I absolutely agree that the people I want to read on Medium are the UNpolished, UNprofessional writers who tell the truth about what life is really like from their pov. I've been sold to my entire life, and I'm sick of commercialization. Real writing matters to me. I'm thrilled to be able to access Black voices, LGBTQ voices, ex-evangelical voices like yours, Shannon, and others that aren't familiar or available to me in mainstream publications. I'm also glad to be able to publish my own work and seek new readers directly, without having to get past gatekeepers. I do wish that people who like my work (followed me) could find it more easily, and that more of the membership fee went to writers. Maybe when Medium stops spending the $ on big pubs, they can better distribute the wealth.