Formerly Closeted Mark Foster Speaks Candidly; Steve Grand In A Jock Strap; Bea Arthur Homeless LGBTI Youth Center

Formerly Closeted Mark Foster Speaks Candidly

TV personality, Mark Foster, was in the closet for many years, and now he's speaking up about what it was like to live that way. I find reading these stories almost cathartic at times.

“I think they were trying to say that I’m gay and I was cruising… They said lots of things, but they didn’t say anything, as in, he was getting out of the car for two minutes, he went in, then came out, or he didn’t even get out of the car.

They did say that there’s gay sex here, there’s dogging here, I think there was lots of things.”

You can read the rest here. 

Steve Grand In A Jock Strap

This is news, too. Don't judge.

If it were, we’d be able to watch Steve Grand strut around in a jock in perpetuity, ignoring those letters from the IRS and the increasingly frantic knocking from our roommates, losing our minds as we try astral projecting into that jockstrap, to understand how it feels to be that close to all things Steve and all things Grand.

Here's the link, with photos. The comments are awkward at times.

Bea Arthur Homeless LGBTI Youth Center

This is important. Most people don't realize just how many homeless LGBTI young people there really are out there.

The Bea Arthur Residence giving young LGBTI people shelter and hope has launched in New York’s Lower East Side.

The center is now ready to house LGBTI young people in time for Christmas. The last final hurdle is the pending city approval.

You can read the rest here. 

Chase of a Christmas Dream

Amazon Link

Altered Parts

You can check this out here at Smashwords.

And here's the Amazon link. 

 Said With Care

Smashwords

Amazon

A PG Rated Gay Romance

Here's the Amazon link

The Masterpiece Cakeshop Case; Nico Tortorella's Naked Butt Shot; Russia Bans Warwick Rower Calendar

The Masterpiece Cakeshop Case

History is being made this week, and I have no idea how this one will turn out. If you recall, this is about the bakery that refused to bake a wedding cake for a gay couple based on religious reasons. It's interesting to me because we're celebrating an anniversary this week and back when we first met a gay wedding cake for a real legal gay wedding in the 1990s was unheard of. 

As the Masterpiece Cakeshop case gets underway at the US Supreme Court, many people are making their voices heard.

Charlie Craig and David Mullins, a married gay couple, are fighting for their right not to face discrimination at public businesses.

There's more here. 

And here's even more in a different article. 

Nico Tortorella's Naked Butt Shot

This one is not what you think it's about. It's not your typical naked butt selfie on Instagram. Tortorella is actually making a pretty strong statement here with his naked butt selfie.

The picture was then followed by a call out against the likes of Trump, Roy Moore, islamophobia, homophobia, biphobia, non binary phobia and transphobia.

You can check it out here. I think it's SFW, but I don't know how strict they are where you work. There is no full frontal nudity, and it is a very artistic photo. Actually, a very good one. However, the political statement is extreme, vulgar, and you might be personally offended. You've been warned. This is me remaining objective.

Russia Bans Warwick Rower Calendar

It looks as if Russia is back on the gay propaganda kick and censoring again.

Russia has banned the Warwick rowers naked calendar for being ‘gay propaganda’.

The calendar, which raises money for Sport Allies – a charity tackling homophobia in sport – was rejected by customs officials.

This is the calendar I was talking about in a previous blog post, where they raise money for an excellent charity. It's not just about men posing naked for their own monetary gain. This is a worthy cause.

You can check this out here. But this one comes with a slight warning, too. No full frontal, but definitely some nudity.

Chase of a Christmas Dream

Amazon Link

Altered Parts

You can check this out here at Smashwords.

And here's the Amazon link. 

 Said With Care

Smashwords

Amazon

A PG Rated Gay Romance

Here's the Amazon link

Full List of LGBTQ Christmas Holiday Novels and Stories By Ryan Field

Full List of LGBTQ Christmas Holiday Novels and Stories By Ryan Field

Chase of a Christmas Dream

Amazon Link

Over the years I've had a few Christmas/Holiday books and stories published. I don't do them often because they have such short shelf lives. But here's a list of what I've done so far. I hope I haven't left anything out.

And, my most recent release, Altered Parts, does have a Christmas scene that's significant to the story line. It's just not a book I would consider an outright Christmas Romance.

Here's the link. 





And here's a list of the books that are dedicated Christmas Holiday stories and novels. The only one I don't have a link for right now is the last one, Cowboy Christmas Miracle, which is part of the Glendora Hill series. I'm in the process of republishing that one and I'll have a link soon. Update: 12/8/17 The link is there now. 

