  
• Iowa, New Hampshire and Vermont legalize same sex marriage
  
• Obama opens for Lady Gaga at the annual HRC Gala
• Houston elects a lesbian mayor

I think Rodeo Disco, Autostraddle’s first Pride situation, is my fondest memory. The whole weekend, actually. The Intern Army crammed sardine-style into one hotel room (and one cab, once, which horrified the driver!) Meeting everyone in person for the first time, but feeling like we already knew each other. For me it was my first accepting queer community, and I was a new baby queer, even then in my late 20s.

Elli Bradshaw

the sarahs we met along the way

1. Sarah Palmer
2. Sara Medd
   
3. Sarah Croce
   
4. Sarah Hall
   
5. Sarah Fonseca
   
6. Sarah Kasulke
   
7. Sarah Hansen
8. Sarah David
9. Sarah Dufrau
   
10. Sarah Sarwar

I met Riese because I commented on her blog in 2007. I was living in Orlando and had just gotten fired from my job and was going through a breakup and was about to move to NYC and thought we could be pals.

I had no idea we’d become such good friends and had no idea we’d try to create a TV show together and had no idea I’d get to be a part of the Autostraddle founding team in 2009 and had no idea we’d still be in each other’s lives in 2019.

When the site launched I was writing TV recaps. Eventually I had to leave but I was always part of the family, getting to contribute to occasional roundtables and then getting to be a part of A-Camp. Autostraddle has been a huge champion of my work and has supported all of my comic books and films and allows me to be a DJ once a year and I can never properly express my gratitude for that.

Because of Autostraddle and A-Camp I’ve met some of my favorite people and made some incredible memories. I am so, so proud of what Riese has created and what we’ve all gotten to be a part of. This is such a special community and it will be a part of my life forever.

Carly Usdin

Although Dinah Shore is decidedly one of the worst things lesbians have ever created, it is also the source of some of my best AS memories. There’s nothing better than having Autostraddle in the real world, particularly when Laneia agrees to drive with you from Phoenix to Palm Springs, towing a large inflatable pool shark in the back of a convertible. (That was in 2010.) I’d forgotten about that time Riese met Jennifer Coolidge at the White Party, but I found some photo evidence while digging through old files for this yearbook. So I guess that happened! I am still glad that y’all decided to do A-Camp instead of ever returning to Dinah, though.

More than anything else, I loved being a part of early Autostraddle and getting the chance to build a platform where queers and weirdos can express themselves and create our own culture. I’ll always be thankful to Riese for letting me play a part in AS’s journey!

—Sarah Palmer

most popular posts

1. Ten Hot Movie Sex Scenes for Lesbosexy Sunday, by Riese
   
2. Why Taylor Swift Offends Little Monsters, Feminists, and Weirdos, by Riese
   
3. Hey Lesbians, Did You Take a Girl to the Dance/Prom? We Want Your Photos! (Now, WITH GALLERY!), by Riese
   
4. How to Cut Up Your T-Shirt, DIY Style, by Laura
   
5. Rosie O’Donnell on Howard Stern (FULL AUDIO): ‘Hitachi Magic Wand Could Numb Vital Organs.’, by Jess
   
6. Kristin Chenoweth Stands Up for Gay Actors, Calls Out Homophobic Newsweek Article, by Sarah Palmer
   
7. The HTC Evo 4G vs. the iPhone 4G: The Next Generation, by Taylor
   
8. Jillian Michaels: First Lady to Ever Come Out (Bisexual) in “Ladies Home Journal”, by Riese
   
9. Romi Tells Us What It’s Like to Be in Real L Word’s Lesbian Strap-On Sex Scene, by Jess
   
10. Lady Gaga’s “Telephone” Video: Even Gayer Than Actual Dance Clubs, by Alex

I remember hanging out and dancing with so many readers and team members at Pride in NYC the summer of 2010! I’m pretty sure there was even mechanical bull riding. I remember my girlfriend at the time thinking it took me way too long to write about circle scarves. She was totally right. I remember the many awesome e-mails back and forth where we would say ‘hello your hair looks amazing today’ before proposing our article ideas, not to mention getting to ask all of those cute girls to participate in the “I’ll Have What She’s Wearing” segment (Hi Ericka!).

Most importantly, I remember feeling like I was a part of something real. It was real, and it was big, and it mattered, because it mattered to us, and we mattered. Actually scratch that. The most important part was feeling cool. So Cool you guys!! ALL OF YOU GUYS. Thank you <3

Becky Fonticoba

this year we did a lot of…

• Real L Word Content
  
• Obituaries for suicide victims
  
• Actress interviews by Jess Rothschild

awards

• Go Magazine 100 Women We Love: Riese // Julie & Brandy In Your Box Office

most prolific writers

1. Riese Bernard
   
2. Rachel Kincaid
   
3. Jess Rothschild
   
4. Sarah Palmer
   
5. Laneia Jones
   
6. Taylor Hatmaker
   
7. Laura Wooley
   
8. Crystal Silvester
   
9. Emily Choo
   
10. Alex Vega

tv

• Pretty Little Liars
  
• The Real L Word
  
• Glee
  
• Lip Service
  
• The Good Wife

pop culture

• Kristin Chenoweth stands up against Newsweek reporter who said gays shouldn’t play straight characters
  
• Portia DeRossi releases her memoir “Unbearable Lightness”

movies

• The Runaways
  
• Black Swan
  
• The Kids Are All Right
  
• And Then Came Lola
  
• Four-Faced Liar
  
• Room in Rome
  
• 8: The Mormon Proposition

politics

• Teen suicide epidemic seizes the conversation
• It Gets Better campaign launches
• Perez Hilton decides to change his life because of what Riese wrote about him tbh

what we talk about when we talk about formulaic titles

• What We Talk About When We Talk About Healthcare: The Autostraddle Roundtable
• NSFW Sunday Special: What We Don’t Talk About When We Talk About Lesbian Sex
• Call For Submissions: What We Talk About When We Talk About ART
• High Femme: What We Talk About When We Talk About Weed
• 21 Things We Talk About When We Talk About Marilyn Manson
• What We Talk About When We Talk About Flogging
• What We Comment About When We Comment About Commenting
  
• What We’re Gonna Talk About When We Talk About Hillary Clinton
  
• What We Talk About When We Talk About Virtual Reality
• Rebel Girls: What We’re Talking About When We Talk About Intersectionality
  

When I think about the one single moment that fully encompasses my love for, and belief in this website and the people who run it, it’s this:

We were in Riese’s Harlem apartment. “We”, I’m pretty sure, was me and the editors of the time: definitely Riese and Laneia, probably Sarah Palmer, too. Alex was maybe there, or maybe en route, or maybe she’d just left. It was June 2010.

