How Philly’s only permanent LGBTQ+ housing supports queer young adults
When Markese Williams turned 18, he left his home in search of a place more accepting of his sexuality. After dropping out of college after freshman year, he began years…
First person: Finding queer joy in Philly
Walking through Philadelphia on Labor Day As a first-time visitor to Philadelphia, I envisioned the Gayborhood as a vibrant community dedicated to the celebration of LGBTQ+ individuals. Yet, the neighborhood,…
As coverage of the trans community increases, journalists work to get it right
Legislation attacking the rights of transgender people has kept the community in the news cycle almost constantly this year. Trans journalists and advocates say the increased newsroom focus on accurately…
Inside Giovanni’s Room Bookstore
Reporter Grant Johnson explores the 50-year history of Giovanni’s Room Bookstore, a thrift shop and bookstore serving Philadelphia’s LGBTQ+ community.
Borrowing banned books from the oldest LGBTQ+ lending library in the U.S.
The John J. Wilcox, Jr. Library isn’t exactly “a fancy joint,” according to Tom Wilson Weinberg. There are no chandeliers, marble columns or a grand circulation desk, but that’s what…
Locked in, burned out
Burnout has become commonplace in the already stressful and overwhelming field of journalism. The phenomena can cause journalists to lose their drive. But can burnout be addressed? Will it? In…
LGBTQ+ center pushes to expand affordable housing
William Way Community Center in Philadelphia is working toward expanding affordable housing for LGBTQ+ seniors as the city’s queer population ages and the need for essential services and safe spaces…
The queer kids are all right: acceptance in Chicago’s DIY scene
Coming off the high of a one-night music festival hosted by my college radio station, I was itching to immerse myself in another city’s DIY scene. I assumed that a…
Resistance Remains in Renaming of Chicago’s ‘Boystown’ Neighborhood to ‘Northalsted’
When Boystown changed its name to Northalsted in 2020, not everyone thought it was the inclusive move it had been billed as.
Can a play bring justice to a gentrifying neighborhood?
Ricardo Gamboa is tired. The playwright and Chicago native, who identifies as nonbinary and uses the gender-neutral pronoun “they,” has been running around in a frenzy lately. Starring and producing…