Stonewall Gazette

As part of the mission on Stonewall Gazette to highlight independent blogs that may be of interest to the gay community, I've created the #Blog2BlogLuv column. Today's post features gay writers. If you have a blog suggestion please contact me here. Happy reading!

Shane Smith, Editor, Stonewall Gazette


The Characters Who Wouldn’t Shut Up!

I never intended to write a sequel to Nate and the New Yorker but it wasn’t up to me to make that decision. Somehow, Nate and his friends demanded a second outing.

Originally I wrote the first novella because my publisher at the time pointed out that, regardless of the books many of us like to write, it’s romance and erotica that sell.

So I wrote my version of a romance story to make more readers know about my work. It worked, except for the die-hard romance genre fans. It didn’t fit the mould. And boy, they let me know it.

On the flip side I’ve also received some great reviews for that story and somehow, shortly after its release, Nate, Cameron, Lucy and Ben were calling from my subconscious. There was more to their story, and they wanted me to continue putting them in the spotlight. Continue reading at Kevin Klehr, Novelist


Rainbows & Unicorns, or Truth in Fiction

I, like most writers with a modicum of self-control and a soupcon of good sense, don’t comment on reviews. But I do read each and every one. Mostly out of curiosity.

I’m genuinely curious about what readers think of my work, of the stories I chose to tell, of the words I choose to tell them with—and yes, I realize that can be two very different things.

I realize reviewers write not for writers but for other readers to either steer them to books they liked or away from others that somehow disappointed them. I don’t read reviews to learn what readers want—I decided long ago when I started writing seriously that I wasn’t writing to market but rather writing the stories that burned in me and let the market find me. Continue reading at Larry Benjamin, Writer


Uncommon People: The Rise and Fall of the Rock Stars

Lately, I’ve been wondering why I have no interest in the music that’s being made today. Is it because most of today’s music is being made by and for 19-year-old girls (I hesitate to call them women) or is there some other reason?

Fortunately, David Hepworth has explained it all for me (and you) in his cleverly written and endlessly fascinating new book, Uncommon People: The Rise and Fall of the Rock Stars. To put it simply: there are no more rock stars.

I had already gathered as much when I recently went to see a show of rock star photographs by Michael Zagaris at the Milk Gallery in New York City.

It suddenly dawned on me as I looked at pictures of Robert Plant, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, David Bowie and others: I had lived through the last era of rock stars! Continue reading at Paul Hallasy, The Gay Curmudgeon


MORE #Blog2BlogLuv (World AIDS Day Edition)

Harvey Milk, Sally Ride, George Takei | Illustration by Allie Kolarik

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Written by Hank Trout


“The Movement saved my life.”

With that simple declarative statement, the first sentence in the preface to his long-awaited and just-published memoir When We Rise: My Life in the Movement, Cleve Jones begins to open up his life to us. And what an extraordinary life it has been. We sat down to chat, one long-term survivor of HIV/AIDS to another, about the movement then and now, what we’ve learned and, importantly, what remains to be done.

Cleve was born in 1954, “into the last generation of homosexual people who grew up not knowing if there was anyone else on the entire planet who felt the way that we felt.” Continue reading Hank Trout's great interview with Cleve Jones here.


RELATED Harvey Milk Protégé, AIDS Quilt Creator Cleve Jones on Queer Activism in the Age of Trump

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Written by Karen Iris Tucker


Bullies roamed his high school gym class, so Cleve Jones feigned a chronic lung ailment and retreated to the library. It was on one such occasion that he flipped through the magazine that likely saved his life. A headline piqued Jones’ interest: “Homosexuals in Revolt!” It topped a Life report on the nascent gay liberation movement that was taking root in New York and California. The year was 1971.

“I’m pretty sure that was the exact moment I stopped planning to kill myself,” Jones, 62, says in his new memoir, When We Rise: My Life in the Movement. “I took the pills I had been hoarding from their hiding place and flushed them down the toilet.” Until then, Jones says, he had thought there was no one else like him on the planet.

From there, Jones takes readers on his thrilling, if perilous, voyage from fey, long-haired teen hitching his way from his home in Arizona to San Francisco, to becoming the mentee of Harvey Milk, one of the first openly gay elected officials in America. Jones survives San Francisco’s viciously homophobic police in the ’70s and, later, the AIDS epidemic that took his dearest friends. In the process, he helps mobilize the anguished, fiery momentum of LGBTQ rights in the United States and also conceives the Names Project AIDS Memorial Quilt. His life story continues to impress; When We Rise is credited as an inspiration for the ABC miniseries of the same name that is expected to premiere in February 2017. Jones was a historical consultant for the TV project but says he hasn’t yet seen it.

