The Ache Beneath the Ice
Aziz Mirza Aziz Mirza

The Ache Beneath the Ice

Heated Rivalry gives us something rare in queer sports stories: joy that is not naive, and masculinity that is not reduced to either toxicity or sainthood. It shows men learning to touch, tell the truth, and choose each other anyway. In witnessing their tenderness, ambivalence, and resilience, we are invited to recognize our own. And in that recognition, there is something quietly healing; an affirmation that longing, vulnerability, and love are not weaknesses, but deep forms of queer strength.

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NEW YEAR, SAME ME.
Charles Last Office Administrator Charles Last Office Administrator

NEW YEAR, SAME ME.

Some folks find the new year to be an exciting time to set new resolutions and make positive changes in their lives, and that’s fantastic! Many of us, however, find this time of year to be extremely challenging for various reasons. Some of us are navigating feelings of loneliness or grief, recovering from busy holiday plans, being away from home, trying to get back into routines ourselves and/or supporting others to do so, and experiencing seasonal impacts on mental health, physical health or daily functioning. All of this while navigating some of the coldest and darkest days of the year doesn’t exactly make for an ideal foundation to set new goals or habits, when many of us are barely hanging on to our existing routines. Many folks find they have more capacity to set goals and make changes in the Spring, when the days are longer, brighter, and many parts of nature around us are waking up from winter hibernation.

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Back to School After the Holidays
Charles Last Office Administrator Charles Last Office Administrator

Back to School After the Holidays

Bears are not updating their LinkedIn profiles right now.
Squirrels are not circling back on emails.
And no mammal thrives under fluorescent lighting at 8:30 a.m. while being asked to perform cognitively complex tasks.

And yet, here we are. Again.

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Queering the Back-to-School Ritual: Bringing Your Whole Self to Campus
Charles Last Office Administrator Charles Last Office Administrator

Queering the Back-to-School Ritual: Bringing Your Whole Self to Campus

“But I also carry the familiar question: how much of myself can I safely bring into these spaces? Will I have to brace against microaggressions or silence some of my most important parts, especially as pressure, threats, and sometimes outright violence from white supremacists, transantagonists, and misogynists increases?

Here are a few practices that I return to over and over again.”

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WHY DO I FEEL THIS WAY???
Charles Last Office Administrator Charles Last Office Administrator

WHY DO I FEEL THIS WAY???

Why questions can get us stuck in a loop - here are some different things to ask ourselves about our predicaments.

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Tips For Navigating Summer When It’s A Lot
Charles Last Office Administrator Charles Last Office Administrator

Tips For Navigating Summer When It’s A Lot

Summer is officially here and for some of you that may look like kids being out of school and juggling that with work or time off. Maybe you’re someone who enjoys the chaos of summer, or maybe you’re pre-emptively overwhelmed by the expectations and high activity.

In this post we’re focusing on having a more fulfilling summer without depleting your energy reserve and being a bit more mindful of the autopilot decisions that can creep in. 

Here are some things to think about that might help you take care and have fun sustainably in the summer heat!

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“The birds, insects, and plants do not judge us for being ourselves here.”
Charles Last Office Administrator Charles Last Office Administrator

“The birds, insects, and plants do not judge us for being ourselves here.”

“I have come to value gardening (or horticulture, if we’re going to get fancy about it) for its therapeutic and practical value in my family's life. If I am being honest, it offers more therapeutic value than practical crops, as I am no expert in this field. Casual gardener feels like a better descriptive title - low pressure and no expectation. The garden is a freeing place for me.”

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Queer Attachment: Expanding Paths to Connection and Belonging
Aziz Mirza Aziz Mirza

Queer Attachment: Expanding Paths to Connection and Belonging

Queer attachment reminds us that love, trust, and stability are not confined to a one-size-fits-all model. They thrive in the spaces where we are truly seen, deeply valued, and free to exist as our most authentic selves. Expanding our understanding of attachment doesn’t just affirm queer experiences, it invites everyone to reimagine what it means to connect, care, and belong.

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Queer Attachment: Expanding Paths to Connection and Belonging
Aziz Mirza Aziz Mirza

Queer Attachment: Expanding Paths to Connection and Belonging

To queer something is to challenge the rigidity of what is expected and what is assumed to be “normal.” The term “normative” refers to what is usual and expected simply because it’s usual. Queering mental health means not only challenging heteronormativity but also examining the subtle ways in which queer people are expected to conform to a different set of norms—often in ways that replicate rigid binaries.

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Queering COVID Safety
Charles Last Office Administrator Charles Last Office Administrator

Queering COVID Safety

We can make the changes we need to to help our communities feel safer and more inclusive, and to keep ourselves healthy!

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Coping with Queer Estrangement: The Families We Don’t Choose
Inquiries (Our Landing Place) Inquiries (Our Landing Place)

Coping with Queer Estrangement: The Families We Don’t Choose

Navigating estranged relationships with parents as a queer person can be especially challenging, particularly around holidays like Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.  These holidays, meant to honour parental bonds, can feel bittersweet or even be a painful reminder of what’s missing for those who have faced rejection, misunderstanding, or conflict due to their sexuality or gender identity. Here are some ways to cope with estrangement.

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