Dese'Rae L. Stage Photography : Tumblr

I'm Dese'Rae L. Stage, and I'm a Philadelphia based artist, public speaker, and suicide awareness activist. I'm the creator of Live Through This, a series of portraits and stories of suicide attempt survivors across the United States. Live Through This has been covered by The New York Times, Upworthy, The Associated Press, and more. I speak about my experiences with suicidality and self-injury at universities and conferences nationwide. I've written for Cosmopolitan, xoJane, and The Huffington Post. I'm internet famous because I got legally [gay] married, and subsequently legally [gay] divorced. Barf. There was also that Glenn Beck thing. And that weird sex scandal when I was younger. I live with my wife and our cobbled together menagerie of pets. I'm consistently drawn to good books, good coffee, text as visual art, and the long, drawn-out process of turning my own body into a quietly inked pictorial memoir.

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Sand is confusing. #babbystarcia (at Marble's Children's Museum) https://www.instagram.com/p/B07BZ9nDsCQ/?igshid=md3zx4b5ydpf

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Seemed like a good place to put him. #babbystarcia (at Marble's Children's Museum) https://www.instagram.com/p/B06xVGVjkAx/?igshid=1xjsd1wqehogm

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Slip and slide, pt. II #babbystarcia (at Louisburg, North Carolina) https://www.instagram.com/p/B04K4AdjeI-/?igshid=1m2aco38wyki9

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Slip and slide, pt. I #babbystarcia (at Louisburg, North Carolina) https://www.instagram.com/p/B04KrCUjM-S/?igshid=b3zpup0q9z5v

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Theo and Pappy. #babbystarcia (at Louisburg, North Carolina) https://www.instagram.com/p/B04Jl2-jWVN/?igshid=13jrz4mn2rtng

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This one’s fillin’ out. #babbystarcia (at Louisburg, North Carolina) https://www.instagram.com/p/B04JCHfDFOj/?igshid=19jy0o72hd43h

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Uncle Zachy makes him very tall. #babbystarcia (at Louisburg, North Carolina) https://www.instagram.com/p/B0zwP0hDSzb/?igshid=zmjxbmus04or

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👩🏻‍🚀👨🏻‍🚀🚀🌖💫 #babbystarcia (at Louisburg, North Carolina) https://www.instagram.com/p/B0zWfDHD5xe/?igshid=i6pn7e7fyx3q

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Needs work. #babbystarcia (at Louisburg, North Carolina) https://www.instagram.com/p/B0zTICwDAoM/?igshid=xoofkhwzevjz

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Best way to watch TV? In a drawer. #babbystarcia (at Louisburg, North Carolina) https://www.instagram.com/p/B0y9qUqD09O/?igshid=x7axhb6av62b

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This could’ve been cute, but Theo clearly loves the outdoors about as much as I do. #babbystarcia #indoorsy (at Louisburg, North Carolina) https://www.instagram.com/p/B0y9ESwD_07/?igshid=11mw4lpzgc3wv

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Big people cups. #babbystarcia (at Louisburg, North Carolina) https://www.instagram.com/p/B0wZuTsDDDF/?igshid=tuztfm2xzy0w

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A year ago today: my final #IVF embryo transfer. I guess my little Theo embryo thought my uterine lining was fluffy enough, so she decided to stay. #babbystarcia https://www.instagram.com/p/B0vpeOPjU84/?igshid=125fhjb5wx7sb

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At a McDonald’s somewhere in Virginia. #babbystarcia https://www.instagram.com/p/B0usH5bjb5a/?igshid=cfcox38hewtk

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This tiny human has a growth explosion in the past week. She’s HUGE, and she’s doing all sorts of new stuff. #babbystarcia (at Dumfries, Virginia) https://www.instagram.com/p/B0uKxwEDlSf/?igshid=c15japola8z3

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Boobs. (at Papermoon Diner) https://www.instagram.com/p/B0uKR8Yjp9C/?igshid=f52bw3ulc2yg

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Tickle bug gonna getcha. #babbystarcia (at Fishtown Scissor Shop) https://www.instagram.com/p/B0txTOljS2n/?igshid=1l5tdnk2oreow