welcome, friend.
I am so glad that you’re here.
My Dear Queer brings everything I love to the page: illustration, storytelling, truth, queerness, and frequently cats.
how it started
I’ve always been a visual artist. I’ve also always been a writer. For some reason, I assumed that I had to keep both of these mediums separate. And that I couldn’t do both at the same time.
When struggling to find the best way to tell a very vulnerable story in July of 2024, I did what I knew best: I pulled out some sketch paper and I started to write. Turns out the images wanted to come, too.
What resulted was a piece from the heart and the hand that, for the rest of 2024, remained my most-read post. It was deeply gratifying to have so many kind eyes on such an important story.
But it was even more amazing to have discovered visual storytelling — now my preferred and favorite way to talk about what I like to call the Things that Matter.
who will love this?
My Dear Queer is for:
my LGBTQIA2S+ family
allies
feminists
illustrators, artists, poets, & storytellers
cat lovers (& allies)
activists, art-ivists, & advocates
and anyone who loves any/all of the above
and what is MDQ, exactly?
My Dear Queer is visual (and sometimes, not visual) storytelling about the things that matter. This includes
long-form visual essays like this one
LITTLE HOPES like this one
every Friday compilations of things I loved that week like this one
I don’t paywall my content — in fact, I don’t offer paid subscriptions — and donate 10% of any monthly readers’ tips to the Trevor Project and Trans Lifeline.
Every My Dear Queer piece is unique — and always drawn by hand.
(Yes, that means that the typical post takes 8-20 hours to create, from drafting to publication. It’s worth every single minute.)
Always, MDQ is personal. It’s authentic and honest. It’s unconventional. It’s brave. It’s edgy, for some. I tell anyone I’m getting to know that reading My Dear Queer is the quickest and most assured way to get to know me.
My Dear Queer is also always a celebration, a prayer, a poem, a stand-up bit, a lifeline, a bit of softness — especially right now, given what we queer folx are up against.
It’s my gift to all of us, wherever “us” is at any given moment in time. I hope it makes you laugh. I hope it makes you think.
I hope, above all else, that it makes you feel seen. I am committed to cultivating safety and seenness in every piece of art I create.
subscribe and see what I mean
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Most subscribers receive 2 long-form visual stories a month. And maybe, maybe, a cat pic or two.
xo,
Bardette
