firsts

Two people's hands interlocked as they sit across from each other at a table.

February 27Science

‘I contain multitudes’: Intersections between gender euphoria and sex

Many of us remember the genderbread person from Tumblr days of yore and know that gender doesn’t equal sexuality. But what about when they come together and influence each other for the better?

Gloria Klein, Photos by Saumya Kamra

A person in a red top and plaid skirt holds a book over their hips.

February 27Science

It's time to talk! How @hello.vulva lubricates conversations around sexual health online

In a world where every online search can yield thousands of results, it can be challenging to access accurate and easy-to-understand health care information.

Vicky Nguyen, Photos by Saumya Kamra

Two girls smiling and sitting in front of a movie screen, one of them cupping the other's face with her hands. Their faces are slightly blurred from movement.

February 27

The lesbian masterdoc (UBC edition)

Generations of confused teenagers have turned to the lesbian masterdoc, a scripture for the women-loving-women community, to answer one of the world’s greatest mysteries: am I a lesbian?

Gloria Klein, Aisha Chaudhry and Elena Massing, Photos by Saumya Kamra

A girl with blonde hair lights a cigarette in the mouth of a girl with dark hair, both of them leaning against a pole

February 27

Google, how do I untie the knots in my heart?

In my first year of college, I decided to go to a drag show for the first time.

Tiana Khandelwal, Photos by Saumya Kamra

Two people about to kiss and holding each other's faces. There's a glass brick wall behind them.

February 27

First steps

For as long as I can remember, the idea of ‘family’ has been an entanglement of comfort and tension — years of feeling torn between what I thought a family should be and what it actually felt like.

Anonymous, Photos by Saumya Kamra

Hands holding a book open, with snow in the background.

February 26

Me, my parents and the elephant in the bedroom

I was a smart kid. I read above grade level and teachers called me a pleasure to have in class. But as the lady flipped through pages and talked about body parts in a cheery voice, my forehead furrowed deeper and deeper.

Joyce Park, Photos by Saumya Kamra

A person with long light brown hair and tattoos leans over another person who has long brown and red hair. There is a shelf of books in the background.

February 26

How Queer sex ed is taught — and how it should be

Rory Sexton was living in Texas when she first received any form of sexual education — if you could even call it that.

Aisha Chaudhry and Elena Massing, Photos by Saumya Kamra

A person with dark curly hair in the reflection of a car's rearview mirror. Another person's hand cradles their face.

February 26

The right way to lose your virginity

For some people, it’s with a high school boyfriend in the back of his Honda Civic. For others, it’s with a stranger you met in college, or even on your wedding night with your new spouse.

Olivia Vos, Photos by Saumya Kamra