Our identities are inextricably linked to our voices and the words we choose to speak, which were celebrated with the written and spoken contributions in our “Worth of Words” series • Art ℅ Franz Falckenhaus
Be My Friend Pls: Shooting Your Friendship Shot with Internet Friendships
Alright, how do I phrase this without sounding like I’m asking her to join a pyramid scheme? • Collage ℅ Tyler Spangler
The Limitation Game: How Counting My Calories Caused My Disordered Eating
I’m learning to reacquaint myself with a body I disassociated from • Collage ℅ the author
Periods, Cramps, and Cysts, Oh My!
The sunken feeling of isolation and discomfort about my body was heightened by the lack of period talk I had growing up • Photo ℅ Man Repeller
Worth of Words: On Code Switching as a Black Immigrant
My family would say, almost with a pitch of joy, that I sound “white”, but I’d say that I simply sound lost. I’m in search of a tongue, one I can truly call my own, that I lost at the age of four • Photograph ℅ Gabriela Mendez
The Adult Male Gaze of Alt Teen Queens
The tragic part of this scenario is that exactly no one was surprised at adult men’s ease in sexualizing a high-school-aged girl • Photo ℅ Hoof Print
hEy COol GiRls! Stop Calling Other Women Boring
What’s frustrating about the term “basic” is that it is exclusively used to define people who identify as womxn • Illustration ℅ Laryoo
Worth of Words: Who Can Claim (and Reclaim) Queer Language?
As someone who’s openly and vocally queer, straight people often try to connect with me through queer culture • Photo source unknown ℅ Pinterest
A Reflection on My First Pride, Two Months Later
This pride is all encompassing and intersectional and it lasts, unwaveringly, all year long • Photograph ℅ Jesse Chamberlain
Worth of Words: My Life Between Languages
English wasn’t my first language. The very first words I used to communicate were in a mixture of Turkish and Karachay-Balkar • Collage ℅ Pablo López Bueno
The Trials, Tribulations, and Successes of Navigating Queer Online Dating
In this longform piece, Lead Camp Counselor Natalie Geisel uncovers the history, trials, and tribulations of the online queer dating scene • Illustration courtesy of Autostraddle
Worth of Words: Disentangling the Mental Effects of Western Supremacy Through my Accent
The other kids spoke like they ostensibly belonged — belonged with each other, belonged at school, belonged in Canada. Their English flowed and lilted, like music to my ears; my English sounded broguish and inelegant and choppy • Art ℅ “Oh Eun Bi” by Shon Ji Min
Are You The One’s Kai Can’t Handle Emotional Responsibility, But We Kind of Get Why
If you’ve kept up with MTV’s latest sexually fluid season of Are You The One, then you’re already familiar with the transmasculine nonbinary heartthrob that is Kai West. If not (seriously, hurry up), let me quickly fill you in • Image ℅ Kai West
Understanding Chronic Illness Through the Lens of Friendship
When you become friends with someone, there is no way of knowing what hardships they will go through. Your friendship should be one of love and support, which may manifest itself in different ways, especially when things don’t always go according to plan • Art ℅ Pierre Marie Vitoux
Worth of Words: You Don’t Know What You’ve Lost Until It Is Gone
Growing up, my rare disease took almost everything from me: my ability to walk, to attend school, to regulate temperature, the list goes on • Collage ℅ Tyler Spangler
Feminist Porn: Oxymoron or Feasible Possibility?
In this longform piece, Camp Counselor Elena Phethean investigates “Can porn and feminism coexist?” • Photo ℅ Unbound Babes, which you can shop here
Worth of Words: "Talking White" As a Black Person
First and foremost, there is no such thing as talking white. Using this phrase perpetuates the stereotype that black people as a whole talk improperly • Collage of Nina Simone ℅ Victoria Villasana
Manic Pixie Dream Girl: When A Patriarchal Trope Becomes Your Teenage Role Model
The problem is not with whimsical, adventurous, artistic and unconventional women; the problem is with writers who think these women only exist to further the storylines of men • Film Still ℅ The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
“Euphoria” Tackles Two of the Most Critical Gen Z Issues with Sheer Honesty
In lieu of its season finale airing on Sunday, Euphoria celebrates queerness and candidly illustrates the harsh realities of anxiety and addiction • Photograph ℅ HBO
Worth of Words: Lesbians, Womxnhood, and Language
In the end, as fraught as lesbian history is, our terminology has served to foster community among a group of women who are often misunderstood, mocked, and ridiculed by the outside world • Collage ℅ Fleur Maya