It starts before you even get out of bed. The alarm goes off. You reach for your phone. You see the notification. Maybe it’s a text from a friend that just says, “Did you see this?” Maybe it’s a news alert from Raleigh. Maybe it’s just Twitter imploding again. Your stomach drops. Your heart rate…
The tree is likely down by now. Or maybe it’s still in the corner, shedding dry needles onto the floorboards, a brown and brittle reminder that the season is officially dead. The blinking lights are packed in plastic tubs in the basement. The leftovers are gone. The airports are empty. You survived. You did the…
The Walls Have Ears (And The Neighbors Have Binoculars) You know how it is. You can’t scratch your nose at the stoplight without your aunt finding out about it three towns over. That’s the trade-off we make for the quiet, for the mountains, for the space. We trade anonymity for community. But sometimes, community is…
The Radical Act of Smiling Back We are tired. Open any social media app or scroll through the news, and the weight hits you immediately. It is heavy. It is constant. For the LGBTQ+ community, the narrative presented to us is often one of struggle. We see legislation targeting our rights. We see statistics about…
Let’s be honest for a second: looking for a therapist is already a nightmare. You’re usually starting the search when you’re at your lowest, or at least when you’re feeling significantly done with your current situation. Now, add being queer or trans in North Carolina to that mix. Suddenly, you aren’t just looking for a…
Let’s be real, being queer in North Carolina right now feels like a bit of a balancing act. One minute you’re enjoying the inclusive, mountain-air vibes of Asheville or grabbing coffee in a Durham bubble, and the next, you’re driving through a rural stretch where you might not feel entirely comfortable holding your partner’s hand…