Represent Magazine

• Hellfire and Homophobia

  by Luck

  Names have been changed.   As a little kid, I hung around girls and envied the ones with perfect, straight hair. When I complimented their hair, they’d say, “You’re weird.”  Boys noticed too, and starting when I was 8, they called me “gay.”

• Accepting That I’m Autistic

  by Anonymous

  Names and identifying details have been changed.  Five months after I left my mom’s house and moved in with my aunt, I had to get a psych evaluation. It was one of many new things I had to face as I entered the foster care system. 

• What Family Means to Me

  by Emily Taveras

  Names have been changed. My first childhood memory is being in a strange room with other kids crying.  I entered the foster care system when I was 2 years old, and the memories I have of growing up in care are mostly fragmented, glued-together pieces.

• Taking the Risk to Trust

  by Nathalea Sky

  When I entered foster care at 16, I felt confused. The adults around me saw me as a child all over again. Now, I had a curfew. I had to obey the rules set by my agency and my foster mother.

• Learning to Trust Myself

  by Anonymous

  Names have been changed.  Growing up, I believed my family was a close one. My siblings and I spent time together, and we  traveled every year to new places as a family. We lived in an apartment in East Harlem and I felt comfortable living with my parents, who mostly seemed to care for me. 

• Finding Luck

  by Rylynn

  “I’m sorry for your loss,” Luck said sadly, patting my shoulder.  The February air was cold and the trees bare. I brushed wet leaves from the damp picnic table and laid my backpack across it like a casket. I unzipped the backpack and pulled out the battered black Chromebook, covered in scratches from my dogs.