I recall walking into Riese’s bedroom to discover that everyone was mad. [Other website] had just unveiled a new-look daily news column which had taken on the same format and schedule and everything of Autostraddle’s news column. It wasn’t the first time something we were doing was either ripped or coincidentally started later by somebody else, but they were well-established and funded and we were too small and too broke for anyone to accept it as flattery.

My stance was fuck ‘em, it was our thing, we should keep doing it. But Riese was adamant that we needed to change, so we did. Her instinct was right, per usual, because the next iteration of how we delivered news content was totally different and better than ever. That’s what Autostraddle does, and why it’s survived when others have not. It fights and perseveres through innovation and critical thought. I believe in Riese’s vision and talent more than I believe in most things, always have, and in Laneia’s creativity, and in the brilliance of every editor who has led us here. I’m just so proud of them all.

Crystal Silvester

most popular posts

1. It’s Not Britney, Bitch, by Riese
   
2. The Official 2011 Autostraddle Hot 100, by Riese and Grace
   
3. How to Have Lesbian Sex Tips From NSFW Sunday, by Riese
   
4. The Lesbian Insider’s Guide to 40 LGBT-Friendly College Campuses, by Riese and Team
   
5. Photographs: New York City The Night We Won Same Sex Marriage, by Robin
   
6. Jessie J Did It Like a Dude And Most Dykes Liked It, by Riese
   
7. How to Have Lesbian Sex for the First Time: NSFW Sunday Special, by Riese and Laneia
   
8. The Real L Word Recap: Episode 201 – Fresh Start Body Parts, by Riese
   
9. Andrej Pejic, “The Prettiest Boy in the World,” Models Through It, by Riese
   
10. 100 Ridiculously Hot Lesbian and Bisexual Women (The “Femmy” Edition), by Riese

2011 was hard. Our traffic was exploding — but so was the website itself (as in; it broke frequently) and we were barely making enough money to barely support me and Laneia, let alone anybody else. Alex had just moved to L.A. and I’d just moved to Oakland and we hadn’t yet figured out how to work well long-distance, and with Alex working another full-time job. Laneia and I went through our first (and last, hopefully!) major fight as best friends, which threw things off for a few months. At Dinah Shore, I passed out for TBD reasons and the $8k ER bill landed in my mailbox the same day I did my income taxes and realized the Autostraddle project could continue no longer.

So we asked for help — and we got it! We raised some funds and also got ourselves a management consultant who basically gave me and Laneia business couples counseling every day for several months. We learned how to manage people and organize our workload. I wrote 461 posts in 2011. FOUR HUNDRED AND SIXTY ONE. As you can imagine, there wasn’t room for much else.

Riese Bernard

this year we did a lot of…

• Epic Get Bakeds
  
• Real L Word, Glee, PLL and Skins Content
  
• Kittens
  
• Scammers Coverage (e.g., Gay Girl in Damascus, the editor of LezGetReal turning out to be a man)
  
• Trans 101
  
• Fashion/Beauty Roundup posts

awards

• Finalist in First Annual Curve Lesbian Awards for Best Blogger (Riese) // Best Webseries (Julie & Brandy in Your Box Office) // Best Website (Autostraddle)
  
• Go Magazine Women We Love 2011 (Riese)

most prolific writers

1. Riese Bernard
   
2. Rachel Kincaid
   
3. Carolyn Yates
   
4. Jess Rothschild
   
5. Carmen Rios
   
6. Laura Wooley
   
7. Lizz Rubin
   
8. Laneia Jones
   
9. Crystal Silvester
   
10. Brittani Nichols

tv

• Glee
  
• Pretty Little Liars
  
• True Blood
  
• The Real L Word
  
• Coronation Street
  
• Grey’s Anatomy
  
• Degrassi
  
• Skins

pop culture

• Evan Rachel Wood comes out as bisexual
  
• Grey’s Anatomy throws a lesbian wedding for Callie & Arizona
  
• Angel Haze enters our universe
  
• The last Harry Potter movie hits theaters
  
• “Bridesmaids” is heralded as our only hope for female-fronted film (which was AHEM ahistorical and incorrect)
  
• Holly Miranda + Kate Moennig, sitting in a tree
  
• Lesbians compete in beauty pageants
  
• Jessie J releases her “Do It Like a Dude” video
  
• Hannah Hart‘s “My Drunk Kitchen” debuts
  
• “Gay Teens on TV” grace the cover of Entertainment Weekly
  
• Santana comes out as a lesbian on GLEE

movies

• Pariah
  
• Kiss Me / Kyss Mig
  
• Circumstance
  
• Glee: The 3D Concert Movie
  
• The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

politics

• Don’t Ask Don’t Tell repeal enacted
  
• Marriage equality in New York
  
• California passes SB-48, a law requiring gay history taught in schools
  
• Obama declares they won’t defend DOMA in court
  
• Brandon McInerney goes on trial for shooting Larry King

I’m so lucky to have been part of this community since the beginning. I met Riese before Autostraddle’s launch through my wife Carly, who was my very new girlfriend at the time. We were all in our mid-20s and had no fucking clue. We would hang out in a weird apartment in Trump Tower of all places, sitting around a large table with a pole running through the middle and talk about what this website would look like, what it would do and who it would serve. We threw pride parties and got drunk doing L Word recaps. In the beginning, I wrote a few articles and did photoshoots with folks like Kate McKinnon.

Early on I co-created (shout out to my stylist partner Sara Medd) a project called The Calendar Girls, which was a yearly photo/video project where we highlighted queer women each month. Most of these took place over a REALLY fun weekend in CA and queers would come in from all over the country to participate. My dream is to relaunch this project and make it more inclusive and get it funded!

Thank you to Riese, Laneia and all of the editors and writers and camp staff and designers and illustrators who have dedicated so much time and talent to building this incredible place!

Robin Roemer

Riese: i feel like i’ve been pretty calm about the website being broken
so far
Laneia: you have, yes
Riese: sometimes i feel like
we’re doing something wrong
like there’s something we do that other people don’t do that is the cause of all our problems
what is that thing
Laneia: i also feel this way
Riese: i think it might be that our business is growing
a lot, getting bigger and more complicated
but because of the nature of the industry
our income is not growing at that same pace
but our business is growing so fast!
Laneia: but our growth isn’t monetary
Riese: right
it’s weird that a business can grow without making more money
Laneia: like the internet isn’t set up for this
Riese: when will this feeling stop laneia
Laneia: camp
it will stop with camp
Riese: ok

—gchat, 2011

I was an Autostraddle Moderator / Community Manager from 2011-2016ish. It was a dream job and I felt unbelievably lucky to attend a bunch of A-Camps and get to know the staff and ‘straddlers pretty well. I have loads of Autostraddle memories but the one I’ll tell my queer grandchildren about is how I was there when the legendary “Klub Deer” was born.

