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How some straight men in classic literature act: women are smart and beautiful, but they seem so out of reach. 

Anyway, here is my best friend. He is so beautiful. He is the one person I can trust. We might have kissed a few times in this novel, like all good friends do. Did I mention how beautiful he is in this feminine way? It takes my breath away.

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How to get access to queer lit for freeeee

Our Summer Reading Challenge fundraiser for LGBTQ+ youth is ON - you can see our full queer summer reading list here.

"But It Gets Better, how do I get access to all these amazing queer books without having to buy them all?" you ask?

🟣 First, check your school’s library, or your town/county’s local public library. Many have an LGBTQ+ specific section! Ask them how to apply for a free library card, and how to access their digital collection - they may require proof of address, like a school I.D., driver's license, or piece of mail addressed to you.

🟣 Many public libraries give you access to platforms like Libby and Hoopla for free with your library card, which allow you to download even more books that may not be physically on your library’s shelves!

🟣 If your town has an LGBTQ+ center, ask if they have an LGBTQ+ library with books that you can borrow. You can find your closest center with the directory from Center Link.

🟣 BooksUnbanned.com can help get you free e-cards from multiple libraries around the country, so you can access their online collections even if you don’t live in the area. Most cards are available for people ages 13-26! It was started by Brooklyn Public Library, and you can also get free cards for Boston Public Library, LA County Library, Seattle Public Library, and San Diego Public Library.

Once you’ve got your books, you can join the challenge here!

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Actually-good and very queer summer reading list!

Our society is seeking to ban queer lit and silence the voices of LGBTQ+ youth. Soo we thought about how we can amplify them. And we came up with a little trade: you get to read LGBTQ+ lit, we get donations to support LGBTQ+ youth.

We're calling it our 2025 Summer Reading Challenge, and we put together a list of some amazing fic and non-fic LGBTQIA+ books for you to read. It's super easy to help us raise critical funds:

🌈 Choose some fave books from our list, or add your own.

🌈 Start a fundraiser on IG, TikTok, via our Tiltify campaign, or by joining our challenge on FB - we've got free downloadable graphics you can use here, plus how-tos on setting up a fundraiser!

🌈 Share it around to your followers and IRL friends and family - encourage them to make a donation every time you finish a book, and see how many you can get through by Sep 1st.

Basically: read books, share queer stories, refuse to be silenced, support LGBTQ+ youth.

For book access, remember that many public libraries give you access to platforms like Libby with your library card, which allow you to download and read books for free, even if they don't have the physical books on their shelves. Books Unbanned also gives access to various libraries' collections with free e-cards for people ages 13-21!

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Finally, here are bisexual books of July!

This is not an exhaustive list so I'd appreciate it if you let me know of the books I missed! ^^

Books listed: (They are not in the chronological order according to the post)

Bad For Business by Sarah R Chapman

Climate of Chaos by Cassandra Newbould

Crash Test by Amy James

A Crown of Deceit & Ruin (Cursed Kingdoms of Grimtol #1) by Jessaca Willis

Darker Than the Starless Night by Rebecca Brodkey

Dead Real by Poppy T. Perry

Double Hit (Chicago Cats #1) by Katie Steele

Dream Swimmers (The War Between Cedar and Oak Book 2) by Jo Carthage

Earth, Beast, Metal by Eliza Leone

The Elysium Heist by Y.M. Resnik

First Time, Long Time by Amy Silverberg

The Fool (The Austellus Saga Book 1) by Laura J Fitzwilson

Fractured Magic by Em Rowene

The Gryphon King (The Chaos Constellation, #1) by Sara Omer

The Huxian Fox by Nikki Brooke

The Moonlit Knight (Elegy of an Empire) by L.R. Tourmaline

The Nightshade God (The Nightshade Crown, #3) by Hannah F. Whitten

No Body No Crime by Tess Sharpe

Nowhere Knights (The Echo Trail #3) by Hannah Marae

On My Side: A Single Parent RomCom (Quiblings Book 4) by Katie Duggan

The Other Wife by Jackie Thomas-Kennedy

A Raging Heart (A Ruinous Fate #3) by Kaylie Smith

The Reality of Wanting Him (Love Without Labels Book 1) by Lexi Amber

The Rest is Silence by Yves Donlon

The Set-Up Girl by Sasha Vey

The Princess Knight by Cait Jacobs

Their Sunflower Girl by Amelia Lascaux

Thrill of the Chase by Kathryn Nolan

Two's Better (The Perfect First Time Book 1) by Viano Oniomoh

We Are the Match by Mary E. Roach

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the secret mini-poster from my zine, make zines :)

[itgetsbetter]

A difficult life is not less worth living than a gentle one. Joy is simply easier to carry than sorrow. And your heart could lift a city from how long you’ve spent holding what’s been nearly impossible to hold. This world needs those who know how to do that. Those who could find a tunnel that has no light at the end of it, and hold it up like a telescope to know the darkness also contains truths that could bring the light to its knees. Grief astronomer, adjust the lens, look close, tell us what you see.

