Red, White, and Royal Blue the Almost Gay Movie, Gay Veterans Sue Defense Department, Ryan Field Books

 Red, White, and Royal Blue the Almost Gay Movie

I think it has already been established that there is nothing more that mainstream straight viewers and readers love than a book or movie with gay content that was created by a non-gay author. In fact, they seem to cherish this kind of inauthentic movie or book. Many don't even know it is happening. 

With that said, a new almost gay film was released and it is titled, Red, White, and Royal Blue. And it is gay content written by a non-gay male author. 

This advertorial promotes it like this: 

It’s notable because the book was a blockbuster hit, among the “I’ll read this in a weekend while on vacation” set. 

Here's more. So far this year I have had to endure Harry Styles gay bait for his God awful movie, the one where he played gayface, and that was enough for me. 

I won't be watching this one.

 Gay Veterans Sue Defense Department

On a more serious note that has nothing to do with books or movies that appropriate gay culture, this one discusses how gay veterans will sue the defense department for reasons dating back to the days of 'Don't Ask Don't Tell.' 

In the not so distant past, people who served in the armed forces were told to keep their sexuality a secret. And if they didn't keep it a secret, they were not honorably discharged and their sexuality was listed for public knowledge. They also had no veterans benefits like medical insurance and education assistance.

Veteran Steven Egland has this to say: 

"Because of the circumstances and language of my discharge, which served as a painful reminder of the trauma I experienced, I was never able to proudly say that I served my country."

Here's more.  

Amazon Link 

 Uncertainty on Amazon

“A wonderful story that I loved. The characters were well developed and strong. Gus: A sweet young man. Doing something for all the wrong reasons. Craig: his boyfriend, he’ll go along with anything Gus say. Henry: Gus father a no-nonsense man, who’s husband died last year. I enjoyed this story.”



What readers said about “Altered Parts”
“Best Gay Novel In Years. This story will stay with you and you will feel you know every character and the beauty of their home in the mountains of North Carolina.”
In paperback or e-book. #gayromance #Wednesday

Altered Parts

The Wizard of Pride

 How to Be a Good Gay Bottom 

 Amazon

Gay Men in Love in the 1850s, Ryan Field Books

 Gay Men in Love in the 1850s

Whenever I see a religious conservative on social media speaking as if all things gay just started to happen in the past few years, I school them as quickly as possible. I don't know if it will sink into their tiny brains, but I figure it can't hurt either. I also do this whenever I see a non-gay person writing a gay romance and pretending to know about gay culture and gay history. 

And that's what this article mentions: gay men who were in love in the 1850s, with photos to prove it really happened. 

There are more than 4,000 photos, taken between 1850 and 1950, of gay men showing signs of affection. And 400 of them are on display at a museum in Switzerland. 

They were collected over the years in flea markets and antiques shops by a couple, Hugh Nini and Neal Treadwell. They are part of a book titled, Loving: A Photographic History of Men in Love. In one photo two young men are holding a sign that says, "Not Married, but Willing to be." 

It's a wonderful article, a wonderful project, and you can read more about it, here. You can also see some of the photos. 

Amazon Link 

 Uncertainty on Amazon

“A wonderful story that I loved. The characters were well developed and strong. Gus: A sweet young man. Doing something for all the wrong reasons. Craig: his boyfriend, he’ll go along with anything Gus say. Henry: Gus father a no-nonsense man, who’s husband died last year. I enjoyed this story.”



What readers said about “Altered Parts”
“Best Gay Novel In Years. This story will stay with you and you will feel you know every character and the beauty of their home in the mountains of North Carolina.”
In paperback or e-book. #gayromance #Wednesday

Altered Parts

The Wizard of Pride

 How to Be a Good Gay Bottom 

 Amazon

What it Was Like to be Gay in the 80s, Ryan Field Books

 What it Was Like to be Gay in the 80s

Here is a little bit of history, gay history. I was too young to remember much about being gay in the 80s, but here's a piece where someone does remember. 

It's really about a book of images by Nicholas Blair titled, Castro to Christopher: Gay Streets of America 1979-1986. 

The article is written by a man named Jim Farber. And he makes some truly honest statements. 

I never heard or read the term “homophobia”. There’s a simple reason for that. Most people back then didn’t think there was anything the least bit wrong in treating gay people with revulsion.

Here's more. He's right about that. I heard many terms myself, as young as I was, and all were pejoratives like the word "Queer." 

Here is a link where you can find the book. I'm sue it's somewhere on Amazon, too. 

And it goes without saying the photos are fantastic. 

Amazon Link 

 Uncertainty on Amazon

“A wonderful story that I loved. The characters were well developed and strong. Gus: A sweet young man. Doing something for all the wrong reasons. Craig: his boyfriend, he’ll go along with anything Gus say. Henry: Gus father a no-nonsense man, who’s husband died last year. I enjoyed this story.”



What readers said about “Altered Parts”
“Best Gay Novel In Years. This story will stay with you and you will feel you know every character and the beauty of their home in the mountains of North Carolina.”
In paperback or e-book. #gayromance #Wednesday

Altered Parts

The Wizard of Pride

 How to Be a Good Gay Bottom 

 Amazon

San Francisco's Gay Soft Ball League Celebrates 50 Years, Ryan Field Books

 San Francisco's Gay Soft Ball League Celebrates 50 Years

Ever since gay men have been caught up in the LGBTQ plus acronym we've had our own culture ignored and minimalized for the good of everyone else who allegedly falls under the "umbrella" of LGBTQ Plus. The problem is that we are not asexual and we can't identify with asexuals. We're not trans people and we can't identify with trans people. So it's nice to see a story that not only celebrates gay men, but also gay history. 

