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Stories in Pride that you’ll love, handpicked by our team.

VENUS VALLEY Looks East (part 4 and final!)
Welcome, queerly beloveds, to the last part of a big section of my book-in-progress: chapter by chapter, my LGBTQIA+ centric philosophy chat book will come to you, my rainbow flag waving community, to debate, discuss, question, contribute; and your inputs become my edits, til the finished book speaks for us all and isn’t just me pushing my opinions. Welcome again, to Venus Valley: Queer Philosophers’ Forum.
By Steph Cole2 years ago in Pride
My First Girl Friend Might Have Actually Been My First Girlfriend
I grew up in the early 2000s as a major tomboy. On TV, my representation included Max from The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, who now, watching as an adult, I can confidently guess was probably just queer (much like the actress who played her, Alyson Stoner). Much like Max, I was young and queer (though I didn’t realize it at the time) and mostly hung around boys. Although I had a few female friends in elementary school, I didn’t start to gravitate more towards girls until I was in middle school. And in seventh and eighth grade, I had a best friend who had everyone around us questioning our sexuality.
By C.R. Hughes2 years ago in Pride
Love Divine: VENUS VALLEY reads Martin Campbell's "The Love God"
Time for a palate cleanser! If this is your first time here, you've stumbled into a series where I release every chapter of my book-in-progress, each one an LGBTQIA+ centred philosophy teaching-&-learning piece, as a blog so you, queerly beloveds, can debate, discuss, question, contribute; your inputs become my edits, until the finished book represents a community of our voices. You're warmly welcome, gentles & lady-men, to the next chapter (which I had a lot more fun writing than the last one) of VENUS VALLEY - Queer Philosophers' Forum.
By Steph Cole3 years ago in Pride
I Tried a Queer Dating App and Almost Got Scared Straight
Lipstick lesbians? Pillow princesses? Daddies? These were all brand new terms I encountered when I downloaded a dating app designed specifically for queer women. HER (the app in question) allows women to place badges in their profiles with titles like the ones listed above to let other women know what kind of queer they are.
By C.R. Hughes3 years ago in Pride
Manipulating Language: VENUS VALLEY reads Helen Joyce's "Trans"
Welcome to a hard, sobering chapter. If you've just got here, this is a chapter-by-chapter release of my LGBTQIA+ philosophy book - for you, my queerly beloved readers, to debate, discuss, question, contribute, so the finished book speaks for us all. I'm breaking the flow of my chapter order, to respond to a book that does the exact opposite - and make it a lesson in the abuse and manipulation of language: Helen Joyce's Trans - When Ideology Meets Reality. Come down this rabbit hole, gentles and lady-men, with Venus Valley: Queer Philosophers' Forum.
By Steph Cole3 years ago in Pride
Where are the Drag Kings?
There's a lot of talk about drag queens, both celebration on shows like RuPaul's Drag Race and hysteria over drag queen story hours. It made me wonder, why you don't hear about drag kings? Women are out there dressing as men, but they don't seem to have anywhere close to the same cultural standing. (One thing I learned in doing research for this article is that who can be a drag king is a lot broader than just people assigned female at birth, but that is getting a bit beyond my scope here.) So here are some theories.
By Buck Hardcastle3 years ago in Pride
Love Harder
Amidst all the attempts to erase trans folks, there is good news. Journalist Erin Reed of Erin in the Morning writes (2024):
By Marie Wilson3 years ago in Pride
Pleasure & Pain: VENUS VALLEY Goes to Greece (part 1)
Welcome back, queerly beloveds, to my little social experiment. My book-in-progress of LGBTQIA+ centric philosophy perspectives will appear here chapter by chapter, and you're invited to debate, discuss, question, contribute, and your inputs will become my edits, until the finished book speaks for us all. This time, we're starting our journey to where every philosophy learner is more or less duty bound to go... Ancient Greece. Welcome, gentles and lady-men, to Venus Valley, Queer Philosophers' Forum.
By Steph Cole3 years ago in Pride
Her House Settled
Minnie blinked with entertained eyes, setting her coffee, nearly wobbling, onto the very edge of a coaster. She spent a great deal of time correcting it before she looked back at me.
By Lisa H3 years ago in Pride
Lost Island. Honorable Mention in Pride Under Pressure Challenge.
Dani had lost count of the number of times she'd walked the dingy back hallways of the mall. She thought she knew every stain, each crack in the cheap tile floor, all of the exits and backdoors. Despite her supposed familiarity with the area, she had to admit it.
By Bex Jordan3 years ago in Pride
miles to go. Finalist in 2023 Vocal Writing Awards - Young Adult Fiction.
It had been three years to the day since his mother passed. He was making the nearly two-hundred-mile trip back to his childhood home to spread her ashes with his family, and he was running late. The sun had risen several hours ago, and now he felt some distance from the task of driving. Now that he could see clearly in the morning light, the road stretched out before him, open and inviting. He allowed his mind to wander and muscle memory to take over. He had made this drive hundreds of times before; living in Southeast Michigan for the past eight years had provided ample opportunity for him to return to his parent’s home and visit while still affording him the space and distance he needed to flourish on his own. The drive was long, but he knew it well, and hours flew by like minutes.
By kp3 years ago in Pride
Stop Saying These Things to Trans People!
This article contains use of language, anatomy terms, and questions that may be triggering to the LGBTQIA+ community. Since coming out as transgender, I've really noticed a difference between the way people treated me as a girl, and the way people treat me as a boy. Especially online, I'm spoken to differently: and a lot of the time, my identity is disregarded completely by people who are insecure about themselves when they acknowledge it. Though I've known for a long time about chasers* in the trans community, I never experienced one firsthand until recently, and it got me wondering. I have a cisgender friend I've known since college, who was never shy about his attraction to me, and who hasn't toned it down at all since I came out. Not too long ago, he said something that really stuck with me, while also completely bringing into question our relationship.
By choreomania3 years ago in Pride