To be honest, Klub Deer really only happened because karaoke night failed and somehow it turned dance party (credit to Cee’s portable speakers and a poppy playlist on the nearest phone). But it was definitely an “If you build it, the lesbians will come” scenario. In the nights that followed, campers lined up outside Deer Lodge to join the party. I don’t know whether it was the highly technical headlamp strobe lights, the handwritten event flyers, or the “bouncers” who asked campers to show them photos of their pet cats before entering, but we were onto something! The fact that we called it “Klub Deer” was always so funny to me. Of course it wasn’t a club, it was small rec lodge in the middle of the mountains. And yet it wasn’t. It was a queer zine come to life, the inclusive gay homecoming dance of your dreams and absolutely the most fun underground party in California for a few magical nights a year.

—Carrie Cuy

most popular posts

1. The Autostraddle Hot 100 2012: The Hottest Queerest Women in All The Land, assembled by Riese and Intern Grace
   
2. Epic Gallery: 150 Years of Lesbians And Other Lady-Loving Ladies, by Riese
   
3. Jillian Michaels and Heidi Rhoades Become Two Mommies With Two Kiddies, by Riese
   
4. 50 Adorable Lesbian Couples Having Adorable Lesbian Weddings, by Carolyn
   
5. Texting Your Ex-Girlfriend In Five Easy Steps, by Lizz
   
6. 50 Queer Women With Outrageously Good Hair, assembled by Lizz and Riese
   
7. 15 Ways to Spot a Lesbian, According To Some Really Old Medical Journals, by Riese/Tinkerbell
   
8. The 21 Most Lesbianish Cities in the US: The Autostraddle Guide, by Riese
   
9. The Real L Word’s Nikki and Jill: The Autostraddle Interview, by Jess
   
10. My Little Pony: Lesbianism is Magic, by Rose

When I first began working for Autostraddle in 2012, a family member expressed concern that I was suddenly “on the radical fringe.” I scoffed but it turns out that person was right! Autostraddle radicalized me in pretty much all possible ways. Working there introduced me to brand new political and social ideas. It brought me into a group of friends more interesting and diverse than I’d ever had before. It convinced me that a mullet—itself a radical fringe, if you think about it—could work for me. Most of all, it taught me that a group of dedicated people can make something amazing and keep it alive. All of these lessons have energized me ever since. Long live Autostraddle and long live queers.

Cara Giaimo

this year we did a lot of…

• Herstory
  
• So Many Columns from our first solid Team of Writers
• Camp and fundraising-related content
• Fashion, especially suiting
• Queer Girl City Guides

awards

• 2012 Weblog Awards: Weblog of the Year // Best Group/Community Blog // Best Entertainment Blog
  
• Indiegogo’s Top 12 Creative Campaigns of 2012

most prolific writers

1. Riese Bernard
   
2. Rachel Kincaid
   
3. Carmen Rios
   
4. A.E. Osworth
   
5. Kristen Ford
   
6. Sarah Hansen
   
7. Gabrielle Korn
   
8. Carolyn Yates
   
9. Vanessa Friedman
   
10. Laneia Jones

tv

• Lip Service
  
• Bomb Girls
  
• Lost Girl
  
• American Horror Story
  

pop culture

• Kate McKinnon begins as a cast member on SNL
  
• The first Hunger Games movie hits theaters
• Macklemore releases the kinda-weird track “Same Love,” which samples Mary Lambert and puts marriage equality on the mainstream radio
• Emily m. Danforth releases revelatory YA novel “The Miseducation of Cameron Post“
• Whitney Houston dies
• Sally Ride dies
• Adrienne Rich dies

movies

• Mosquita y Mari
  
• Yes or No (Yak Rak Ko Rak Loei)
  
• Jack and Diane
  
• Farewell My Queen
  
• The Perks of Being a Wallflower
  
• United in Anger
  
• Pitch Perfect

politics

• Barack Obama becomes first president to publicly support same-sex marriage
  
• Barack Obama gets re-elected
• Maine, Maryland and Washington become the first U.S. states to legalize same-sex marriage by popular vote.
• Tammy Baldwin becomes the first openly gay woman elected to the Senate

I’ve been here for so long! I was here before we even existed! I was the Music Editor when we first launched. I quit for a couple of years because I was in the midst of a years-long sexual identity crisis and I wasn’t sure this was a place where I could really feel my specific queer community, but I’ve found it, helped build it, and have never once regretted returning. Every time we hold an A-Camp I am SHOCKED by how many people come to this weird world we built! Every time someone signs up for A+ I am blown away. I’m amazed any time someone I’m talking to has heard of Autostraddle, even though like, of course they have. We’ve come a long way.

There is nothing I do all year that’s more gratifying than A-Camp, or playing in the Family Band. It’s something that evolved so naturally, and I get to live out my dream of being the Donnas playing the prom at the end of the movie Jawbreaker.

Stef Schwartz

After getting to know the Autostraddle community mostly online, meeting so many members of the team for the first A-Camp in 2012 was a really incredible experience. Hanging out with Carmen Rios, feminist powerhouse extraordinaire, to organize an activism panel was basically the best. Another highlight was aggressively representing monogamous relationships on the lesbian sex panel. I wrote being a part of the Autostraddle online community and the first two A-Camps in a book chapter, “The Revolutionary Possibilities of Online Trans and Queer Communities” in 2016.

Working as a Contributing Editor as a part of the Autostraddle team gave me the courage to approach human rights activist, and founding member of the Furies Collective, Charlotte Bunch for an interview. Bunch’s activism continues to inspire me in the work I do today.

Jamie Hagen

I was a contributing editor for Autostraddle in 2012, which, lucky for me, was the year that people were creating Tumblrs dedicated to the simple lovely idea of butches doing things. Inspired by the legendary “Butches and Babies,” I created a list of my other favorites—butches baking, smiling, holding pets—alongside a staff-generated list of butch Tumblrs we wanted someone to make, which included truly brilliant things like “Butches Leaning On Things” and “Butches Driving.” We were doing really important work.

