Me Time
Chapter R and Other Thoughts
This is my first year of full retirement, meaning I no longer have a job or a consulting practice. There's a lot out there that's written about retirement and how you should have a purpose or a goal or a plan. Articles and posts caution that retirement is an adjustment. Your phone stops ringing. People stop asking you for guidance. All of that.
To be honest, I've experienced none of that stuff. I'm happy doing what I want, dipping my toes into new waters to see how they feel, reading a lot of books, etc.
I wrote about all this in the first post of my Substack--Is It OK To Not Be Allergic to the R(etired) Word?. Take a look if you want.
Sapphic Lit and Other Book Stuff
Writing Conferences Shouldn’t Ignore AI in Their Programming | Jane Friedman
Because the technology overshadows the creative and publishing process at every step, trying to pretend it’s business as usual, and not the most pressing issue of the day, is becoming a disservice to writers. And if speakers haven’t been chosen with care to address these questions for their community, who knows if the audience will receive a meaningful answer that’s well informed.
"I’m so grateful": Lending library brings LGBTQ+ books to the masses in the heart of red America - LGBTQ Nation
Welcome to Carabiner Collections, a lending library bringing LGBTQ+ books to the masses in Brazos Valley, the region of Southeast Texas home to Texas A&M University.
News For A Challenging Time
At The Helm: 23 LGBTQ+ Leaders - GO Magazine
As LGBTQ+ people face increasingly treacherous times, these leaders are holding the line and blazing new trails while sustaining the movements of today and shaping a better future.
The entire internet is stressed & obsessed with this viral lesbian bar meltdown happening in Massachusetts - Queerty
“There’s conflict, but we just hope that there’s more repair than conflict,” she said. “That’s the price you pay to be in community.”
UN human rights chief sounds alarm over ‘comprehensive onslaught’ against LGBTQ rights
the persecution of LGBTIQ+ people around the world is escalating at an alarming rate,” he said during an U.N. LGBTI Core Group event that took place on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly.
For Lesbian Victims of Domestic Violence, Competent Care Is Scarce
Heteronormative assumptions about intimate-partner violence and cuts to research funding are contributing to a lack of resources for survivors.
‘Practical Magic 2’ Straightwashed Its Lesbian but Maisie Williams Played Her Gay Anyway | Autostraddle
Maisie Williams has been sure to tell everyone on the press tour that she knew the source material and regardless of what the final edit revealed, she played Antonia as a “sapphic icon” and that it brought some nuance to certain scenes since it meant Antonia had a different perspective on men than the other women in her family.
DignityUSA’s Marianne Duddy-Burke, longtime LGBTQ Catholic leader, to retire
Duddy-Burke, a married lesbian with adopted children, one of whom is trans, has steered DignityUSA through some of the most critical moments in recent history for LGBTQ Catholics, often serving as the top spokesperson for the organization in commenting on major developments tied to LGBTQ people and the church.
LGBTQ+ Middle Schoolers Defeat Virginia School Board | Them
King George County changed the rules after students tried to establish a GSA. Now it has changed them back, weeks before the dispute was headed to trial.
San Francisco opens world's first Chinese LGBTQ+ museum: "So many chances to connect" - LGBTQ Nation
The museum was the brainchild of Xiangqi Chen, a Chinese native who left China after the government began cracking down on LGBTQ+ activism. Her own queer activism flourished when she came to San Francisco on a visiting scholar visa in 2022. During her exhibition at the Asian Art Museum and residency at the Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco, she got “so many chances to connect with the local Asian American queer community and even the Chinatown community in general,” she told the AP.
She fundraised to open the museum, and it’s currently staffed entirely by volunteers.
Culture and Joy
October 2026: LGBTQIA+ releases you don't want to miss -
It’s going to be a fantastic month for lovers of queer cinema and TV
I Want To Live in Queer Road Trip Film 'Dreams in Nightmares' Forever | Autostraddle
Dreams in Nightmares, a poetic, heartfelt, vibrant road trip story that examines the fabric of a femme friend group navigating their lost ways of life and connecting with each other across Americana. In doing so, it brings lively, textured visibility to the invisibilized relationships and dynamics that go unseen across modern mainstream cinema.
