A Letter from our Editor in Chief

photo courtesy of JJ Tonaka

A sneak peak at what’s to come in Jerk’s newest print issue, Pride Edition! Coming out so so soon in November (pun intended.) Happy National Coming Out Day!

When I was 16, I wrote the piece that made me pursue journalism. It was not for my high school newspaper, although I was an editor on that (because of course I was)-- it was an in-class assignment for my AP Lang class. As soon as I heard the prompt at the top of the hour, I began smashing the keys on my school-issued Chromebook. In a flash, 750 words were done, sitting pretty in Times New Roman 12 point. Google Classroom had never seen a paper submitted so quickly. My chest burned with pride, a writer’s high. My teacher, who I adored, pulled me aside after the bell rang. “I want to talk to you about your assignment,” he said. I tried to steady my breathing. Had I messed it up in my excitement? “It’s… really good. You should consider submitting to something, like a magazine.” 

The prompt for that piece was “tell a true story.” My piece was entitled “A True Coming Out Story.” 

As you’ll read in the issue, I came out as a lesbian when I was 12 years old, and I’ve been writing since I could hold a pencil. So it was a natural progression that I ended up writing about it and then realized I could write about it professionally. Then, I got to Syracuse and began writing for my major and, more importantly, Jerk. 

And, well, here we are, with an entire issue about LGBTQ+ identities and community. If you’ve made it this far, then I should thank you. Soon enough, you’ll be reading my senior thesis project for SU’s Renée Crown Honors Program. Aside from the serendipity that both my first-ever magazine-style piece and my capstone piece are about the same topic, this issue and the representation of diverse LGBTQ+ people are indescribably close to my heart. 

You know what else is important to me? The fantastic members of Jerk, many of whom are LGBTQ+ and many of whom are not. They represent people from across the country, the LGBTQ+ community, and the SU community. These are their true stories and the true stories of those in all our communities. 

 Telling the rainbow (pun 1000% intended) of stories from across the community brings visibility to it and highlights just how unique each of us is. As state and federal governments across the country and the world continue to abuse LGBTQ+ people, it is of utmost importance that we uplift each other, and we can start by listening to each other. As you read, I hope you keep in mind that each person’s true story is unique and ever-changing, and that some truths for some people are not true for others. I also encourage you to reflect on your own stories and always keep your eyes open for new ones within you and around you. Who knows? Maybe those true stories will lead you to the places you were meant to be. 

With love and Jerk always,

Zoe Glasser

Editor In Chief

(she/her/hers)