Family+Love Archives

How This Pandemic Challenged My Mental Health and Relationship

By : Vaneza Sosa April 30, 2021 01 Comment

When it came to dating, I never seemed to choose the right people for me. I had a terrible pattern of dating people that were emotionally stunted or had personal issues beyond any help I could give. I ignored red flags that were waving directly in my face for as long as I could. I spent so much time playing therapist to my partners that I never allowed myself to confront my issues. I knew I had them; I just never knew how bad my emotional trauma was until recently. I started dating my now partner a little before the pandemic began. A whole new can of worms had opened up for me in this relationship, and it opened my eyes to the amount of self-healing I needed to do.

Sunday Morning

By : Shelonda Montgomery April 16, 2021 Comments Off

Original Publication: Winter - 20207372 - Sinister Wisdom 115 - Lesbian Learning I’m going to ask her to be my girlfriend, Abby thinks to herself as she looks through a dirty church window. Anna Benton, the pastor’s daughter, sits alone on a church pew rehearsing her lines for the junior choir’s youth revival performance. Okay, Abby thinks. She looks at her trembling hands and closes her eyes tight. Doubt paralyzes her. She thinks the two locked eyes a few times. Thinks she saw Anna smile at her. Anna Benton is the prettiest girl at Holy Saints Missionary Baptist Church. All of the boys like her and follow her around and the congregation dotes on her because she is proper, well-mannered, polite, and a straight-A student. “What if it’s just me?”

Queer Representation in Children’s Entertainment

By : Miranda Kargol April 16, 2021 Comments Off

In 2017, Disney Channel aired the series, Andi Mack. It is about an Asian-American teenage girl living with her single mother, who had her when she was a teenager. In addition to this, Andi Mack tells the story of main character, Cyrus Goodman, who discovers he is gay and begins a journey towards self-acceptance. This show marks a huge step for Disney, as this is their first openly gay main character. When Cyrus first came out, he told one of his female friends. He explained that he liked a certain boy but that he felt bad about it. In the next season, he told one of his male friends that he was gay, actually using the word “gay." This was the first time that the phrase, “I’m gay,” was used

In a Time

By : Shelonda Montgomery March 1, 2021 Comments Off

The rain falls delicately as the sun rises The sweet smell of jasmine fills the air He sleeps atop a mountain of maroon pillows I lay beside him on a Persian rug and trace his lips with my finger The thick plush leaves of the bird of paradise hang lovingly over our heads I tousle his hair and watch the thrashing willows His untuned guitar leans carelessly on a wooden chair It will fall soon The rain falls like diamonds as the lilies dance divine Honey filled mason jar rest atop the small wooden table beside a bamboo She sleeps in a small hammock that is affixed to peach trees I lie beside her and take her hand. She arches her fingers and slips them between mine Her lavender-scented hair

I Found My Home On Tumblr

By : Milo Casas February 7, 2021 Comments Off

Sixth grade. It was in sixth grade when I finally figured out why I felt different. As a kid, I was either labeled a tomboy or people blamed my behavior on the influence of my brother. I was just a kid, but I found myself considering self-harm to cope with this feeling of “not being like the other girls.'' Thinking about it now, I can’t see how my little sixth-grade brain thought that it didn't want to live another day feeling like this. I just wanted to feel normal, but couldn't for the life of me figure out how to do that. Finally, I came across this website called Tumblr. I know the younger me thought I was so edgy. While scrolling randomly for hours on end, distracting myself from

Mood Rings

By : Kirslyn Schell-Smith February 7, 2021 Comments Off

I said I was going to write more about how her eyes are like mood ringsEyes like mood rings and I’m the only one who can decode themBlue when she’s calm, happy, contentGreen when she’s calm, happy, contentShit, that’s not rightI’d have to ask…but still,Sometimes they’re hazelOther times blue like the raffle ticket scrunched up in my pocket from the county fairLooking to see what NFL players kneelI wonder if the networks are going to stop panning on the players if they kneelCensorshipYou see, when you live in a predominately military area and you’re watching a game on TV at a bar, at the end of the national anthem, some people clap…Uh, you’re not at the game, nor did you stand up so SIR, PLEASE SIT THE FUCK DOWN.Anyway, her

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