Gabrielle Korn

this is a way to title a post

• This Is a Period Playlist
• This Is a Canada Day Post
  
• This Is A Melissa Harris-Perry Appreciation Post
  
• This is a Kristen Stewart Jodie Foster Feelings Atrium Post
  
• This Is a Homoerotic Kristen Stewart Post
  
• This Is A Mister Rogers Post
  
• This Is A Rick Mercer Appreciation Post
  
• This Is A Bubbline Appreciation Post and Gallery
  
• Did You Ever Catch Them All? This Is a 90’s Pokémon Nostalgia-fest
  
• This Is a Dead Mom Essay
  

Early on in my Autostraddle days (I started in Spring 2012), I decided that Crystal was super cool and I wanted to be friends with her. If you’ve ever met Crystal, she is really REALLY shy and a tough nut to crack friendship-wise, so I decided that if we co-wrote music reviews together, that would surely make her want to be my friend. Looking back, I don’t know why I thought co-writing an article would cement our friendship? I really like music and reading music reviews, but do I know how to intelligently talk about music? NOPE. Autostraddle was a much more Wild West/Why Not?/Let’s Try It situation back then. Anyway, somehow I weaseled my way into co-writing a Kaki King review. But then we really did enjoy co-writing that and started reviewing music more. This led to our infamous Bad Review of Tegan and Sara’s Heartthrob (sorry, world!) but it also let me review Mal Blum early on, which is awesome! And, for the record, Crystal is my Actual Friend now and I read a poem at her wedding, so I regret nothing.

Also, thank goodness we stopped those reply-all staff emails.

Sarah Hansen

“I loved connecting with so many other dope interns – and seeing all the amazing things they’ve gone on to do!”
—Hannah Pingelton

“As an intern for Autostraddle, in 2012, I mostly just lurked the email chains, (poorly) edited pictures, and transcribed things. Just basking in the glow was enough for me.”
—Niamah Nash

I first started reading Autostraddle in 2012 for the political commentary, I’m not even kidding you. I was such a good straight ally! In 2013 I got my shit together, came out as bi, pitched a one-off article, and that turned into 130 articles, four A-Camps, some of my very best friends, finding out I am trans, occasional heartache, and a whole lot of joy over the last five years. Life is a highway!

All that to say, it’s hard to choose a single good memory. Is it the time I did Justin Bieber strip drag and made 300 of you scream? Is it the time I got to interview Mara Wilson or Danny Ortberg or some of my most admired bisexual elders? Is it still to come, when I get to share space with Roxane Gay at A-Camp 11? Is it those long-gone pre-Slack days of 150-email threads every day where we shared story ideas and the minutiae of our lives from across the country and world?

When I am an old genderqueer grandparent on a front porch looking out upon my goats, I am going to remember being part of Autostraddle as one of the greatest things I ever did. That is for damn sure. Love y’all <3

—Audrey White

most popular posts

1. How To Own It: The Queer Grrl’s Guide to the Galaxy, by Gabrielle Korn
   
2. 22 Kickass Queer Women Who Came Out in 2013, by Riese
   
3. Your Completely Queer Guide To Horoscope Hookups, by Kate Severance
   
4. The ALTERNATIVE Autostraddle Hot 105: Hotties You Will Like Who Also Like Girls, by Riese
   
5. How “Real” Is “Orange Is The New Black”? Comparing The Show To The Memoir To The Numbers, by Riese
   
6. You Need Help: Real Talk About Your First Strap-On, by A.E. Osworth
   
7. Fat-Booty Butch Wears Leggings — Confuses World, Confronts Self, by Gabby Rivera
   
8. Let’s All Write Open Letters To Miley Cyrus And Also Your Mom Forever And Ever, by Rachel and Riese
   
9. How To Have Lesbian Sex 102: Cunnilingus Edition, by A.E. Osworth
   
10. 14 Genuinely Awesome Times We Saw An Actress’s Boobs [NSFW], by Riese

I wrote Dear Queer Diary from 2013-2014 while teaching English at a boarding school. I lived in a tragically carpeted dorm with about 20 eighth and ninth graders, and I used to write my columns in between helping them write papers and reminding them to brush their teeth. Autostraddle was my secret identity and my first regular writing gig, and I’m still proud and grateful.

Maggie Cooper

this year we did a lot of…

• Orange is the New Black
  
• Dapper fashion
  
• Essays by trans women
• Epic lists
• Incredible guest posts to celebrate our redesign launch!

awards

• GLAAD Award Nomination: Outstanding Blog
  
• Alex on Refinery29’s “30 Under 30”
  
• Autostraddle on Refinery29’s 24 Best Websites for Women

most prolific writers

1. Riese Bernard
   
2. Carmen Rios
   
3. Vanessa Friedman
   
4. A.E. Osworth
   
5. Brittani Nichols
   
6. Carolyn Yates
   
7. Sarah Hansen
   
8. Lizz Rubin
   
9. Kristen Ford
   
10. Kate Severance

tv

• Orange is the New Black
  
• Wentworth
  
• The Fosters
  
• Orphan Black
  
• Bomb Girls

pop culture

• Raven-Symone and AZMarie are real cute
  
• Samira Wiley is just so very much on our radar
  
• Charice comes out
  
• Jodie Foster comes out
  
• Bustle premieres and we all get really upset about it

movies

• Blue is the Warmest Color
  
• Valencia
  
• Breaking the Girls
  
• Concussion
  
• Who’s Afraid of Vagina Wolf?
  
• Reaching For The Moon
  
• She Wants Me
  
• Dallas Buyers Club

politics

• U.S. Supreme court rules Section 3 of DOMA unconstitutional
  
• California, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Delaware, Minnesota, Hawaii, Illinois and New Mexico join the same-sex marriage bandwagon

Working for Autostraddle (2013-2015ish) was always a delight. I loved writing the site’s first marijuana column, High Femme (with a beautiful illustration by the lovely Rory Midhani), and and being an A-Camp counselor for Camp 5.0. with Carolyn (Bloody Valentines!).

Some of my best memories include giggling with Carmen Rios and Rory Midhani, hosting the Buffy Once More With Feeling Singalong, and getting high as a kite and reading tarot cards. Also, to all my fellow bisexuals, yes you ARE queer enough!

This community is truly special, and I feel lucky to have been a part of its growth and legacy. Here’s to decades more of AS, until technology advances enough for it to be beamed directly into our brains/souls.

Chelsea Steiner

most underrated columns OF ALL TIME

• Almost Famous
• Wilder Hungers
• More Than Words
• Rhymes With Witches
• Hard Lacquer
• Ode to My Pantry
• Vintage Vapid Fluff
• Taco Tuesday
• Mama Outsider

It’s crazy to think how much time has passed since I first wrote for AS back in 2013. At the time I was still in college in Tallahassee, FL counting down the days until graduation with no idea of what I was going to do afterwards and still trying to make Betty Page bangs work. And here I am now, in Athens, GA with a community of lifelong friends, a job I love and a really nice hairdresser. Haha!
Even though I don’t cut my own hair anymore, I definitely still daydream about hanging out with Taylor Swift.
I always had such a fun time writing for AS. I felt comfortable writing about all the dorky things I was into and knowing that there would be a friendly community who would connect with it. Thank ya’ll for including me in the AS family, I would not have been able to survive my early twenties without it.