It seems only fitting to talk to Jones, a grass-roots political firebrand, at a time when the election of Donald Trump feels like a massive setback for progressive, pro-LGBTQ policies. Describing himself variously as “terrified” and “heartbroken” by the results, Jones is nevertheless unbowed: “The next person to tell me we survived Reagan and Bush is going to get slapped.” READ MORE

RELATED Gay Rights Pioneer, Cleve Jones, Covers A & U

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"I cannot do this book justice by a long shot," writes the Gay Comic Geek in his review of the new anthology comic "Love Is Love" published by IDW and DC Comics. Gay Comic Geek shares: "This book had me crying from page one with the listing of all 49 people that died as a result of this shooting. The book itself has such a deeper meaning with the central theme of love being the main focus. It is a great book and I recommend everyone take the time to read through all of the stories donated to this book. The proceeds of this book will benefit the victims, survivors, and family of those that were lost. Have a box of tissue ready, it is a tearjerker." Watch the video below for the full review.

In a previous post I told you about "Love Is Love" the new graphic novel honoring the victims of the Pulse Nightclub Massacre. Out actor Matt Bomer (American Horror Story, White Collar) wrote a contribution to the anthology. Bomer says that he's 'proud to be a part of Love Is Love'. See the full page below.

To honor the victims of the Pulse Nightclub Massacre a comic anthology has been created called, "Love Is Love". Organized by out writer Marc Andreyko and published by IDW, the 144-page graphic novel features some top tier writing talent: J.K. Rowling, Patton Oswalt, Matt Bomer, Damon Lindelof, and Taran Killam. 

DC Entertainment has fully backed the project which will incorporate many iconic DC characters, some of which are LGBTQ themselves. Also featured will be characters from Archie comics, and thanks to Rowling, Harry Potter himself! According to Entertainment Weekly, "All the work and art produced for the anthology’s 100-plus stories has been donated, with the proceeds from sales of the comic going to Equality Florida’s fund to benefit the victims and survivors of the tragedy, as well as their families."

Entertainment Weekly's Nivea Serrao spoke with Marc Andreyko about what the process of working on this anthology has been like for him. Enjoy the excerpt below.

Nivea Serrao: There’s a diverse range of contributors, not just in terms of identity, but also comics-creating experience, included in the effort. Why was that important for you?

Marc Andreyko: Because this tragedy affected everyone to some degree, it was important to have diverse voices: gay, straight, trans, male, female, black, white, Latino, Asian… Diversity is a wonderful thing and I wanted the book to reflect the makeup of the culture. And comics experience wasn’t a deal breaker. I wanted people from every group who all had specific points of view.

Nivea Serrao: How would you describe the impact on readers of seeing big name characters like Superman and Poison Ivy, or even Harry Potter and Kevin Keller from Archie featured in this issue?

Marc Andreyko: It is hugely important for gay kids who might not be out or in a safe space to live openly to see their heroes and the publishers of these heroes telling them that they are not just okay, but are valued and loved. Representation is important for those of us who aren’t fortunate enough to have familial support or live in a big city. Having DC, Archie, and Harry Potter in this book could quite literally help people at risk know that they are loved.

Nivea Serrao: What is the biggest takeaway you want readers to have?

Marc Andreyko: Simply that, as the title says, “love is love.” We should all be lucky enough not only to love someone but to be loved in return. No one should be threatened or scared about other people loving one another. Love should be celebrated and encouraged.

Written by Pip Ellwood-Hughes


UK writer Susan Mac Nicol has teamed up with writer/actor Nicholas Downs for a new novel, Sight Unseen. Based on a screenplay written by Nicholas Downs, Sight Unseen has been adapted into a novel by Mac Nicol. The book will be released on Jan 26th, 2017.

The synopsis for Sight Unseen:

A stolen weekend in the Florida Keys drove 17 year olds Nate and Cody to a deeper and hotter connection than either could imagine. They were meant to be together. Then for reasons only Nate knows, they weren’t.

Now best friends, the yearning remains, despite the long-ago secret that drove them apart. When tragedy strikes, they find themselves in the dark and must grope their way back to who and what they are…and what they are meant to be.

You can follow Susan Mac Nicol on Twitter
You can follow Nicholas Downs on Twitter

Sight Unseen is available to pre-order from Amazon now.

WATCH VIDEO


Caroline McHugh gave an interesting talk about "The Art of Being Yourself" which I found to be very thought provoking and well worth the time to watch. Enjoy!

You can follow Caroline McHugh on Twitter

WATCH VIDEO: Caroline McHugh "The Art of Being Yourself"

Written by Jenny Brewer


Gay dating app Grindr has produced and published its first book, called Home, by photographer and filmmaker Matt Lambert. In the publication, the Berlin-based, LA-born Matt explores “intimacy and youth, focused on LGBTQ narratives”. Home was art directed and designed by Studio Yukiko.