Genderqueer writer, activist, and poet (Colorado's Poet Laureate, in fact) Andrea Gibson has passed away but left some gems we could really use right now.

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It's the Queer Week of Rest! ⋆｡˚ ☁︎ ˚｡⋆｡˚☽˚｡⋆

Can we make this a thing pleeease?!

A lot of us LGBTQ+ folks find community online, but it's also where we find the trolls, the headlines, and the endless scroll of content that can make it feel like our identity is always up for debate. Studies show a short "digital detox" has real benefits: improved sleep, reduced anxiety and stress, and better emotional well-being. 

If you're new here, this means we take a Queer Week of Rest to log off (aka go touch grass) after Pride month every year. If you want to join, even for just one day, some ideas to ground you:

Start a zine, sketchbook, or journal

Write a letter to your younger self (burn it, save it, or read it to a friend)

Take a walk with no destination

Bake something (bonus points for rainbow sprinkles)

Craft, play with legos, build something with your hands 

Read a book by a queer author

Create a playlist filled with queer artists

And of course, some resources if you need them:

Our Get Help page with a database of resources

imi.guide, the free online mental health tool for queer youth (has a quick exit button!)

Stories on TikTok and Twitch

Rest and recharging can be part of your resistance, promise. See you on July 14th!

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July 1st be like

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Source

Let’s go!

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End of Pride Month doesn't mean it's the end of Pride!

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pride month 🤝 world oceans month

Our amazing Youth Voice Marlin put together this free Queer Ocean Activism Webinar! Meet other queer environmental activists, learn about ocean ecology, talk to ocean experts!

𓇼˚₊‧꒰ა 🫧 ໒꒱ ‧₊˚𓇼

Taking place Saturday June 28th at 6pm ET/3pm PT, register here for free!

𓇼˚₊‧꒰ა 🫧 ໒꒱ ‧₊˚𓇼

[itgetsbetter]

My dear lgbt+ kids, 

Someone requested „unhinged life advice“ and I will try my best to provide some - but firstly, and at the risk of sounding like a buzzkill, I need to say something very annoying: 

A lot of the things that’ll make you feel happier and make your life better are - frustratingly - very, very hinged. They’re just the things you expect them to be: try to eat at least some veggies, fruit and fiber. Try to drink enough water. Go to bed early enough to get eight hours of sleep. Try to move your body, for example by taking walks or exercising. Avoid alcoholic drinks (altogether if possible but at least in excess). Quit smoking. Try to do at least some things in your free time that are not just passive consumption of content and instead challenge your brain, like learning a language or doing puzzles or writing short stories. Try to have at least some pleasant social interactions, ideally even in person. 

These pieces of advice aren’t fun. They also aren’t easy. I think we are so fascinated by the concept of „unhinged life advice“ because we are tired. We hope for something easier, for a magic quick fix, for a „this one little thing changed everything“ - while in reality building new habits needs patience and determination and time. 

So, I think the best pieces of „unhinged life advice“ are the ones that help to build these habits! I’ll share some of them. I’ll also throw in some pieces of advice that are just unhinged in the sense of „weirdly specific“ (since that’s another possible interpretation). 

Without further ado: 

If putting chicken nuggets in a salad makes you actually eat a salad you otherwise would never eat, then chicken nuggets are a healthy choice. 

If you struggle with eating fruit because the texture is so unpredictable, try frozen fruit (eaten straight out of the freezer). Frozen fruit has a predictable texture! 

If frozen fruit hurts your tummy or you don’t like that texture, either, here are some more ideas: make smoothies, or purée fruit and mix it into yoghurt, or purée fruit and add it to tomato sauce (sounds weird but a little sweetness can work great in tomato sauce), or bake fruit into muffins (if you cut them up very finely or blend them into the dough, they are often barely noticeable) 

Moving your body doesn’t have to look like exercise. Going on a walk (maybe to look for pretty stones on the sidewalks? or even just to get a coffee!) counts! Dancing to your favorite song (even alone in your room) counts too! Crawling on the floor like a dog (just for the silliness of it, which is also great for your brain) also counts! 

