While 2021 was a year of intense ups and downs for the world, Tagg readers stuck with us through it all and we continued to love producing new content about everything lesbian, queer, and under the rainbow for you. From celeb interviews with Kat Barrell and Niecy Nash to recaps of every episode of The L Word: Generation Q to the latest news in fashion, politics, TV, and sports, these were the 21 articles with the most clicks on our site in 2021 listed in order with the most popular at the top. Subscribe to us in print and stick around in 2022 to see what’s next.
1) Creativity, Growth, and Pride: Kat Barrell Is Poised to Shine Bigger Than Ever
Sarah Neilson’s feature profile of Wynonna Earp actress Kat Barrell made the cover of our May/June print issue and also snagged the number one spot for our online articles published in 2021.
2) Tok Girl Summer
The cover story of our July/August print issue highlighted eight of the most popular LGBTQ+ TikTokers who have won over the hearts of #LesbianTikTok.
3) “Wheelie Queen” Lakeyria Doughty Charged with Murdering Her Girlfriend
Our first article of the year was sadly about a murder in the community. Lakeyria Doughty, known for her role on Charm City Kings, was charged on New Year’s Day 2021 with the fatal stabbing of her girlfriend Tiffany Wilson.
4) 8 TV Shows with LGBTQ+ Characters Returning in 2021
From Batwoman to Supergirl, television had some exciting queer characters in 2021.
5) Finding Devotion on the Inside and Out: A Prison Love Story
Monae Alvarado is a transgender woman who was incorrectly housed in a men’s prison where she met her now-husband, cisgender man Adriel Alvarado. Tagg published their story of love and hardship in March.
6) Georgia Representative Park Cannon Charged with Felony at State Capitol for Knocking on Governor’s Door
Park Cannon is a queer member of the Georgia House of Representatives who knocked on the door of Gov. Brian Kemp on March 25 while he signed a bill into law that would restrict voting rights in Georgia. She was arrested on the spot by three officers and was released from jail hours later.
7) Girls5eva is 5 All of Us, Even Queer Viewers
A new musical comedy from Tina Fey, Girls5eva, premiered May 6 on Peacock, starring Sara Bareilles (Waitress), Renée Elise Goldsberry (Hamilton), Paula Pell (Saturday Night Live), and Busy Philipps (Freaks and Geeks), as members of a one-hit wonder girl group from the 90s as they reunite during the present day. Tagg‘s review loves on queer rep.
8) The L Word: Generation Q Round Ups
Can you believe The L Word: Generation Q Season 2 aired just this year? We still don’t know if there will be a Season 3, but we still have Becca Damante‘s recaps to relive last season.
Episode 1 / Episode 2 / Episode 3 / Episode 4 / Episode 5 / Episode 6 / Episode 7 / Episode 8 / Episode 9 / Episode 10
9) Sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson Secures Olympic Team Spot in Hair Color Her Girlfriend Chose
Though Sha’Carri Richardson didn’t end up getting to go the Olympics to represent the United States, the moment she qualified was a moment for celebration.
10) The Six Secrets to Financial Success
In a tough economic year, readers were looking for financial advice like how to create a plan.
11) Queer Black History: Queer Women Activists
We celebrated Black History Month in February, lifting up the names of queer women like Audre Lorde and Lorraine Hansberry.
12) The Drab Reality of Amazon’s New Show Tampa Baes
The first promotional image for Amazon’s Tampa Baes, following a crowd of lesbians in Tampa Bay, raised concerns about the show’s lack of diversity.
13) The History of Lesbian and Queer Weddings on Television
January 2021 marked 25 years since the first sapphic wedding aired on American television, the Friends episode in which Ross’s ex-wife Carol married her partner Susan. Tagg‘s September/October print feature on the history of lesbian and queer weddings took us down memory lane on shows like Queer As Folk and The Chi.
14) Soul Sisters
Riah Gonzalez-King’s tribute to her friendship with Morgen Hunt is a touching homage to trans women’s connections and power.
15) The Butch Boudoir Project is a Platform for Butch People to Be Unapologetically Themselves
Graphic designer Gabby Horner and photographer Graciela Valdes empower butch and masculine people through intimate images. There’s still time to buy their 2022 Butches in the Wild calendar.
16) LGBTQ+ Black History: Josephine Baker’s History as an Unforgettable Activist and Actress
Josephine Baker is one of modern history’s most incredible, versatile figures. She was a spy for the Resistance against the Nazis in Europe as well as a prominent activist against racist policies in the Unites States, all while being world-famous as a dancer, actress, singer, and entertainer adored by millions.
17) The Betts Is Yet to Come
Emmy-winning actress Niecy Nash (aka Carol Denise Betts) and her wife, musical artist Jessica Betts, married in August 2020 and graced Tagg‘s November/December 2021 issue. Their feature interview covered how they fell in love, their views on marriage, and what upcoming projects fans can look forward to.
18) 8 Queer AAPI Women Creators You Should Know
From screenwriter Marin Lepore of web series I Put the Bi in Bitter to MacArthur Genius Grant winner Wu Tsang, keep your eye on all eight of these queer or transgender Asian American or Pacific Islander women media creators.
19) Women You Should Meet (W.Y.S.M.): Simone Egwu
Get to know Simone Egwu, social justice and antiracism consultant and bartender at D.C. lesbian bar A League of Her Own, in our ongoing series Women You Should Meet.
20) Ahead of the Curve is the Story of Franco Stevens, Curve Magazine, and Lesbian Visibility
Ahead of the Curve is a 98-minute documentary about the early days of lesbian magazine Curve, founded in 1990. It’s now available to stream online.
21) Breaking Gender Norms: Mainstream Invisibility of Black LGBTQ+ Fashion
Photo: Paul Smith/Featureflash. Right: No Sesso at 2019 NYFW © V Magazine
When Harry Styles wore a dress on the cover of Vogue in November 2020, many called it groundbreaking. On the other hand, Billy Porter pointed out that he “had to fight [his] entire life to get to the place where [Porter] could wear a dress to the Oscars. All [Styles] has to do is be white and straight.” Kelly McDonnell wrote about who gets praise for pushing the gender binary in fashion in her January 2021 piece that rounds out our list.