Something a Little Different from QueerDispatch

Recently, I’ve been developing QueerDispatch.

It’s a WordPress blog running on the same infrastructure as BigCloset TopShelf, focused on queer and LGBTQIA2S+ news, trans-focused coverage, and sometimes a bit of local New Jersey news too.

The site started several years ago as OutsideTheCloset, and now lives on as QueerDispatch. For about the past two months, I’ve been posting almost daily — I think I’ve only missed four days total — and it has been rewarding to watch people start connecting with the work.

A lot of what I cover is heavy. Some of it is painful. Some of it is urgent. Even when the news is “good,” it often still comes with a sharp or complicated edge. That is part of my voice, and part of the editorial voice of the site.

But this piece felt different.

“Power went out, the community turned on” is still very much written in my voice, but it comes from a softer place. It is not exactly lighthearted, but it is heartwarming. It is about one of those brief, ordinary moments that reminds you what it means to live alongside other people and simply be human together. When my wife read it, it made her cry.

That felt like a good reason to share it here too, because sometimes we all deserve something nice.

You can read the full story here: Power went out, the community turned on.

P.S. Don’t forget to check out the Style tab on the right side of the screen to find a visual version of the site that works best for you. And definitely take a look at our BigCloset TopShelf theme—it’s a little homage to this space.