Someone recently asked me, "When did you know you were queer?" It got me thinking; I can’t remember a time when I didn’t know. “Queer” was a thing that I was constantly aware of being, yet constantly turning around in my palm. Examining. Leaving and coming back to. Nourishing. And whether or not I knew it in my youth, being queer influenced everything about me, because it is me.
Seeing Issue 2 come together has reconfirmed how deeply personal the queer experience is for each person. How it moves with us, changes with us, and grows with us. This issue is a beautiful encapsulation of queerness in its infinite forms. It's reminded me that sometimes, the best way to honor queerness, and queer people, is to listen. We have much to learn, and much to think about. Let's start with the writers and artists featured below.
I feel like a big part of my job as the Managing Editor of this magazine is saying "thank you." That's probably because, without fail, someone else on this team is helping me. A big thanks to Carla Wilson and Emily Goldsmith, who are the newest members of our leadership team and both talented writers themselves. Another thanks to our diligent editorial boards working behind the scenes to read each submission. And of course, a massive thanks to Cerissa DiValentino for dedicating their heart and soul to this publication. I'll never get tired of saying "thank you."
As a team, we can’t imagine a better theme for Giving Room Mag, or a better way to celebrate, and ruminate on, Pride Month. We hope this issue fills your heart up with compassion and gratitude, the way it filled ours.
Sincerely, Kelly Stohr Founding Member & Managing Editor