As the end of January nears and we begin to settle into 2022, it’s time to take a look back at some of our favourite articles from last year. Here’s a top 10 list of our editors’ picks for 2021, featuring pieces on everything from queer history to My Chemical Romance, Justin Bieber and Korean drag.

Our online editor EK Lewis’s picks for 2021:

Image: Author’s own

Melbourne’s Tasty raid: Learning the history of queer culture and resilience by Christina Karantonis

A thoughtful reflection on queer nightlife and the importance of knowing our shared history.

Image: Monika Kozub

Period stories: On mothers, slaps and shame by Başak Yirmibeşoğlu

A personal account that sheds light on the stigma surrounding menstruation in contemporary Turkey and the young women fighting to overcome it.

Image: NeONBRAND

Plants, queerness and mental health: The joy of growth by Dani Leever

A wonderful meditation on healing, growth, and the ways we find comfort in the process of both.

Image: SanderStock

Conversion therapy: Leading and leaving an ex-gay ministry by Kim Kemmis

A haunting account of the experiences that led a gay man to facilitating, and eventually leaving, an ex-gay ministry.

Image: splendens

Queer childhood, exploration and innocence by Hugh Coldwell-Ross

A tender, luminous piece of writing in which the author recalls his experiences as a child on the cusp of adolescence.

Our deputy online editor Dani Leever’s picks for 2021:

Friendzone endzone: Manic pixie dykes under the male gaze by Alex Creece

An engaging and nuanced exploration of an overplayed heterosexual trope with a keen queer lens.

Image: Christian Bertrand

My Chemical Romance: On queer emo friendship by Vince Ruston

This extraordinary piece reminisces on the author’s emo youth, while brilliantly exploring the attachment so many queers feel to My Chemical Romance.

Image: Kikki Creative

Wog Boys: The patron saints of bisexuality who inspired my drag by Chiara Gabrielli

A humorous and stirring piece that dives into growing up, culture, internalised misogyny, coming out and how a drag king persona seamlessly weaves them all together.

Image: Phil Stafford

Justin Bieber and my trans masculinity by AP Pobjoy

This wildly captivating piece invites you into the author’s gender journey and love of Justin Bieber, allowing you to see pop music in a whole new (queer) light.

Image: kzenon 

Celebrating my Korean-Australian identity at a drag bar in Seoul by Ellie Freeman

A sentimental reflection on race, identity and queerness that is bursting with love and tenderness.

What were your favourite stories of last year? Do you have any feedback for the Archer Magazine team? Get in touch with us here!