Author, actress, muse of photographer Nan Goldin, Cookie Mueller pops up throughout American counter culture. Writer Amelia Abraham explores a life less ordinary.

Illustration by Constantin Prozorov

A chance meeting with photographer Robert Mapplethorpe and his then girlfriend Patti Smith at New York's iconic Chelsea Hotel would change the course of artist David Croland's life forever. 

Illustration by David Croland.

‘I was Journalist, 'Queen of Teen' and multi-award winning author Juno Dawson shares the inspiring life of 'gender outlaw' Kate Bornstein.

Illustration by Gordon Flores.

'Quiet as it has been kept, the LGBTQ movement has been ongoing for nearly 100 years. Often left out of the history, many of the leaders of our past including James Baldwin, Alice Walker, and Duke Ellington identified across the sex and gender spectrum; these narratives only discussed long after the heights of their careers.'

Illustration by Constantin Prozorov

Aimee Philips writes about her club kid days and friendship with living artwork and pop culture icon Amanda Lepore. 

Illustration by Constantin Prozorov

Digital artist Richard Dodwell explores his complex relationship with the work of painter, and sister of Virginia Woolf, Vannessa Bell: 'I suppose I first encountered Vanessa on one of those grey, windy afternoons when one is skint and finds themselves walking around a large national art gallery...'

Illustration by Elena Durey.

'There are certain people who make things possible that were not before. If you’re fortunate, you’ll learn about the lives and legacies of those who made your own life possible. '

Illustration by Elena Durey.

'The day he died, I went through emotions I had never felt before. I recall calling my Aunt whose favorite artist was Prince. We were talking and then it hit me like a ton of bricks. I began crying uncontrollably and said, “He was the first person I remember being just like me and now he’s gone.” '

Illustration by Elena Durey.

'There's nothing more that i find more sad in a way, than people not living their full truth or not trying to explore what their truth is and how they could make themselves happier if they were not being so hard on themselves and trying to look like the kardashians.'

Illustration by Elena Durey.

'I first encountered Derek in his garden. It was a glossy photo book with images of marine plants and strange, contorted metal sculptures sticking out of the shingle at violent angles, some with witch stones hooked around their jagged ends, like strange mementos that a ghost from the sea had left.'

Illustration by Elena Durey.

"Eileen Myles schooled me in the imperfection of womanhood. She taught me that to be a woman included being lousy, lazy, angry, oafish, slutty, awkward, unkind… and yes, still resplendent."

Illustration by Elena Durey

'To know things beforehand is the antithesis of being gay, after all. We never know anything ahead of time. Our own sexuality is just something we eventually discover then come-out with, and our heterosexual friends/family members tell us about how they, “already knew.”'

Illustration by Sam Russell Walker.

'I was a radical, a revolutionist. I am still a revolutionist. I was proud to make the road and help change laws and what-not. I was very proud of doing that and proud of what I'm still doing, no matter what it takes.'

Illustration by Elena Durey.

Musician and Spector frontman Fred Macpherson writes about the band and scene that opened his mind and challenged his preconceptions about gender and sexuality.

Illustration by Elena Durey.

'Lavinia Co-op is a drag queen with a very forward thinking line of enquiry. Now in her mid 60’s Lavinia continues to find joy in her dressing up box.'

Illustration by Elena Durey.

“I’m a prisoner of language that doesn’t have a letter or a sign or gesture that approximates what I’m sensing,” wrote the American artist, author and activist David Wojnarowicz, contradicting himself.

Illustration by Elena Durey.

Anthony Oliveira shares the ancient love story of two warriors who come together against a backdrop of war. A tale of loss, kingship and familial betrayal that resonates through time.

Illustration by Elena Durey.

'On the 50th Anniversary of the Decriminalisation of Homosexuality, Author and Gay Liberation Front Member Stuart Feather Looks Back On Life As A Young Gay Man In 50s’ Yorkshire, The Gay Rights Movement of the 1970s, And Discusses His LGBT Activism Today.'

Illustration by Elena Durey.