Coming Out Stories: Reader Submissions

One of our semi-regular features is Coming Out Stories. Up to this point, Queereka writers have shared their coming out stories as a means of getting readers to know us better and to stimulate discussion around these unique experiences.

In an effort to get to know our readers better (and for our readers to get to know each other), we are opening up Coming Out Stories to reader submissions!

If you are interested in writing about your coming out experiences, whether they are coming out as queer, atheist, or skeptical, please read through the following submission requirements:

• Under 1000 words (this is about equivalent to 3 single-spaced typed page in Microsoft Office in 12-point font with 1” margins.)
• Post Title (It will appear as “Coming Out Stories: YOUR TITLE HERE”)
• Must adhere to the same guidelines as the comment policy regarding language use.
• Must address personal experiences of coming out as queer, atheist, or skeptical.
• Short biographical paragraph (no more than 200 words—does not count towards total word count) to be included at end of post. Be sure to include your e-mail address, website/blog, and/or social networking information if you wish these to be made public.
• PLEASE CLEARLY INDICATE WHAT NAME YOU WANT ATTACHED TO YOUR POST.
• Submissions must be attached to an e-mail in one of the following formats: .doc, .rtf, .txt.
• Any links should be placed in parentheses after the word you wish to be linked. For example: “Ever since Stonewall (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stonewall_riots), blah blah.”
• Failure to meet these requirements will result in your submission not being used.

And here’s the “fine print”:

• Copyright – You retain the copyright for the content of your post; however, by submitting it to Queereka, you give us permission to publish it on our site.
• Editing – Your submission also entitles Queereka to edit the article for spelling and grammatical errors. We will try not to alter the text beyond this, though minor edits for clarity may be necessary as well. If we want to use your story but feel that some major edits need to occur, we will get in touch with you and let you know what changes we feel are necessary.
• Posting – We cannot guarantee that all submissions will be published. Those submissions that are published will be published as part of our Coming Out Stories semi-regular feature, which goes up on Tuesday mornings, using whatever title you give it. If we decide to use your submission, you will receive an e-mail notification prior to the post going up. Please do not e-mail asking when/if we will be using your story.

If you’re interested in submitting your coming out story, send your submission in an e-mail to [email protected] (preferably with the subject line "Coming Out Story Submission"). Please double-check and make sure it meets all of the criteria above.