FREE! FREE!FREE!
AND HEALTHCARE FOR ALL
By Nik
Walker, the Community and Events Manager for the Midwest Access Coalition (MAC), dreams of a world where “abortion would be free, legal and accessible for everybody”. When Walker learned about MAC after their own abortion in 2017, they decided to get involved to help others have access to the choices they did. Walker went from a volunteer to staff, now in charge of distribution of free resources, including emergency contraceptives. Walker grew up in the Midwest and loves it, but many states have restrictive abortion policies, including Indiana, where two of their four free resource vending machines are located. The work feels good, helpful to others, “Even though I’m just like sitting in my house like depressed about everything that’s happening, like at least I’m doing something.”
Walker told me that even with their own relative privilege, the process of getting an abortion was stressful. They were sure about their decision and had familial support, but still found navigating the healthcare system difficult. And it’s getting worse, “Right next to the Planned Parenthood that I went to in Chicago is now a CPC… it looks nicer and the entrance is more noticeable than the Planned
Parenthood.” Crisis Pregnancy Centers (CPCs) are far-right organizations that try to persuade or even trick individuals into not having abortions, making the work of reproductive healthcare access even more important.
Walker believes it is important for all of us to use the correct language when talking about abortion access. “It’s very simple to talk about abortion and reproductive healthcare without using the word ‘women’…. There is so much gendered language in this movement.” People of any gender can need an abortion, and all should have access to one. Walker reminds me that reproductive rights are inexorably tied to trans rights, and the two ask for the same thing: access to healthcare. Healthcare is already expensive and inaccessible, but both abortions and gender affirming care are facing an additional hurdle: the law. “Gender affirming care is being attacked in the same way that abortion was/is…they’re using the same exact laws just… replacing ‘abortion’ with ‘trans care’.”
For Walker, being trans is an asset to the work, “The movements have begun to really intersect a lot, and I think it’s really important for me to be a trans person doing this work… with the lens of how we can expand it to include gender affirming care.”
ASS-TROLOGY
And the perfect holiday dish to pair with your holiday woes
By Alejandra
Aries - cranberry sauce: It's time to bust out that can opener and open up. The rewards are sweet on the outside.
Taurus - pumpkin pie: Covered in whipped cream or on your own, it's okay to indulge in pleasure.
Gemini - green bean casserole: You've got a lot going on. Take things one bite at a time.
Cancer - latkes: Your warmth comes in many shapes and sizes, but is always appreciated and seen by those around you.
Leo - honey glazed ham: You are a delight at parties, but be mindful of your words and don't go squealing any secrets that aren't yours to share.
Virgo - mashed potatoes and gravy: Find the balance between the different parts of yourself.
Libra - tamales: Don't forget to bundle up! The world may be cold, but there is always warmth within.
Scorpio - dinner rolls: Dinner wouldn't be complete without you, and neither would the people that love you!
Sagittarius - turkey: Great time of year to get stuffed. You're hot stuff, flaunt it.
Capricorn - stuffing: You're everywhere and in everything this season, take some time to stay inside and relax.
Aquarius - string beans: Soften up, the season is hard and cold enough to get through.
Pisces - sweet potato casserole: Skip the marshmallows, no need to sugar coat things for other people. Let them hear what you mean.
THE VOID YELLS BACK
At times, we may experience moments of deep emotion that require yelling. But where to yell? Yell here: into The Void. And The Void yells back advice!
Question: Dear Void, how does a night owl learn to become the early bird?
Answer: Dear Late Night Owl, have you tried dismantling the entirety of society so you are not, in turn, forced to be up early? Worked for me
Question: Dear Void, what should I make for dinner?
Answer: Dear Dinner Maker, you should make a ruckus. Been a while since you've indulged in a little bit of chaos.
Void Tip for the unassuming reader dreading the holiday season: Try blowing bubbles.
2025 YEAR IN REVIEW
By The Cryptids
Best
Being the hottest person in the ICU when I had sepsis.
Middle
All the deviled eggs I ate this year.
Worst Getting sepsis.
Best
Seeing real snow for the first time, I’m 33 and from south Louisiana. The last time we saw any winter weather to write about I was 13
Middle
Fracturing my right foot on the last step of my front stairs. Going to the hospital in an uber and then trying to cheer myself up with a treat from steins deli only for it to be closed but the owner letting us in anyway and making me a bag of pickles to go.
Worst
selling my beloved fiat my mom affectionately called my fiatza while comparing it to jelly beans and various fruits a hungry caterpillar could eat to the carmax salesman.
Best
hiking in (gorgeous) Bryce Canyon, and a stranger generously giving me some water after I ran out :)
Middle
I baked bread a handful of times. It was fine but took so long and not better than store bought
Worst working for City of Little Rock “homeless services” for 3.5 weeks (I quit because the work did not actually help people!! ACABiHS)
Best
a summer full of pride, drag, queer chosen family, whimsy, creation, finding myself while lost in the woods, and not getting enough sleep.
Middle
approximately 12 cigarettes.
Worst
the bone chilling cold that is yet to be at its worst, and 5pm sunsets
fill in yours here?
TOO TIRED TO READ
By Vice
There is one month left in 2025. How’s your annual reading goal coming along? Well guess what, even if you’re very far off, you’re doing great. Because life is… hard. The world feels like it’s crumbling around me and I don’t think I am alone in this feeling. When things are bad, even activities that are usually restful can feel like a chore. I’ll open a book, stare at the first page, and simply disassociate for a while. Sometimes that’s what I need, and if that’s what you need, try to go easy on yourself. Not accomplishing your reading goal is not a moral failing. But! Sometimes you need to knock yourself out of that funk. Here are some tips and tricks I like to use to get back into the swing of things.
Reread an old favorite. That chapter book from fourth grade that you’ve read 50 times? Read it again. You already know what happens, it’ll be an easy read, and you know you love it. Let it ease you back into reading. I read The Giver by Lois Lowry almost every year, and I get something new out of it every time.
Pick up a graphic novel. They’re not just for kids, and they’re not just for anime
nerds (though I read kid’s graphic novels and manga quite often). Your local library probably has a whole bunch, with a wide variety of genres and themes. They are a great way to get that book count up, and feel accomplished by reading a whole book in an hour or so. I recently finished The Chromatic Fantasy by H. A., a sexy tale about a trans man that escapes a nunnery by fucking the devil… Ya know, just normal trans man things.
Switch it up. Reading a play counts toward your reading goal. Audiobooks count toward your reading goal. Short stories count toward your reading goal. The goddamn Cheesecake Factory Menu is listed on Storygraph as a log-able book. You can count whatever you want, bestie.
Adjust your goal!! If the goal is genuinely unaccomplishable at this point, change it! Make it something you can accomplish in the next month. You won’t get a bad grade. You won’t be judged by your peers. No one will even notice that it changed. The only thing this will do is make YOU feel a sense of accomplishment when you do hit the goal. If you finished just one book this year, you still read more than most people. You’re doing great.
NOTE:
You may or may not have noticed that there was no inqueerier last month. We were running late, considered writing an issue about rest, and IDK but it felt like praxis to actually rest instead. Plus, rest is necessary. Whether it is productive is immaterial. We do not exist to produce.
Love y’all <3
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HUGE THANK YOU TO MY AND ALEX FOR THEIR MENTORSHIP AND HELP WITH THIS ISSUE :)