Sleep rituals can help a lot and they don’t need to be fancy! Just do the same thing before you go to bed and over time your brain will associate it with getting sleepy and calm down once you do it. This could be something like making a cup of chamomile tea, listening to soft piano music, praying or meditating, writing down one thing you’re grateful for etc., but also something whimsy like saying good night to your favorite plushie! 

A great way to get some steps in and also challenge your brain is to go to museums. If you feel like you are not the museum type because you don’t „get“ art, try this little trick: just don’t try to get it. Don’t focus on finding the meaning or find hidden symbolism for now. Instead, just try to find three things you like about the art piece. This doesn’t have to be anything smart or deep. It can be something like „I like the blue color the artist used“ or „I like how fluffy the clouds look“. This approach will help you relax and actually learn to appreciate the art… which is what you need to do in order to allow your brain to look for meanings

There’s probably at least one vegetable you think you hate but you really just hate the way your mom prepares them (no offense to your mom). It can be a fun challenge to revisit some foods you decided you hate as a kid and to see if that’s still true. 

Allow yourself to be bored. „I need to look at two screens simultaneously at all times to avoid a thought from occurring“ is not as funny in real life as it sounds as a meme. Your brain needs to be bored sometimes. Your thoughts need to wander sometimes. If that’s hard, then start by just doing certain things more intentionally: do not watch YouTube while eating. Just eat. Do not scroll through TikTok while on the toilet. Just poop. Your brain will reward you for actually getting some time to sort through and process stuff. Even if it’s just while pooping. 

Allow yourself to gameify those boring adult tasks if that works for you. Pretend to be on a cooking show while chopping onions. Sing a silly song about laundry while doing laundry. Beat your own record for speed-cleaning. Give those dishes a nice pool party in your sink. 

Reading of all kinds still counts as reading. Yes, it can be a rewarding challenge to finally finish that bestselling novel that is totally outside of your genres or interests, or that classic piece of literature that everyone should know. But if it’s too overwhelming and kinda stops you from reading altogether, then just put it aside and read something that’s actually fun for now! It can be a graphic novel or a children’s book or fanfiction or Wikipedia articles, too. 

Make lists. I may be biased because I love lists and make lists for everything (I even have a list categorizing all my lists…) but lists can be such a great tool! Any task becomes much more satisfying when you can cross it off a list.

When people say things like „someone should empty the dishwasher“ or „we should take out the trash today“, they often mean „I want you to empty the dishwasher“ or „I want you to take out the trash“. They’re not even being confusing on purpose or playing mind games, they just assume that wording it so indirectly is nicer and more polite.

If you safely can, then go to Pride events (and queer spaces in general) in small towns or rural areas! They’re often the ones who need support the most. And since they’re smaller, they can also be more accessible (in terms of less noise, less crowded etc.)

I don’t think this one is rooted in science but I’m a big fan of having little comfort items. Just little „emotional support trinkets“ or lucky charms you can carry with you and look at or fidget with when you get nervous. Of course it’s important to not fall into overconsumption with that (impulsively purchasing lots of items you then do not end up actually using or even just purchasing them for the thrill of purchasing), but, if done intentionally (only picking a limited number of items that you actually form an emotional attachment and assign personal meaning to), I believe it can be a simple way to boost happy feelings. It can also work well as your own little „secret“ Pride item! If you don’t feel safe or comfortable wearing rainbow accessories but want something to affirm your identity for yourself, it can be a great idea to assign your own meaning to something totally random. Good way to train your creativity too! 

With all my love, 

Your Tumblr Dad 

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10 years today since Obergefell vs Hodges allowed same-sex marraige across the U.S.

From Jim Obergefell himself: “We need to fight for every marginalized community, because the queer community includes every marginalized community, and equality for one is pointless without equality for all. I didn’t go to the Supreme Court just so White, cisgender, gay men like me could get married.”

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Photograph of two women kissing captioned "This is Hallie and I. Be sure and notice that it is me." (C. 1900s)

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my 4 week old kitten Breezy from Real Life was confirmed intersex today by the vet and she has ambiguous genitalia! she's also kind of bald and tiny

Breezy from Real Life is intersex, and she has ambiguous genitalia! ... she's also kind of bald and tiny for whatever reason. Hope she recovers from being Bald and Tiny soon!

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"The majority subjects a law that plainly discriminates on the basis of sex to mere rational-basis review. By retreating from meaningful judicial review exactly where it matters most, the Court abandons transgender children and their families to political whims. In sadness, I dissent." - Justice Sotomayor

Reminder that every major medical organization in the U.S. is in agreement on what age-appropriate, medically necessary care looks like for trans youth, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, the National Association of Social Workers, and more.