Bloom LGBTQ+ started as a cross‑continental love story between Lennie Maré and Ninna Andersson. Today, it’s growing into a community‑driven digital space for dating, friendship, chosen family and queer belonging — built independently and shaped by LGBTQ+ voices across South Africa, Sweden and Australia.

For years, she felt like everyone else had been handed a manual for life that she'd somehow missed. In this deeply personal essay, one woman reflects on coming out in her late 30s, receiving an AuDHD diagnosis in her 50s, and finding a sense of belonging in the queer community after feeling like she'd arrived late to the party.

Alexa and Zara’s relationship began with an unexpected knock at the door and grew into a six‑year partnership defined by honesty, humour and resilience. In this intimate Q&A, they open up about their careers, their first impressions, surviving a difficult move during COVID, and the foundations that keep their love strong.

For decades, bisexual women have been pushed to the margins of lesbian feminist spaces — from separatist ideology in the 1970s to modern dating apps and community discourse. This article traces that history through archives, old LOTL issues, and lived experience, revealing how exclusion was justified, how it persists, and why solidarity between lesbians and bi+ women is vital for our shared liberation.

Travelling to Uralla for a Winter Solstice celebration becomes an unexpected moment of reflection — on ageing, queer community, regional life, and the small rituals that help us navigate the longest night of the year. Among lanterns, bonfires, and shared wishes, a sense of connection emerges in a month where acceptance has felt fragile. It might just be the most beautiful night of the year.