By Kelcie McKenney
A pinch.
Her thumb and forefinger held fast the softness at her middle. She stood—knobby kneed in her stretched out underwear, the fabric thin from nights of tossing and turning, her t-shirt pulled up just under her breast.
A pinch, creating a spread of warmth and reddness, seeping through the skin of her belly.
And she sighed—longingly looking into the mirror at a body that didn’t feel like her own.
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By Abby Olcese
Originally published on thepitchkc.com
Forgiveness is a tricky thing. In the church, I was taught that we’re supposed to forgive the people who do us wrong. Simple enough in Sunday school—you take my cookie, I might get mad, but it’s not a huge deal.
I can forgive you. I’m still a Christian, and I still believe in forgiveness.
As I’ve gotten older, however, I’ve come to understand that it looks different when the transgression is more complicated than taking my Oreo during snack time.
In Christianity, asking God for forgiveness comes with the understanding that you’re not going to blindly commit the same sin again. When we forgive others, the same sense of grace is present. We forgive not to diminish the fact we were hurt—wrong is still wrong—but because we’re hoping the person we forgive understands the consequences of their actions, and is sorry. It’s a healing process that’s meant to go both ways.
Emerald Fennell’s Promising Young Woman is an exploration of what can happen to a victimized person when there is no atonement.
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By Kelcie McKenney, Emily Park
On the last day of Transgender Awareness Week, we remember the trans lives who have been victims of transphobic violence. 2020 is the deadliest year on record for Transgender lives. Close to home, Nina Pop was killed in her Sikeston, Missouri, apartment in May.
Know their names. Say their names.
Today, Elle shared this comprehensive list of the names we must remember. But while we mourn and memorialize these trans lives, we wanted to remind you that support for trans lives doesn’t start after we’ve wrongly lost them. We need to support our transgender community now. So we put together this quick-list of trans folx and organizations to support right now. We know this list is nowhere near comprehensive or complete, so tell us the trans folx in you’re life who you’re supporting today and always.
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By Jen Harris
Photos by Justina Kellner
When I was a child, there was no such thing as choice.
I know you don’t believe me. I know you want to argue with me right off the bat. Perfect. Hi. Hello. Welcome. I’m Jen. I’m queer. A nonbinary womxn. A lesbian. I’m 35AF, and I know saying that proves it. This is my first time here, so I figured a proper introduction would be… qualifying. It’s like when someone writes a letter to a celebrity (in this case, you are the celebrity) and they (I) start it with, “I have never written a letter like this before in my life.”
Often, that’s true.
It’s true for me, now. I’ve never been 35 before. I’ve never written a column about the queer experience. I don’t feel proficient for this task. For one thing, I bought a television a month ago, and it’s still leaning against the wall. I don’t know who’s popular or what matters to the masses. I don’t know any vacation hot spots, and I certainly don’t have the 411 on lesbian engagement dating apps. I’m taking a break from s-e-x… sooooo……
By Emily Park
Illustrations by Katelyn Betz
Content Warning: Emotional abuse from religious sexism. Bible study text depicting shame included.
Thirteen-year-old me would be absolutely ashamed and horrified, I instantly thought while holding my broken phone case in my hands. Confusing, I know, so let me rewind a little bit.
As I sleepily rolled over to turn off my morning alarm a few Mondays ago, I picked up my phone and realized something was … off. Upon closer inspection, I saw the back of my phone case had completely fallen off leaving just the perimeter of the case on my phone.
The culprit? Last night’s sexual encounter. As my boyfriend and I were passionately grinding against one another, we realized about halfway through that my phone was underneath us.
A normal person probably would have laughed it off, thinking something along the lines of, “Well, if my favorite phone case has to go, that’s definitely the way to do it.” But not me.
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Catcall 