Amanda Doulos is a digital editor for Love What Matters based in New York City. She will graduate from Binghamton University with a Bachelor of English Literature and Spanish in Spring 2023. She loves staying involved as vice president of the mock trial team and secretary of Spanish Honor Society. In her free time, she loves reading, traveling, and spending time with friends.
“I craved a level of intimacy in which he wasn’t capable of giving. He’d say, ‘If you want that, you need to be with a woman.’”
“I should have listened to my body.”
“I knew I was gay around 14 years old. However, because of homophobia and lack of tolerance for people with disabilities, I kept my mouth shut while SECRETLY falling in love many times.”
“At 5 months postpartum, we got shocking news—surprise, we’re pregnant again! I was terrified at how I, at 21, was going to manage raising babies 14 months apart.”
“‘Sit down. I don’t know when you’re going home, STOP asking.’ They were admitting me because I wasn’t getting along with my mom.”
“The doctor said the baby’s heart was strong. I was pleading, telling him, ‘The baby is not well, HELP! Ignoring my cries, I was sent home.”
“We show the kids just because we aren’t IN love, doesn’t mean we can’t still SHOW love and be a family.”
“I’m a mother when I need to be because I’ve set boundaries. We have an open relationship where we can talk about everything. She trusts me. Even though she’s my daughter, she’s such an inspiration.”
“I choked down an orange while holding back tears. I felt so weak for getting help, for eating an ORANGE. It was one of the bravest steps I’ve ever taken for myself.”
“The days of having a perfect, tidy home are gone, but the mess is daily proof that every needle plunged into my skin, every surgery, every hateful comment, and every disappointment was completely worth it.”
