At its heart, LYT is a call to action for healing. It is imperative that as we move forward in reimagining how our systems function, we also think critically about who they function for.

It is important for me to make sense of who and where I come from, so that I may be more thoughtful in how I treat others and live my life now. I’m not here to scold anyone out of asking the next person they meet, “What are you?” But, remember that human beings are not a “what.” We are a “who.” And, we may still be figuring out just who we are.

I loved him in the way you can love something even when it’s no longer there. The way you miss someone who has died and you know, just know, this is how things are and there is no explanation why things happen the way they do. That’s what first loves are — they are the feeling of everything and nothing at the same time.

Time and time again, Black women have shown that they can carry not only their families but the world on their shoulders. And Mimi and my mom do that in their very own kitchen. 

Even when the apology is really strong - the victim’s voice is heard and statements of good faith, growth and forgiveness, are laid out - we’re applauding a former abuser for a rhetorically effective apology. We risk giving perpetrators a second chance to hurt people just because we think it’s unfair to strip “good” guys of their title, one they “earned” without doing any real work in the first place. We treat women as collateral damage in the coming of age stories of “otherwise good” men.

I ignored my passion for writing because I did not think it would take me anywhere. I thought about what kind of stable careers would help me live a comfortable lifestyle during my middle school years. Writing was not that career.

“Drive was an indicator of what was to come: a rock-based musical sound, cryptic yet accessible lyrics, and catchy melodies.”

“The taste of bone stalled my anxiety. My teeth are in my mouth.
Stress dreams after beautiful sex taste like chicken tacos and Jamaica. One without the other? It could work? One could fall asleep calm and collected? But the taste of my stress dreams refuses to disappear from my restless mouth.”

“Within this particular shoot the aim was to showcase the strength and dedication within the art of pole dancing. Whereby the body itself becomes almost a sculptural art piece. It is also sometimes viewed as a subject of controversy, some could even say ‘tasteless’ (which it shouldn’t be) due to its sometimes sexual connotations. Realistically it is an art form, in which art and sexuality come together. It is a beautiful way of expression and takes more strength than a lot of people realize.”

Following drag performers has inspired me to do anything I want with my look, regardless of whether some influencer thinks it’s chic. Sometimes that means wearing glossy pink eyeshadow to Target, sometimes it means looking like an extra in an 80s movie, and sometimes it means dying my hair green to look like a swamp creature.

The photo series is about the concept of femininity and vulnerability. Being comfortable in your own skin inside and outside your home in front of people and alone. B/W and living in color. Franny’s place is somewhere we all used to hang out at and create art and be free before the pandemic. Franny’s comfortablilty in her own skin is admirable.

I remember I spent a lot of time hoping nobody would notice that I was Black. This is a side effect of youth: a profound, exhaustive need to be liked. I did not want anybody to realize I was Black—or that I liked One Direction, or that my favorite color was pink—because I wanted  badly to be liked.

I found myself with even more questions. Am I American, even when I’ve never felt fully American? Or am I Mexican, even when I’ve never felt fully Mexican? Am I Mexican Indigenous, even when I don’t know what that means? It’s like looking in a mirror and being faced with different personas, not knowing which one is the real you.

“We want to be fluid because our stuff is from another dimension. It's not from here. There's no male or female where we come from. There are no bodies where we come from. It’s frequency in space traveling through some notion of time, that's also irrelevant here. We try to show that. That's the inclusivity; nothing that you see matters. What you hear matters. How it tickles your wormhole.”

Flamango Bay is an LA based indie band from the Bay Area that features Ikaika (18, she/her) on guitar and vocals, Bodhi (18, he/him) on Bass, Georgia (18, she/her) on vocals and guitar, and Dash (18, he/they) on drums.

I always knew I was different from my dance mates. I was a shy child and would rather nail steps down than waste time with the girls in the back row. I was the polite exemplar student, who got a break from doing planks because "Sanai is the only one who behaves!" Despite all this, I never got to stand in the front row. When the dance studio owner would peek into class, she never complimented me, never told me my kicks looked great, like she did Anna, Madeline, and Jessica.

Barbara Chavez is a half Ecuadorian, half Guatemalan videographer from Artesia, California. Barbie shared the origins of her art, what it’s like being a woman in a male-dominated field, and meaningful advice for pursuing creativity.

A Gen-Z guide to the American election

“Burgundy has always been my favorite color. Interestingly enough, it’s one of both my mom & pop’s favorite colors too. When we were all a family together, we had a burgundy Volvo 740. Then when [they] split, my mom took my brother, sister, myself, & the burgundy Volvo. When we had nothing, not even our own place to call home, we had that burgundy Volvo.”