Grindr commissioned the book to explore the role of “safe spaces, both physical and virtual, in the development of LGBTQ+ identity”, it explains. “In the wake of the Orlando massacre, with the vitriol of the 2016 US Presidential Election, and in a world where more than 75 countries still criminalise being gay, LGBTQ rights are in a precarious position. READ MORE

You can follow Matt Lambert on Twitter

Andrew Holleran reviews "Francis Bacon in Your Blood" by Michael Peppiatt. 
"One of the things we learn from critic Michael Peppiatt’s memoir of his decades-long friendship with the British painter Francis Bacon is that the way Bacon met his lover George Dyer in the 1998 film Love Is the Devil is not how it happened in real life. In the movie, they meet when Dyer (played by Daniel Craig) comes crashing through the skylight of Bacon’s (Derek Jacobi) studio during a robbery attempt," writes Andrew Holleran. "In fact, Bacon tells Peppiatt in Francis Bacon in Your Blood, Dyer simply saw the painter and his pals in a club in London and introduced himself, because they seemed to be having a good time." READ MORE

Andie Castillo reviews "Three Truths and a Lie" by Brent Hartinger
"I like mystery. The allure to secrets and deception have always drawn me in," writes Andie Castillo. "Recently, I was sent Brent Hartinger‘s upcoming psychological thriller, Three Truths and a Lie, and can I just say…holy fucking shit, holy fucking shit! I was not prepared for what I read. Just when I assumed who the culprit was, Brent blindsided me with something new — which is what a good author should do. I enjoyed that rush of adrenaline of reading about four friends in a cabin in the woods in the middle of a temperate rainforest." READ MORE

You can order Brent Hartinger‘s "Three Truths and a Lie" HERE

You can follow Brent Hartinger on Twitter

Written by Shane, Editor of Stonewall Gazette


Photographer Luke Austin recently published his booklet, Bed 2. Austin says, "It was originally just a fun little idea that I never expected it to get as big as it did."

Written by Shane, Editor of Stonewall Gazette


A new book by Clayton J. Whisnant "The Growth of Urban Gay Scenes, Berlin’s Gay and Lesbian Bars," from Queer Identities and Politics in Germany: A History, 1880-1945 tells the true stories of gay life in Berlin, Germany.

Read an excerpt here:
As early as the turn of the century, Berlin’s gay scene was attracting such notoriety that it frequently was mentioned in tourist literature, lifting up the city’s gay scene as proof of the evils of urban life and the dangers of modernity; in them, Berlin became the country’s Sodom and Gomorrah put together, a sure sign of the land’s degeneracy.

Clubs full of men wearing powder and rouge as well as shorthaired women dressed in tuxedoes offered images of a world seemingly turned upside down. For the general public, this world was bewildering—and quite possibly terrifying.


For Germany’s gay men and lesbians, though, Berlin represented promise. Its gay scenes offered exciting places to hunt for love and happiness. Christopher Isherwood, whose short stories based on his stay in Berlin eventually became the basis for the 1972 film Cabaret, with Liza Minnelli, put it simply enough: “Berlin meant boys.”

Magnus Hirschfeld, a Jewish German physician, sexologist and pioneering gay rights advocate, was well acquainted with Berlin’s scene and commented on the diversity among the bars. He observed that each bar “has its special mark of distinction; this one is frequented by older people, that one only by younger ones, and yet another one by older and younger people.” READ MORE

ABC TV in Australia has a new four-part drama Barracuda, airing on Sunday nights. The series is based on the novel by author Christos Tsiolkas. The book and the TV series deal with issues such as bullying, sexual orientation, race and culture. Tsiolkas shares that the story has been a passion of his since Australian swimmer Daniel Kowalski came out as a gay man in April 2010.


Olympic medal-winning swimmer Daniel Kowalski [pictured above] didn’t feel comfortable enough with his sexuality to come out to his closest friends and family until three years after retirement from elite competitive sport. His struggle was at the forefront of Tsiolkas’ mind when he sat down to write Barracuda, as were the rumours swirling around a then still-in-the-closet Ian Thorpe. READ MORE

A big congratulations to writer Victor Yates on winning the Lambda Literary Award - LGBT Debut for his novel, "A Love Like Blood".

"What a year it has been. And, none of it would have happened, if I continued to listened to the voice of doubt. Self-doubt and pessimism plague me on a consistent basis,"said Victor Yates. "However, after I published my novel, a number of miracles happened. I was nominated for a Lambda Literary Award for LGBT Debut Fiction."

