Bachelor in Paradise

Commitment to me has always meant offering up all of my energy and emotion and everything to fulfill expectations and make everyone as happy as possible. Nowhere was there space for my own happiness, my own interests, my own life.

I find special days incredibly stressful because I want so badly to have every second feel special, when in reality it's just another day. Anniversaries, holidays, birthdays: they always disappoint me.

Learning to accept Vegas for what it is — Sin City, lost wages, the gambling and marriage and divorce capital of the world — must happen to enjoy its sinful fun.

I learned so much from "Bachelor in Paradise," a show where a bunch of rather interesting singles go on an island to get married.

So, one small step for a queer couple, one giant leap for the queer community, right? I’m not convinced. Reality TV is such an influential part of today’s media landscape.

Crocs. Trash men being on this season of “The Bachelorette.” These are just a couple of the things that have been going on for too long.

To misquote Jane Austen, “If a truth is universally acknowledged, that a young girl in possession of any kind of media, must be in want of a better body.”

“The Bachelor” franchise is about heterosexuality — it’s not a show that knows how to handle LGBTQ+ identities. The franchise is so rooted in the heteronormative “romantic love” of a cisgender boy proposing to a cisgender girl at the end of the show that anything outside of that formula does not compute.