Nina Guzman

I wrote for Autostraddle between 2012-2014 right after I moved to Montreal. I remember starting each morning with a daily link email, which quickly exploded as other writers woke up and fired off rapid replies full of political insight and witty commentary. Those 50+ reply email threads and writing days were hectic, but I remember feeling like I was part of a movement.

—Kristen Ford

I started working for autostraddle as an Intern in 2012. Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined what an impact it would end up having on my life. In 2014, I was tasked with the unique opportunity to be the bee keeper of both the A-Camp Bee and the A+ Bee, where I got to work directly with our readers and our staff to create weird and wonderful newspapers with Grace. I will always cherish my time at Autostraddle and think fondly of all the hilarious and heartwarming messages that would grace my Gmail inbox every day during my time there. What other job would have you working with Brittani on a Dear Sour column for the Bee and adding an article about anal sex to WordPress all in a day’s work?

—Chelsey Petty

most popular posts

1. 25 Pictures Of Lesbian Sex According To Stock Photography, by Riese
   
2. And Now, Every Character From “Orange Is The New Black” As They Appear On “Law And Order,” by Stef
   
3. Flawless Trans Women Carmen Carrera and Laverne Cox Respond Flawlessly To Katie Couric’s Invasive Questions, by Mey
   
4. BREAKING: Michelle Rodriguez and Cara Delevingne Confirm Relationship, Are Probs Scissoring As We Speak, by Riese
   
5. Lesbian Films You Might Have Missed in 2013, by Kate
   
6. 9 Totally Normal And Not Gross Things That Happen During Sex We Promise It’s Normal, by Carolyn
   
7. Ellen Page Is Gay: Ellen Page Comes Out, Makes Best Valentine’s Day Ever, by Riese
   
8. Before You Know It Something’s Over, by Riese
   
9. 100 LGBTQ Black Women You Should Know: The Epic Black History Month Megapost, by Riese
   
10. Nicki Minaj’s Feminism Isn’t About Your Comfort Zone: On “Anaconda” and Respectability Politics, by Carmen

My very favorite thing I got asked to do as an intern was photoshop the L Word characters into an IKEA shopping scene. In fact, this may be my favorite thing I was asked to do at any job.

Liz Settoducato

this year we did a lot of…

• “[x] is problematic” / callout posts (which we soon decided we wanted to stop doing forever)
  
• Black Lives Matter coverage
  
• Transparent content
  
• Interviews with Ex-Girlfriends

awards

• GLAAD Award Nomination: Outstanding Blog

most prolific writers

1. Riese Bernard
   
2. Carmen Rios
   
3. Mey Rude
   
4. Carolyn Yates
   
5. A.E. Osworth
   
6. Brittani Nichols
   
7. Rachel Kincaid
   
8. Maddie Taterka
   
9. Audrey White
   
10. Stef Schwartz

tv

• Faking It
  
• Transparent
  
• Glee

pop culture

• Lumberjanes debuts
  
• Ellen Page comes out
• Samira Wiley and Lauren Morelli are cute
• Angel Haze and Ireland Baldwin are also cute
• Leslie Feinberg dies
• Stormé DeLarveri dies

movies

• Appropriate Behavior
  
• Boy Meets Girl
  
• Life Partners
  
• Pride
  
• Camp Takota
  
• Lizzie Borden Took An Axe
  
• BFFs
  
• The L Word Mississippi: Hate The Sin
  
• Dear White People

politics

• Obama expands federal non-discrimination employment laws to include gender identity

Look, I have so many great memories of Autostraddle, yet the one I want to tell now is really random and definitely not like the best memory but it’s still something I think about, apparently. It’s 2014 and I’m at my first ever Shakedown, Autostraddle’s yearly senior editor retreat. At the time, it was me, Rachel, Laneia, Riese, Alex and Grace up in a cabin on a mountain for a week where we launched A+ and I think recorded a podcast that was probably never published?? We definitely launched A+ which was not met with the enthusiasm and support we had hoped for but that’s a whole different story!

On one of those days, I think we were taking a break from work and Riese, Rachel and I were sitting on the couch in the downstairs living room and I’m not sure where everyone else was at this point. I think I was on Twitter and I saw that everyone was talking about John Legend’s new music video for “You and I” featuring Laverne Cox and Tig Notaro. I think I asked Riese and Rachel if they had watched it and then they were like no so we proceeded to watch it on my laptop. The music video is a bunch of individual frames of women and girls intimately looking at the camera as if they were looking at a mirror at themselves. It’s almost too hard to hold their gaze because it feels like you’re intruding in on such a private moment, gaining glimpses of how they view themselves in the world. Women and girls go about their days, getting dressed, working out, going to school. Some women are laughing and smiling and some are crying. At the end of the video, Rachel and I had shed a few tears and felt really emotional about the video. Riese, however, was so perplexed that we were crying and did not shed not one tear. And that’s it, that’s the memory I wanted to share! In Riese’s defense, I recently watched the video and I did not feel the same emotional pull that it had in 2014 so I think Riese is just way ahead of her time.

Yvonne Marquez

My favorite article I wrote for AS was a response to the finale of the Legend of Korra. I remember watching it that night (Dec 19, 2014), and freaking out when Korra and Asami walked into the spirit portal together, and immediately emailing the AS folks to see if I could write about it. It was the fastest turnaround I ever did.

SJ Sindu

“I really loved being part of the Autostraddle team, but one moment in particular stands out for me. When I was facing a horrible and sudden personal tragedy in 2014, a bunch of the team sat up with me, chatted with me, and kept me calm. It’s not the happiest memory, but it meant the world to me.”

—Mari Brighe

“Loved the big gay brunch at Pican (RIP) in Downtown Oakland!”

—July Westhale

In 2014, someone plagiarised a personal essay I’d written for Autostraddle. They changed the photos to make it more salacious (yes, *salacious*) and laid out my connection to the Overlords, a conservative organisation that I was beholden to. The plagiarised version went semi-viral in some of the the worst corners of the internet back home at a time when tensions about LGBTQ rights were at a peak. I e-mailed the Senior Editors, title: “Hi I am in a bit of trouble”. That turned out to be an understatement.

This episode essentially ended my time at Autostraddle, so y’know, it’s not a *good* good memory. But the folks here helped get me through it. The Senior Eds were on top of the situation from day 1, taking the plagiarists to task. I don’t think my fellow writers were 100% aware of what was going on but the staff channel was a lifeline nonetheless — knowing that some very excellent people were living their best and bravest queer lives even as it felt like mine was collapsing in around me. I moved to New York later that year, and while I could no longer be a regular contributor online, my Autostraddle community materialised irl in homemade pizza and bad lesbian movie nights and spoken word open mics. I would not do it again (esp not the spoken word), but I would also not have given up any of this for the world.

