You’re here, you’re queer, and you wanna say it through your ride.
So you’ve moved to a new city and you’re trying to make friends. Making friends after college can be hard, and for LGBTQIA+ folks, it can be really hard to find a queer community in a new city. Queer communities have always developed ways of signaling our queerness. Historically, some of those ways have been subtle enough to fly under the radar of the heteronormative mainstream, and let’s be real for a second- safety is incredibly important, and many of us live in areas where it might not be safe to be visibly queer. Lots of folks aren’t out, or aren’t out to everyone in their lives, for any number of reasons. When it comes to finding community, we need ways to connect other than going up to someone with tattoos and an undercut and start talking about Tegan and Sara’s new album.
We spend so much time in our cars, they’re an extension of ourselves. We want our cars to express something about our identities. Bumper stickers are a cheap (often free!) way to convey a message to the rest of the world.
1. The HRC Equality Sticker
People might just think you’re a straight ally, but it definitely sends the message that you’re progressive at least
2. “Well-Behaved Women Seldom Make History.”
Fun fact, most people interpret this quote as “Well-behaved women seldom make history, so if we want to make history, we should behave in ways society deems bad.” But actually, Laurel Thatcher Ulrich meant it as “Well-behaved women seldom make history, because women are only remembered for bad reasons.”
3. “Reading is Sexy.”
Full disclosure: I own this one.
4. “Go Vegan!”
Not all queer folks are vegan, and not all vegans are queer, but in my experience, these communities tend to overlap. This bumper sticker just might get you invited to some fantastic potlucks.
5. “My other car is a broom.”
As with vegans, not all queers are witches, and not all witches are queer. But if you’re queer and into witchy things, this might be a good way to get to know your local covens.
6. “My other car is a bicycle.”
You know what else is really popular in queer communities? Biking.
7. “A Woman Without a Man is like a Fish without a Bicycle.”
True story: In middle school, I saw this bumper sticker in a Northern Suncatalog and told my mom I thought it was funny and feminist, and she said, “You know, that sounds like a bumper sticker that lesbians would like.” We probably both should have known.
8. A family bumper sticker/decal that…well, says it all.
Do they make family stickers with two ladies and a bunch of cats? Because I would definitely put that on my car. I’ve always hated those family stickers because they seem so incredibly heteronormative, but I JUST FOUND OUT that they make packages of decals that you can purchase and arrange however makes sense for you! For example, this depiction of Dana, Lara, and Mr. Piddles would look perfect on the back of a Subaru. (Too soon?) Amazon also sells a package specifically for “My Pride Family.” Personally, I derive great satisfaction from queering heteronormative things, so this wouldn’t be as fun, but you do you!
9. “Vegetarians Taste Better.”
A little forward, but hey, you do you.
10. A rainbow sticker
Direct and to the point.
11. This one.
Need we say more?
