Survival Guides Archives

Staying Sober During Shelter-in-Place

By : Maira McDermott September 9, 2020 Comments Off

In March of 2015, I quit drinking. This came after a (literal) dry run of staying sober for all of the year prior, thinking I had finally gotten my drinking under control, and realizing that I did not. It took me three months to realize that if I kept drinking the way that I was - predominantly bingeing on shots and wine - I would not make it to 25. My mental health was all over the place, and I noticed that my prescribed antidepressants weren’t working the way they should. This, I realized later, was because I was rapid cycling, a term used to describe when someone experiences four or more episodes of hypomania, mania, or depression in a 12-month period. I was once again self-medicating with alcohol for

Navigating Professional Settings as a Nonbinary Person

By : Sage August 19, 2020 Comments Off

Navigating Professional Settings as a Non-Binary/Trans* Person Coming out as non-binary or trans* can be uncomfortable in straight, cis-normative settings - especially the workplace. At work, we may not feel we can speak up when we are uncomfortable, defend ourselves from inappropriate comments, or express ourselves in the same way would if we were off the clock. We may not have LGBTQ+ colleagues or friends at work who can relate to our experiences or allies we can turn to for support when we need help. We may fear potential consequences of coming out such as discrimination, harassment, or disciplinary action. Coming out has been an important and deeply personal part of my journey to live an authentic and meaningful life, and when I share this aspect of my identity with

Surviving a Queer High School Relationship from Teen to Adult

By : Sam Weiner July 18, 2020 Comments Off

The mainstream narrative surrounding high school relationships is usually to break up when both of the individuals go to college. It is hard enough transitioning from being a child to a young adult without outside pressure to break up with the person who has been your support system. This is especially hard for gay couples because often times, as was the case with me, our partner is the only person who fully understands what we are going through as a queer person in society. I met my girlfriend when we were fifteen, we started dating when we were sixteen, and we are now twenty-four and going strong. Both of our parents accepted our relationship, but they would constantly tell us that we needed to “find ourselves” in college. Sometimes I

Navigating LGBT+ Representation in Media

By : Audrey July 18, 2020 Comments Off

There’s no doubt that good LGBT+ representation, in basically any form of media, is still hard to come by nowadays. Being part of the community, I tend to cling onto whatever LGBT+ related movie or television show I can get as most of us do. Which can sometimes be a problem as I have to bear witness to all the ways an LGBT+ related story can be poorly executed. It’s often the same story repeated over and over again: coming out, facing backlash, finding a support system, and getting a partner. Yes, this is a very common experience that LGBT+ individuals face, but it’s also an extremely safe story to tell. The LGBT+ character, in this case, is most likely to be white, cis, and male. The piece of media

7 Ways You Can Respect Gender Identities

By : Mariasha Schtroks July 10, 2020 Comments Off

In a study done by the Williams Institute (2012-2017), an estimated 1.4 million US adults identified as transgender. Since that study, the LGBTQI+ community has continued to expand. An ever-growing number of people openly identify differently than their assigned gender. As a result, it is imperative that we actively inquire as to what people identify as. The more we do so, the more we will be able to respect the identity of those within our lives. Below are seven ways that you can respect people's gender identity. Ask people what their pronouns are. When we ask people what their pronouns are, we demonstrate that we respect and support their individual identity. Asking about pronouns is simple. You can simply introduce yourself to people by stating your name and pronouns, after

I am Non-Binary.

By : Nic Ryan May 25, 2020 Comments Off

This is the deepest and most personal thing I’ve ever written. I am non-binary. It’s important for me to say it that way because this isn’t something that I’ve just now become, I have been non-binary since birth and for me, I do not in my core, soul, spirit, ether, etc. feel that I am fully one gender or the other. I am both and none. All of them. Plus everything in-between; I am a grey area. So is life. I want those who read this to understand what I mean and try to empathize before breezing through my words. Stop, reflect, and just breathe. Understand for one moment what I am trying to express. Call it a selah moment if you want— whatever works. There’s no way to describe

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