So my brief time as an Internet Gay(tm) taught me that sometimes when you spill your heart out onto the internet, some fucknuggets will stab it onto the end of the pitchfork and try to burn down your door. But so many more, especially those here, will carry it with them in their own. Part of my heart still lives here, and I’m glad for it.

Fikri Alkhatib

In 2015 Fikri decided to go visit Audrey where they were living in Nicaragua, and I decided very spontaneously that I would go too. I had never met either of them IRL at that point, and so it was a real gamble that we would all get along outside of gchat and slack?? The answer, it turned out, was yes. We had a whirlwind trip filled with hikes and goats and gay shit. Since then, Fikri and I have been to the top of the Empire State Building in the middle of the night, and Audrey and I are going to be in each other’s weddings! It’s the friends we made along the way amirite?

—Maddie Taterka

most popular posts

1. The 100 Best Lesbian Movies of All Time, by Heather and Riese
   
2. 12 Women They Didn’t Tell You Were Queer In History Class, by Riese
   
3. Saturday Morning Cartoons: Baopu #15, by Yao
   
4. This Is How Fox News Brainwashes Its Viewers: Our In-Depth Investigation Of The Propaganda Cycle, by Heather
   
5. Lesbian Prom Gallery: Heartwarming Photos Of Girls Taking Girls to Prom, 1985-2015, by Riese
   
6. 22 Hilarious Excerpts From Scathing Reviews Of “Stonewall,” by Riese
   
7. How To Be A Girl Who Dates Girls: Your Syllabus for Lesbian Dating 101, by Riese
   
8. 10 Theories About How Lesbians Have Sex From Straight People In History, by Carolyn
   
9. 11 Lesbian Couples Who Don’t Mind The (Age) Gap, by Riese
   
10. 41 Feelings You Had About Scissoring, by Riese

I was a new-ish writer. I was a brand new camper and a first-time camp staffer. I’d never met anyone from the team IRL. I was 32 and felt like maybe I’d be too…old? I felt like I was joining a queer frat or…a cult…and I was the new initiate. Once I got there, though, I felt right at home, not just with these folks who’ve become fam, but like, in my body. I’ve never felt so free to completely be myself. There’s something about 100% queer-normative space and not having to interact with straight people for whole days at a time that just releases you. (A-Camp is a kind of cult, though, just to be clear. I was right about that!)

KaeLyn Rich

this year we did a lot of…

• Lesbian Sex Survey posts
  
• Queer Mamas
  
• Crop tops
  
• Lesbian Fighting Survey posts
  
• Witches
  
• Queer Adults Survey posts
• Midwestern Appreciation posts
• Gal Pals

awards

• GLAAD Award Win: Outstanding Blog
  
• Plain English Award (Heather Hogan for This Is How Fox News Brianwashes Its Viewers)

most prolific writers

1. Riese Bernard
   
2. Heather Hogan
   
3. Carmen Rios
   
4. Carolyn Yates
   
5. Mey Rude
   
6. Laneia Jones
   
7. Rachel Kincaid
   
8. Stef Schwartz
   
9. Yvonne Marquez
   
10. A.E. Osworth

tv

pop culture

• Holland Taylor and Sarah Paulson become a thing
  
• Miley Cyrus comes out
• Kristen Stewart and Alicia Cargile enrapture us all
• Fun Home brings butch lesbians to Broadway
• Leslie Gore dies

movies

politics

• Same-sex marriage legalized nationwide

When I first started writing here in 2014, right off the bat we were asked to film ourselves lip-syncing to “Because You Loved Me” and “Crazy in Love” for two A+ team videos. I was, truly, like WTF have I gotten my queer ass into?! Not that I don’t love delivering a good lipsync performance in the bathroom mirror, but the prospect of doing a filmed lipsync for, like, THE WORLD was MUCH TERRIFYING. I kept procrastinating on it and Riese was so encouraging about it. Then I did, in fact, film myself and had a good silly time and another writer’s wife said they had a crush on me from that video and my eyeliner really looked perfect and, like, I ended up feeling really good about it! Still hella’ embarrassed, but also like…hot.

KaeLyn Rich

I first joined AS as a lowly baby intern while I was living with another AS writer, Audrey White, having a pseudo life breakdown in Nicaragua! I was so excited to get the news I was accepted!! Since then I’ve photoshopped some amazing things, my favorite being Kristin Stewart partying on a beach with a bunch of queers when she came out. A true masterpiece of mine, tbh.

Since then, I’ve been able to almost become a real writer, even a staff writer! I wrote pieces I’m super proud of about capitalism and speculum design. When I joined I was basically a graphics intern, and while I always wanted to be a writer, I never thought I could, especially while also trying to figure out my career. The senior editors saw more in me, and I’m so grateful to them even as I’ve struggled to write. I’m especially grateful to Rachel for taking the time to talk me through the piece on Yona’s speculum design — something I thought was dead in the water — which came out to be one of the pieces of journalism I’m most proud of.

Happy birthday, Autostraddle, thank you for giving me a chance and believing in me when I didn’t!

Raquel Breternitz

our titles, ourselves

• Our Willow, Ourselves
• Our Hands, Ourselves: A Deeply Unscientific Investigation of Identity
• Our Bowies, Ourselves
• A+ Roundtable: Our Tops, Our Bottoms, Our Switches, Ourselves

If I had to pick my favorite thing about working here over the last decade, I’d really have to say it’s how fucking gay Kristen Stewart has become and how busy she keeps me. I am ever grateful for her pivot to Shane. I owe her my livelihood. The day Alicia Cargile held her shoes on the red carpet at Cannes was a day I will never forget.

Stef Schwartz

Remember that time I essentially live-blogged the deterioration of my longest and most fulfilling relationship right here on Autostraddle dot com? I sure do because it’s all still happening right here right now as part of my For Your Consideration series!!!! In all seriousness, I am so appreciative of Autostraddle because it feels like one of the only spaces where it would even be possible for me to open up in the ways that I have with my writing here. I mean, I was still pretty freshly out of the closet when I started working here in 2015, which is crazy to think about. Even though I write full time all over the place, I really do feel like it’s here where I found my voice. And I’ve made incredible friends here who have helped me through the worst year of my life, so not to be dramatic but idk what I would do without Autostraddle!!!!! Happy birthday, bb!

—Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya

most popular posts

1. All the Dead Lesbian and Bisexual Characters on TV, and How They Died, by Riese
   
2. Style Thief: How To Dress Like Dr. Jillian Holtzmann, by A.E. Osworth
   
3. Anonymous Sex Toy Review: The Womanizer, by Anonymous
   
4. 13 TV Shows With Lesbian and Bisexual Female Characters Who Are Getting It Right, by Riese
   
5. The “Carol” Oscars Snub: The Problem Isn’t Lesbians, It’s Misandry, by Heather
   
6. Rowan Blanchard Is Queer: 14-Year-Old “Girl Meets World” Actress Comes Out On Twitter, by Mey
   
7. Rebecca Sugar is Bisexual: “Steven Universe” Creator Comes Out at Comic-Con, by Mey
   
8. Kate McKinnon’s 10 Gayest ‘Ghostbusters’ Gay Moments of Gay, by Kayla
   
9. Aubrey Plaza is Bisexual, Knows You’re Into Her, Is Cool With It, by Riese
   
10. Lesbian Movies on Netflix: Everything Streaming and What’s Worth Watching, by Riese

this year we did a lot of…

• Dead lesbian and bisexual TV characters
  
• Ghostbusters
  
• Election content
• Alt-queer sex/dating columns (View From The Top, Bottoms Up, Poly Pocket)
• Celebrity coming out posts
• Disability and accessibility content!

awards

• GLAAD Award Nomination: Outstanding Digital Journalism (Riese, “105 Trans Women On TV: A History and Analysis“)
  
• GO 100 Women We Love (Riese, Aja, Gabby Rivera, Mary Tully, Molly TK Adams)

most prolific writers

1. Riese Bernard
   
2. Heather Hogan
   
3. Mey Rude
   
4. Carolyn Yates
   
5. Laneia Jones
   
6. Carmen Rios
   
7. Rachel Kincaid
   
8. A.E. Osworth
   
9. Stef Schwartz
   
10. Erin Sullivan

tv

• Jane the Virgin
• Supergirl
  
• Transparent
  
• Take My Wife
  
• Faking It
  
• Wynonna Earp
  
• Wentworth
  
• Black Mirror/San Junipero

pop culture

• Glee’s farewell season
  
• Lexa dies on The 100, Poussey dies on OITNB, we launch our Dead Lesbian and Bisexual TV Characters List
• Sara Ramirez comes out as bisexual
  
• Stephanie Beatriz comes out as bisexual
  
• Aubrey Plaza comes out as bisexual
  
• Everybody is obsessed with the Great British Bakeoff
• Jeanne Córdova dies, leaving Autostraddle as one of the many beneficiaries of her estate

movies

• The Handmaiden
  
• Suicide Kale
  
• Moonlight
  
• Southwest of Salem
  
• Margarita With a Straw
  
• Ghostbusters

politics

• The Pulse shooting
  
• Donald Trump is elected President of the United States

read a f*cking book by an autostraddle writer

• Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera
• Marriage of a Thousand Lies by SJ Sindu
• This is a Book for the Parents of Gay Kids by Kristin Russo and Dannielle Owens-Reid
• How to Be Alone: If You Want and Even If You Don’t by Lane Moore
• Girls Resist! by KaeLyn Rich
• Trailer Trash by July Westhale
• Lumberjanes by Grace Ellis
• Moonstruck by Grace Ellis
• Heavy Vinyl by Carly Usdin
• Dreaming of Ramadi in Detroit by Aisha Sabatini Sloan

Getting to have my work published on Autostraddle was like the first time I wore a sleeveless hoodie out in public. I HAD ARRIVED. Also getting to creep on the AS Slack for the better part of 2016/2017 — I have never been so entertained and so intimidated. Happy birthday, you beautiful internet queers you.

Maree Hamilton

My fave memory is of going to a workshop at my first A-Camp (in 2017, that I only got to go to because of a Campership) about how to pitch online publications. I’m not exaggerating when I say that that workshop literally changed my life.

I majored in writing in undergrad but never really did anything specific with it (besides becoming an English teacher because I love being a cliche). After the workshop, though, I pitched Autostraddle, then wrote for Autostraddle, then became staff at Autostraddle and A-Camp. I leveraged that into other writing gigs, used my clips on Autostraddle’s website to build my portfolio, and essentially survived for two very difficult years in between careers by building a life freelancing, as a result of what I learned from my Autostraddle experience.

I eventually leveraged that freelancing into a real job, and I am now full-time employed and doing well. I think getting that Campership, and going to that workshop was like, hugely important to the fact that I am, like, alive right now? Writing online didn’t turn into the career I thought it would, but that push in a certain direction made the life I have now seem possible. And it is! I’m alive, and thriving. Thanks y’all :) <3

—Abeni Jones

most popular posts

1. I Was Trained for the Culture Wars in Home School, Awaiting Someone Like Mike Pence as a Messiah, by Kieryn Darkwater
   
2. Excommunicate Me from the Church of Social Justice, by Frances Lee
   
3. 16 Lesbian Power Couples From History Who Got Shit Done, Together, by Riese
   
4. 75 Lesbian Ken Dolls, Ranked By Lesbianism, by Riese
   
5. Help Stop Betsy DeVos from Becoming Education Secretary With Your Phone And Your Friends, by A.E.
   
6. Winter 2017 TV Preview: All The Lesbian, Bisexual, Trans and Queer Women To Get Excited About, by Riese
   
7. Surprise! Samira Wiley And Lauren Morelli Got Married And Everything’s Perfect, by Stef
   
8. “American Horror Story: Cult” Centers On Michigan Lesbian Horrified by Donald Trump, A Little On the Nose There Ryan, by Riese
   
9. Summer 2017 Gay TV Preview: Some Lesbian, Bisexual and Queer Characters For Ya, by Riese and Heather
   
10. BREAKING: Demi Lovato Almost Maybe Possibly Has a Girlfriend Now, by Riese

I feel so honored that I got to be an intern for Autostraddle from 2014 – 2017. I loved that I got to witness some really great conversations via Slack that were insightful and made me think. Or just make me laugh. There are so many very smart and very funny people that work at Autostraddle. I love that I got to be a part of it with you bunch of weirdos.

