Writers are turning to the Gay & Lesbian Review / Worldwide for a rare, welcoming opportunity to share queer nonfiction and poetry without a submission fee. Open year-round and available worldwide, the call particularly welcomes personal stories that capture identity, community, change and the beautifully untidy details of LGBTQ+ life.
Essential Takeaways
- No submission fee: Writers can send work without paying to enter.
- Open all year: There’s no seasonal deadline, making it easier to submit when a piece is ready.
- Personal stories wanted: The online column welcomes essays about identity, family, healthcare, work, culture and queer joy.
- Broad range of voices: LGBTQ+ writers from marginalised, rural, working-class, Disabled, neurodivergent and Global Majority communities are especially encouraged to pitch.
- Email submissions: Send a brief cover letter, links to previous work and the piece or pitch to the web and social media editor.
A welcoming home for queer personal essays
Some submission calls feel like a locked door with a tiny keyhole. This one is more inviting. The Gay & Lesbian Review / Worldwide is accepting nonfiction and poetry from LGBTQ+ writers, with its weekly online column, Here’s My Story, offering a particularly clear route for personal essays and pitches. The publication’s archive shows a continuing interest in intimate, first-person work rooted in lived experience. According to the Gay & Lesbian Review’s online listings, the column has featured stories across a wide range of queer lives and identities. [2]
The emphasis isn’t only on dramatic turning points. A first gender-affirming haircut, an awkward workplace conversation or the quiet relief of finding the right community can all carry emotional weight. That’s good news for writers who have something meaningful to say but don’t see themselves as having a conventionally “big” story.
What kinds of stories are they looking for?
The call names themes including chosen family, intersectionality, autonomy, queer joy, ageing, pop-culture awakenings, family building, queer spaces, professional code-switching and healthcare. Together, they suggest a publication interested in the full texture of LGBTQ+ life, not just its crises. The Gay & Lesbian Review has also published work engaging with subjects such as bisexuality and changing understandings of identity. [6]
That breadth matters. A story about coming out can sit alongside one about parenting, a lost nightclub, a beloved film or the exhausting business of deciding whether to come out again at work. The strongest pitch will probably focus on one vivid experience rather than trying to explain an entire community in a single sweep.
Why the open-ended format could suit busy writers
There’s no fixed closing date, and simultaneous submissions are allowed. That makes the opportunity practical for writers who are revising a memoir excerpt, testing a personal essay idea or waiting for the right moment to send a piece into the world. The publication’s broader editorial output shows an appetite for thoughtful cultural and personal writing, rather than a narrow house style. [4]
The call is also open to writers at different stages of their careers. You don’t need to have a book deal or a shelf of prestigious bylines, although the submission should still be polished and purposeful. Include links to any previous work, but don’t let a modest publication history stop you from pitching.
How to make a stronger submission
Start with the moment that still feels warm, awkward, funny or unresolved in your memory. “I want to write about queer healthcare” is a subject; “the appointment where I had to explain my own body before receiving treatment” is the beginning of a story. Specific details give an editor something tangible to respond to.
A concise cover letter should explain what you’re submitting, why it suits Here’s My Story and whether the work is previously unpublished. Send personal essays and pitches by email to [email protected]. For poetry, check the publication’s separate writers’ guidelines before submitting, as the requirements may differ.
A useful opportunity for distinctive voices
The call’s invitation to BIPOC and Global Majority writers, Disabled and neurodivergent writers, and people from rural or working-class backgrounds is especially significant. Queer publishing is strongest when it reflects the differences within LGBTQ+ communities, rather than presenting one polished, interchangeable version of queer experience.
The Gay & Lesbian Review has a long-running interest in documenting queer culture, history and lived reality, including work connected to friendship, AIDS and community memory. [5] For writers with a story that feels personal but also speaks to a wider shift in how people live, love and belong, this could be a thoughtful place to begin.
It's a small, accessible step towards putting a queer story into the world.
Source Reference Map
Story idea inspired by: [1]
Sources by paragraph: