every little sorrow, every little joy

+ some MDQ updates

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More than anything, I want my readers to feel seen in the stories that I share and the art that I make. If this piece resonated with you in any way, it would mean the gay world to me to have your continued readership — if you aren’t already a subscriber, please consider becoming one.

My stories are illustrated by hand, always, and this means that my pieces each take roughly 8-20 hours to create. That’s enough time to decide to adopt another cat, mow several lawns, or agonize over a Bumble swipe! Consider honoring the value of this time with a little tip to keep my local Asheville cafe in business. xo

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My friends,

In the last ten days, so much has happened - the unspeakable. The horrific.

But also the extraordinary.

• My Dear Queer broke the 200 subscribers mark (!!) - and is quickly approaching 250 (!!). My goal for MDQ in 2025 is to surpass 1,000 subscribers. Help me get there?

• I published my most-read post to date as a call to action for our collective thriving in the face of targeted attacks against survivors, migrants, refugees, trans and gender nonconforming folks, and the broader LGBTQIA2S+ community.

• I have met, read, and connected with a gorgeous number of queer voices here on Substack.

• I have witnessed every activist in my life acquire new fire, fresh and justified rage, and a renewed commitment to building a healed and compassionate world free from violence, inhumanity, and hate.

• My cat Sampson got through his dental cleaning last week — and pulling of four teeth — with flying colors. For those of you who know how essential my firstborn cat is to my emotional and spiritual well-being, this is huge.

In line with these extraordinary things, I’m excited to announce two major changes to My Dear Queer:

1) Amplifying Queer Voices

Every My Dear Queer piece in future will now feature 3-5 queer voices I especially loved that week.

This is part of my mission to amplify queer voices here on Substack, because queer voices are imperative. Queer voices are beautiful. And queer voices will carry us through this.

If you are a queer voice I have not yet met, I want to amplify you! Please reach out via direct message or post a comment below, and I’ll add you to my line-up of weekly queer reads.

2) My Dear Queer will be Donation-Only

I recently signed this open letter taking a stand against Substack’s enabling of hate speech, especially transphobic and queerphobic speech.

Given that I anticipate this issue to be ongoing, My Dear Queer will no longer offer paid subscriptions. Instead, those who wish to honor my time and my art can feel free to donate to me directly.

I will be donating a minimum of 10% of each month’s donations to Trans Lifeline and The Trevor Project (suicide prevention for LGBTQIA2S+ young folx) for the indefinite future, and all other donations will go towards supporting queer and trans artists and creators here on Substack or locally in my community (and occasionally pens, markers, and paper for yours truly).

I’m with you, always.

xo,

Bardette