Nikki Smaga

this year we did a lot of…

• Lesbian Kens
  
• Queer IRL Galleries
• Vapid Fluff
  
• Mommi Content
  
• The Renaissance essay series
• Herstory (enabled by our new Herstory database)
• Resistance coverage
• Post-election panic
  
• Erin being weird
  
• Butch Sara Ramirez content

awards

• GLAAD Award Nomination: Outstanding Blog

most prolific writers

1. Riese Bernard
   
2. Heather Hogan
   
3. Laneia Jones
   
4. Carolyn Yates
   
5. Mey Rude
6. Erin Sullivan
   
7. Stef Schwartz
   
8. Al(aina) Monts
   
9. Valerie Anne Liston
   
10. A.E. Osworth
    

tv

• The Bold Type
  
• One Mississippi
  
• The Handmaid’s Tale
  
• Madam Secretary
  
• One Day at a Time
  
• Marvel’s Runaways
  
• Broad City
  
• Brooklyn 99

pop culture

• Kristen Stewart says “I’m like so gay” on SNL
  
• Lena Waithe becomes first black woman to win an Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series
• Samira Wiley and Lauren Morelli get married
• Pretty Little Liars ends (again)
• Edith Windsor dies

movies

• Battle of the Sexes
  
• Professor Marston and the Wonder Women
  
• Atomic Blonde
• Rough Night
  
• Princess Cyd

politics

• Bathroom bills, most notably North Carolina’s HB2, in contention throughout US
  
• Trans military ban(s) return

Working at Autostraddle is quite literally a dream come true. Everyone is so talented, everyone is so supportive, everyone is so freaking attractive! There’s so much to love!! That makes picking a favorite experience/anecdote difficult but I’d have to say it’s probably the number of times that Laneia has stated she had to pick herself up off the floor after seeing what’s up next for Femme Brûlée. There are truly few compliments that I’ve received in memory that make me feel as proud and appreciated, and it makes doing my job so so so much easier.

Reneice Charles

“One of the highlights of working here has definitely been the creation of the TV Team. Recapping can feel a little like shouting into the void sometimes, so it’s nice to have a safe space to work things out (and/or shout about TV characters’ terrible decisions) or share hot takes. I love brainstorming content and making really niche references only people who have watched an absurd amount of queer TV would get.”

—Valerie Anne

In 2011, Riese and Marni came to me with the idea of A-Camp and asked what I thought about co-running it. A literal dream. I did that for 7 sessions and still work closely on senior staff helping with the execution of what I think is the most important queer event happening currently. A-Camp has become like a family to me. At A-Camp 2018, my mom had just died and I showed up in Ojai and felt so incredibly loved. It took me months to realize a lot of the people showing me such great kindness and support didn’t even know I had just been through tragedy.

I’m so grateful to this amazing community for all that they do for others and all it has done for me.

Robin Roemer

Autostraddle took me in from the cold when I was unceremoniously not invited to continue working at the website I was writing for because of a change in management. I was immediately welcomed and not treated like an outsider. The half-camp A-Camp in Wisconsin happened right after I got asked to work for Autostraddle, but before I actually started, and I was feeling a little nervous, but as soon as Riese saw me at registration, she gave me a big hug and welcomed me to the team. That’s when I knew I was home. My first full A-Camp as staff, I was also nervous, because it was experiencing camp in a whole new way, and I also was still feeling a little like a Freshman in a camp full of upperclasspeople, but I was immediately made to feel welcome there, both in official meetings, and also on the first night of pre-camp when my roommate made sure to let me know where Staff was hanging out after staff duties were done for the day. It’s little things like this that make my anxious, shy self feel truly welcome.

The creation of the TV Team was also a turning point for me, because it’s been really fun to work on shaping content and making team decisions about which roundtables we do and which shows we cover and how. (It’s also great because between the lot of us, we pretty much watch every show ever, so I don’t feel as much pressure to watch ALL THE GAY CONTENT but can still be keeping up on the goings-on.)

Overall, also, seeing the behind-the-scenes has been a real eye-opener. I already respected everyone involved in Autostraddle so much, but seeing JUST how much work, conversation, planning, compromising, (talking, crying, dreaming) goes on makes me all the more impressed by these dedicated, genius humans that keep the show going day in and day out.

—Valerie Anne

most popular posts

1. 52 Queer TV Shows To Stream on Netflix, by Riese
   
2. Your Hot Wet XXX Summer: 2018 Queer Porn Preview, by Courtney Trouble
   
3. The Intensely Detailed Janelle Monáe Tessa Thompson Timeline You’ve Been Waiting For, by Carmen Phillips
   
4. Why I Got Off the Pacific Crest Trail After 454 Miles Instead of Walking All the Way to Canada, by Vanessa Friedman
   
5. Summer 2018 Lesbian Bisexual TV Preview, by Riese
   
6. 25 Streaming Movies With Hot Lesbian Sex Scenes, by Riese
   
7. The 14 Best Lesbian and Bisexual Movies of 2018, by Heather
   
8. Winter 2017/2018 TV Preview: Some Lesbian and Bisexual Content for Y’all, by Riese
   
9. Janelle Monáe’s Queer “Pynk” Music Video Is Here To Wreak More Havoc On Your Heart and Body, by Carmen
10. Starstruck: What Your Moon Sign Says About Your Romantic Compatibility, by Jeanna

The Queer Lady Magician playlist article in 2018 was the first proper public articulation of that idea, beyond “lol should I do this thing y/n”. It ended up being a useful piece of support material for applications to do this project, and Queer Lady Magician became a REALITY. I’m not sure it would have happened at all if it wasn’t for that one suggestion by Mey to do 2018 playlists.

Creatrix Tiara

this year we did a lot of…

• 30 Days of Carol
  
• Janelle Monáe
  
• Hayley Kiyoko
  
• Astrology
  
• Lesbian Stereotype Survey posts
  
• Lesbian Sex 101
  
• Tops and Bottoms
• Breakup and dating content

awards

• Them.us Queeros (Riese Bernard)

most prolific writers

1. Riese Bernard
   
2. Heather Hogan
   
3. Laneia Jones
   
4. Carolyn Yates
   
5. Carmen Phillips
   
6. Al(aina) Monts
   
7. Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya
   
8. Stef Schwartz
   
9. Valerie Anne Liston
   
10. Erin Sullivan
    

tv

• Killing Eve
  
• Vida
  
• The Bisexual
  
• Black Lightning
  
• Pose

pop culture

• Janelle Monáe comes out
  
• Tessa Thompson comes out
  
• Lena Waithe‘s Vanity Fair Cover
  
• Janelle Monáe’s Dirty Computer visual album happens to us
  
• Ocean’s 8 happens to us
• Laura Aguilar dies

movies

• A Simple Favor
  
• The Favourite
  
• Hearts Beat Loud
  
• Blockers
  
• Disobedience
  
• Can You Ever Forgive Me?
  
• The Miseducation of Cameron Post
  
• Colette
  
• Lizzie
  
• Rafiki

politics

• 100 women elected to congress!
  
• SESTA/FOSTA

Elli Bradshaw: “I’m just a boring old lady now. Married to a wonderful woman, we have a (foster-to-hopefully-adopt) baby, I’m a retail manager at a battery/ phone repair chain (like the work hate the bureaucracy).”

Becky Fonticoba: “Be my friend on Instagram if you want!”