It's been 50 years since the Gay Softball League in SF started as a place for gay men to gather, to feel safe, and to learn more about themselves in a world that often shamed them. I'm sure when it first started 50 years ago the world was a very different place. I wouldn't have been writing this post back then. If I had been around back then I would have been living a very different gay life. But thanks to these gay men of this generation, we are all little more liberated and free to be authentic. 

I take things like this very seriously. One of the pitchers, Russ Smith, talks about what it was like in the 1980s when Reagan was ignoring gay men and AIDS.

“Most of the teams here were sponsored by a bar,” he recalled, “So you’d go to the losing team’s bar first and then everybody would go to the winning team’s bar and you bought each other rounds. So it was really a good social thing and the 80’s [otherwise] weren’t the most pleasant time.”

Here's more. I do remember when Gay men had to be creative in order to meet other gay men. Some found cruise spots and others met at bars or gay venues designed just for gay men. Back in the days when straight women didn't have baby showers and wedding showers in gay bars. 

And for those of you who don't believe we have our own history and culture, this article a just more proof. 

Amazon Link 

 Uncertainty on Amazon

“A wonderful story that I loved. The characters were well developed and strong. Gus: A sweet young man. Doing something for all the wrong reasons. Craig: his boyfriend, he’ll go along with anything Gus say. Henry: Gus father a no-nonsense man, who’s husband died last year. I enjoyed this story.”



What readers said about “Altered Parts”
“Best Gay Novel In Years. This story will stay with you and you will feel you know every character and the beauty of their home in the mountains of North Carolina.”
In paperback or e-book. #gayromance #Wednesday

Altered Parts

The Wizard of Pride

The Straight Pride Parade

 How to Be a Good Gay Bottom 

 Amazon

Gay Culture: Who Was Miss Mazeppa, Ryan Field Books

 Gay Culture: Who Was Miss Mazeppa?

You can look far and wide, but I doubt you'll find a gay book written by a straight who mentions Miss Mazeppa. And that's because it's a part of gay culture mostly older gay men know. That's how I learned about these things: through older gay men and women. 

"Once I was a schlepper, now I'm Miss Mazeppa." It's a quote from the play Gypsy that gay men have been using for years. It's from the song, You Gotta Get a Gimmick. Nowadays it's pure camp. 

The original Miss Mazeppa was Faith Dane. And Dane passed away in 2020. 

Her audition for the play Gypsy was apparently legendary. She actually made Gypsy Rose Lee laugh aloud. She used a trumpet as her gimmick. 

"If you wanna bump it, bump it with a trumpet…”

"Once I was a schlepper, now I’m Miss Mazeppa

With my revolution in dance

You gotta have a gimmick, if you wanna have a chance. “

You can read more about Miss Mazeppa, here. And if you do a search you'll find even more information. But you have to know about her to research her.  

 Uncertainty on Amazon

“A wonderful story that I loved. The characters were well developed and strong. Gus: A sweet young man. Doing something for all the wrong reasons. Craig: his boyfriend, he’ll go along with anything Gus say. Henry: Gus father a no-nonsense man, who’s husband died last year. I enjoyed this story.”



What readers said about “Altered Parts”
“Best Gay Novel In Years. This story will stay with you and you will feel you know every character and the beauty of their home in the mountains of North Carolina.”
In paperback or e-book. #gayromance #Wednesday

Altered Parts

The Wizard of Pride

The Straight Pride Parade

 How to Be a Good Gay Bottom 

 Amazon

A New Book About Chicago Gay Bars and Chicago Gay History, Ryan Field Books

 A New Book About Chicago Gay Bars and Chicago Gay History

From what I gather, there is a new book out about Chicago gay bars by two authors, Rick Karlin and St. Sukie de la Croix. It is titled, Last Call Chicago: a History of 1001 LGBTQ-friendly Taverns, Haunts, and Hangouts. From the description on the Amazon page, they seem to be covering everything from the 1920s to the present.

According to this article, the book is filled with all kinds of gay-related photos and old-school ads. If you're from Chicago I'm sure you'll love it. And if you're not from Chicago you'll learn a little about gay history. 

And one of the authors, de la Croix, lives right here in Palm Springs now. He talks about thousands of older gay men and lesbians, but I don't see that. In most recent years I find a mix of everything in Palm Springs and the entire Coachella Valley, with people of all ages. And a good deal of those people are year-round now. 

But I digress because this is about a book. They continue to discuss how Chicago didn't attract gay men by accident. For one thing, Illinois was the first state to decriminalize homosexuality. There are other facts as well. 

If you're interested in reading more, here's the link to the article.  They will give you a link to the book. I think I'll be checking his book out. Why? Because I honestly know nothing about Chicago and I'd like to change that. Both my gay nephew and my gay niece...brother and sister...now live in the mid-west and from what I gather they meet up in Chicago all the time. When I visit them I'd like to know more about Chicago. 

How to Be a Good Gay Bottom 

A Different Kind of Southern Love Story

What readers are saying about “Uncertainty”

Amazon

“A wonderful story that I loved. The characters were well developed and strong. Gus: A sweet young man. Doing something for all the wrong reasons. Craig: his boyfriend, he’ll go along with anything Gus say. Henry: Gus father a no-nonsense man, who’s husband died last year. I enjoyed this story.”



What readers said about “Altered Parts”
“Best Gay Novel In Years. This story will stay with you and you will feel you know every character and the beauty of their home in the mountains of North Carolina.”
In paperback or e-book. #gayromance #Wednesday

Altered Parts

The Wizard of Pride

The Straight Pride Parade