Looking for LGBTQ-inclusive children’s books? Try some classics that are available free online. Open Library, a project of the non-profit Internet Archive, www.archive.org, has the goal of creating one Web page for every book ever published—but also has a free e-book lending library that includes these children’s books featuring LGBTQ parents. Once you register for a free Open Library account, you can borrow up to five titles for two weeks each.
READ MORE

What a great resource!

Some of the available titles include:

• Zack’s Story: Growing Up with Same-Sex Parents, by Keith Elliot Greenberg; photographs by Carol Halebian. 1996. 
• Daddy’s Roommate, by Michael Willhoite. 1990. 
•  Heather Has Two Mommies, by Lesléa Newman. 2000. 
•  Gloria Goes to Gay Pride, by Lesléa Newman. 1991. 
• Love Makes a Family: Portraits of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Parents and their Families, photographs by Gigi Kaeser; edited by Peggy Gillespie. 1999. 
• Two Moms, the Zark, and Me, by Johnny Valentine. 1993.

“Gay neighbourhoods—even in a societal context of full legislative equality—still provide a buffer against discrimination in matters such as housing or in the workplace.” - Amin Ghaziani 


UBC sociologist Amin Ghaziani, author of There Goes the Gayborhood?comments on how gay neighbourhoods seem to be disappearing in large cities thoroughout North America. "According to Ghaziani, these trends are evidence of increasing equality. This, in turn, allows gays and lesbians to move out of their sanctuaries to other areas, an exodus accompanied by the arrival of more straight people in traditionally gay neighbourhoods."

"In C.J. Pascoe's research with teenage boys she concluded that the word f@g does not relate to sexuality, but rather it is used as a form of discipline to encourage peers to perform masculinity in a very specific matter. She explores this idea in her book, Dude, You're a Fag: Masculinity and Sexuality in High School,"writes Renee at Womanist Musings.

Pascoe's controversial research and subsequent analysis created debate about the merits of her book with some of the readers over at the blog, Womanist Musings. Below are a few excerpts from the comments section. The author, C.J. Pascoe, discusses her book in an interview. Check out the video (with transcript) here. After reading the transcript of the interview join in the discussion. What do you think about her book?

Julianreal said:

I find her analysis, as presented in this video, anyway--and this is only a seven minute video, so I get that--to be stunningly superficial. This to me is like someone saying "d*ke" is used by girls not as a put down of girls with a socially degraded and despised sexual orientation, but "to police femininity"--as if lesbians don't exist and are not deeply shamed and self-esteem-injured by the term when it is used as an insult by non-lesbians. She's basically telling us--correct me if I've got this wrong--that because straight girls use the term "d*ke" to police each others' presentation of femininity, it DOESN'T exist primarily to target, stigmatise, and degrade lesbians for being lesbian.
This is like whites saying we use the n word to police or promote each other's whiteness without noting the goddamned history of the term as a white het male supremacist tool of derision, oppression, and terrorism against Black people.

Stephanie said:

Right the word f@g has nothing to do with sexual orientation. Like b*tch has nothing to do with women. I feel that this woman has no business writing about the material; her analysis is terrible. Why would anyone pay for this book?

Knightgee said:

To be gay is to be considered outside of normative masculinity/femininity because heterosexuality is seen as inseparable from being a "real man". To say it's about policing gender is true, but it's not removed from the component of sexuality. It's about policing sexuality too. The perceived failure to conform to normative sexuality and thus normative gender is why it's an insult, the stereotypes of effeminacy are essentially all built off of the assumption that gay men "receive", so they are women because only women receive and so they must act as women are seen as acting. Honestly, this is the kind of thing that the likes of Judith Butler have already thoroughly explored. So she isn't really adding anything new to the discussion from a purely theoretical and intellectual standpoint and is managing to do so with an inflammatory book title.

Sparky said:

This is so shallow it is unreal - and aside from the word use. ye gods did she get a prize for packing that word in as often as possible? Did she TRY to do it? Even in the title? I'm sure that's going to be great fun running into on the bookshelf when shopping – more reason to keep to net shopping :)

She does something that I have seen a lot in feminist circles - making homophobia all about sexism (not that there isn't sexism in homophobia to to make it ALL about sexism) in a way that tries to diminish and brush over homophobia entirely - as a lesser or irrelevant, something to toss aside as only part of the “real” fight against a “proper” oppression.

Pop culture blogger, Brahm (Alfred Lives Here) has a mini-review of David Rakoff's book, Half Empty. Seems like it is a good read.

Brahm writes:

Half Empty has dark funny stuff like Rakoff's battle with cancer, touching funny stuff like being a gay Jew touring Germany, wacky funny stuff like the love affair between Jews and pork, and light funny stuff like his disastrous acting gig in The First Wives Club, a film he talks about and doesn't actually name because they would absolutely sue his ass for what he says here. READ MORE