The Top Films Starring the Top Lesbians and Bisexuals of Old Hollywood | Autostraddle
Read on for some recommendations of movies to watch that starred, were directed by, or written by lesbian and bisexual women.
(Exclusive) Hayley Kiyoko talks Girls Like Girls, queer love and more -
Here’s a sneak peek of what the popstar and director had to say on… Her sexuality: “I’m very proud to be a lesbian. I’m not afraid of that word”
The Rosie Renaissance isn't over yet as funny lady lands another major gig - Queerty
the role of The Narrator in The Rocky Horror Show, filling in for SNL alumna Rachel Dratch, who is on a temporary leave from the show.
O’Donnell’s stint will run October 6 through October 18. This comes after she performed her one-woman show Common Knowledge for 12 shows.
Presenting the Winners of the 9th Annual Autostraddle TV Awards! | Autostraddle
For nearly a decade now, Autostraddle has celebrated the best LGBTQ+ series on television and the people who bring them to life. Increasingly, there’s more overlap between the shows nominated for our own awards and the Straight Emmys, as we call them internally. That taken on its own is evidence of some progress: Shows that feature queer and trans characters are increasingly part of mainstream culture. But the annual Autostraddle TV Awards exist — and will continue to exist — because we’ve never been interested in mainstream culture telling us what makes good art.
Lesbian Model Lauren Chan Joins ‘Heated Rivalry’ Cast | Them
Multi-hyphenate lesbian super model Lauren Chan will be joining the cast of Heated Rivalry for season 2.
Isolation, religion and finding queer love -
Khadija Pitts-Ceesay and Nikki Luna are co-editors of the forthcoming SWANA Dykes anthology, featuring creative works by South West Asian and North African diasporic artists, launching 13 October 2026.
As a queer reverend and cantor, here’s what we wish people knew about religion
But the guest didn’t have feedback on the liturgy itself, nor on how we blended the two religions’ themes and values. Rather, she marveled at the very fact
Turns out the raunchiest thing Emily Dickinson ever wrote wasn’t about death… it was her sapphic love letters - Queerty
On the anniversary of what would be the poet’s 195th birthday, let’s take a minute to set the record straight—and spill some centuries-old tea while we’re at it.
Was Lizzie Borden actually a lesbian? Here’s what you need to know -
Ryan has already described this new series as “women-driven, feminist, lesbian, dirty, unapologetic.” But was Lizzie Borden actually a lesbian?
Longing for an archive of one’s own: LoverBoyButch and online lesbian archives | Sinister Wisdom
The idea of LoverBoyButch, an online archive project of butch and trans experiences, first came to me as a desire to create a space for myself to keep together all of the relatable media and archive pieces found during my own gender/sexuality journey.
The Oona Problem: why are we so bad at being vulnerable? -
Inspired by Amazon Prime’s latest hit show Sterling Point, we look at dynamics in queer relationships
Thailand Will Host a “Tom” Pageant for Trans Men and Masc Lesbians | Them
The Tom Thailand 2026 will be the country’s first-ever beauty pageant uplifting masc-of-center lesbians, transmasculine people, and trans men
Almost Famous: Meet Rising Pop Star Molly Grace -
“As an out-and-proud lesbian, and also being curvy, I feel like my fans can see themselves in me and see things that we don’t often see in pop music,” she says.
"It just horrified me": Melissa Etheridge recalls the thing that pushed her to come out publicly - Queerty
It was the first time I was on the cover of something, and I opened it and read it, and everything … [the reporter] changed it to ‘my boyfriend.’
Niecy Nash-Betts is cooking for her studsband on TikTok & we're obsessed - Queerty
But the best thing about these videos? It’s the look viewers get into the lives of two queer Black women who are thriving, eating well, and deeply in love. Their chemistry is off the charts, to the point where viewers feel like they’re third wheeling it.
Girl Violence and lesbian chaos: King Princess gets candid in her Gay Times cover debut
From Girl Violence to her “miserable bottom” brand, not to mention the Christine Baranski romance rumours, King Princess spills all in her Gay Times cover debut.
Helpful Tools
Text as Music | Jera Value
Paste or write anything below. Each sentence is highlighted by its length so you can see the rhythm of your prose — a wall of one colour is monotony; a healthy mix is music.
A Terrific Quote
Home - Inspiring Quotes
I have no notion of loving people by halves, it is not my nature. Jane Austen