Why subscribe?
Find, accept and explore love and commitment among gay, lesbian and trans people in queer relationships.
This is a platform for us to share personal stories of struggles and happy endings, of poor romantic decisions and how we try to make better and better ones. It will include interviews and advice, and seek to provide insights to those just starting out in their lives as well as highlight the queer elders who have figured out how to thrive. It will span queer couplings, pansexual polycules, asexual romantic relationships and the multiplicity of ways we put ourselves together.
Why The Queer Love Project?
The Queer Love Project was founded by writer, editor and instructor Jerry Portwood in the summer of 2024. As the Executive Editor at Out magazine (2011-2015), he published thousands of pieces about LGBTQ+ people on a variety of topics, including launching the first Love Issue in February 2012 with Editor Aaron Hicklin—which got shelved as “porn” in multiple newsstands because it showed two men (husbands Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka) nuzzling on the cover. He’s made sure to queer every place he’s worked, starting at Creative Loafing in Atlanta (2001-2003), where he published a cover story on drag queens in the city titled “Power of the Wig.” During his time as Editor in Chief of New York Press (2006-2011), he launched weekly personal essay columns (“Flavor of the Week” and “8 Million Stories”) that resulted in thousands of emerging writers getting their start and many were optioned for books and movies. While at Rolling Stone as Digital Editorial Director (2016-2021), he not only grew the staff into a more diverse and robust news room, they covered a wide array of progressive topics, such as trans youth finding happiness in the South and how queer communities were organizing during the Covid pandemic.
Whether through interviews, personal essays or other formats, he’s always amplified the queer experience—especially the political act of expressing our love for one another openly in defiance of persecution. The Queer Love Project is the next stage in that editorial mission: to share our stories and create an archive for others.
At the moment, all Queer Love Project essays and content is free to read and will be emailed to subscribers weekly. In the future, paid subscribers to this newsletter will receive exclusive access to bonus content—so stay tuned!
From Editor Jerry Portwood:
“Over the years, I’ve been obsessed with interviewing couples about how they made it work: old, young, transgender, interracial, celebrities, full-time military, families with children. I was thrilled to meet Edie Windsor, Jim Obergefell and other notable people who had been fighting legal battles for human rights for us all. I wanted to hear all the reasons they decided to tie the knot — or not.
“I seek for this newsletter to be a platform for us to share personal stories of struggles and happy endings, of poor romantic decisions and how we try to make better and better ones. It will include interviews and advice, and seek to provide insights to those just starting out in their lives as well as highlight the queer elders who have figured out how to thrive. It will span queer couplings, pansexual polycules, asexual romantic relationships and the multiplicity of ways we put ourselves together without role models in family lineage or media or mainstream culture.
“Same-sex and queer relationships are not the same as heterosexual ones — and shouldn’t pretend to be — and we must never forget that. In fact, it’s time to come out and celebrate it.”
Read his full post that sums up the mission of The Queer Love Project.
How to Submit
The Queer Love Project is open for submissions from all interested writers. We publish essays that are original and not previously published on any other platforms.
Topics: We accept personal essays that reveal heartbreaks, happiness, secrets, reflections on coming out, sexual encounters and the realities of dating. The intersection of families and other versions of “love” all make sense to answer the question: “What do you know about love?” There should be a clear take away from the experience, so it’s not just an anecdote but shows that there was some growth or lesson learned. Think “Modern Love”—but only queer stories.
How to Pitch: You must be a subscriber to pitch! Pitches should include a working headline (it’s a good idea to use that in your subject line as well), two to three paragraphs that summarize (outline) why the story matters. Also give a bit of biographical information—which means that you should tell us a little about who you are and why you're the right person to write this story. Is it pegged to a current event or something people are talking about? Make sure to include that as well.
Format: Attach your completed essay as a word doc and also paste it in the body of the email below your pitch. Use Times New Roman or Arial font at 12pt for ease of reading.
Word length: 1,200-2,000 words is ideal. Longer essays are not currently being accepted due to time constraints.
When to expect a reply: We hope to reply within 5 days from first submission. Do not follow up before that time. We hope to offer feedback and edits for your essay. If you haven’t heard back within 7 days, please feel free to reply to your original email so that it is threaded with your original pitch email.
We do not publish: Any content that was written by or with the assistance of generative AI
How can I contact the Queer Love Project?
To contact the Queer Love Project and Editor Jerry Portwood
email us at queerloveprojectsub@gmail.com
To learn more about the tech platform that powers this publication, visit Substack.com.
