Addiction is intersectional. It is insidious, often misunderstood, and it disproportionately affects marginalized communities. Trauma and oppression can be contributing factors to substance misuse, substance abuse, and addictive behavior. Some of us struggling with substance misuse or addiction identify as LGBTQIA. Some of us are survivors. Some of us are LGBTQIA and survivors. Some of us live in poverty or in rural areas with inadequate resources. Some of us are neurodiverse.

Some of us are in recovery and have been sober for decades, while some of us are still engaging with substances and addictive behaviors as a means of survival. Some of us are relapsing. Some of us are newly sober.

Another Closet is a collection of work by folks living at the intersections of these experiences and identities and aims to be an exercise in community building, harm reduction, vulnerable sharing, and empathetic listening.  

Coming out of the closet is a part of all of our stories—as queer and trans, as survivors—and this collection deals with the process of coming out as someone grappling with substance misuse or addiction. Coming out is risky. It’s not always easy, it’s not always safe, and it’s not always simple—most of us have to come out to ourselves before we can come out to our community.

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This is a collection of work by people who are stepping out of another closet. It is dedicated to everyone still inside.

—Laura and Kayla