The Littlest Christmas Tree

Amazon

 The Computer Tutor

Amazon Link

Down the Basement II

Amazon Link

A Christmas Carl

Amazon Link

Cowboy Christmas Miracle

Amazon

You Could Lose These Internet Rights; Brian Singer Fired From Queen Biopic; Two Men Tortured For Having Gay Sex; Gay Teenager Strangled

You Could Lose These Internet Rights

I've been working on the Internet since the late 90s and I've seen a lot happen. But nothing that's ever been this scary.

Net neutrality–or the idea that the internet should be free and open–is circling the drain. The FCC is planning to repeal the 2015 law that banned blocking, throttling, or fast-laning web content. But what, exactly, are the implications of doing so? 

Here's one thing that could change.

Essentially, internet service providers like Comcast, Verizon, and AT&T want the government to deregulate the internet so they can make more advantageous business decisions. 

I highly urge you to pay attention to this.  Frankly, though, I'm not even sure this can be avoided.


Brian Singer Fired From Queen Biopic

In pop culture news, this is turning into a huge mess. And the project itself sounds so promising.

“Bryan Singer is no longer the director of Bohemian Rhapsody," the studio said Monday in a statement.

The decision reflected an escalating clash between Singer and actor Rami Malek and was caused by the helmer being missing from the set, necessitating the Dec. 

Here's more.

Two Men Tortured For Having Gay Sex

Whenever straight people ask me why I don't care about certain issues, this is the kind of example I give them. For most LGBT people out there in other parts of the world, nothing is safe.

According to various reports, two men in Uzbekistan were arrested and tortured for having gay sex in their own home.

Police claim that the men, each in their 20s, will face three years in prison for “engaging in illegal sexual relations”.

Here's the rest. What truly worries me are the things we DON'T hear about.

Gay Teenager Strangled

Here's another example of what gay people still face. This is about a 19 year old who fell victim to anti-gay bullies in London. And I always think of London as safe. So this could happen anywhere.

A police spokesperson said: “They demanded the victim apologize for being gay which eventually the victim did as he was struggling to breathe.

There's more here.

Altered Parts

You can check this out here at Smashwords.

And here's the Amazon link. 

 Said With Care

Smashwords

Amazon

A PG Rated Gay Romance

Here's the Amazon link

New Selfie For Profile; Look Who Richard Hammond Offended Now; Eminem Gives People Diamond Encrusted Sex Toys For Wedding Gifts; Nile DiMarco's Thanksgiving Meat

New Selfie For Profile

One of the things I think I despise most about social media are the endless selfies. I'm not talking about someone who posts a selfie once in a while. I like those. I'm talking about the people who post more selfies of themselves in one day on social media than most normal people take in a lifetime.

In the same respect, we all want to know what we look like. It's human nature, clearly. My author friend Jon Michaelsen recently posted pics of himself growing a beard and I love them.

So even though I despise taking selfies, I have vowed that I will post current up to date selfies here on this web site every so often, which I did today in my profile.


Look Who Richard Hammond Offended Now

Here's a good example of someone telling a joke...and then offending everyone on Twitter. And that's not hard to do. Everyone is offended on Twitter. That's half the fun of Twitter for those of us who don't get offended that easily.

This all started when Richard Hammond made a joke about straight men not eating ice cream. You can watch the video here. 

In this article, he explains the joke.

Almost a year ago, the Top Gear host said: ‘A grown man eating an ice cream, it’s a bit… it’s that way rather than that way.’

He said he doesn’t eat ice cream because ‘it’s something to do with being straight.’

One, I don't eat ice cream either. Two, off all the things in this world that could offend me, this is the least of them. Three, I think twitter needs an "Offended" button.

Eminem Gives People Diamond Encrusted Sex Toys For Wedding Gifts

And people wonder why the majority of us are getting sick and tired of these multi-million dollar celebrities with too much money and not enough brain.

This really is about as ridiculous as it gets.

Eminem once gave Elton John diamond-encrusted sex toys.

Yes, you heard that right. As a civil partnership present, the rapper gave Elton John and his partner David Furnish cock rings.

And the best part? Eminem delicately placed them on two velvet cushions.

Here's the rest. Unless you really do buy into this stupid brand of celebrity publicity, be prepared to gag.

Nile DiMarco's Thanksgiving Meat

And on a much, much lighter note, here's something amusing. I really like Niles...and it's all so harmless.

The ever-smoldering DiMarco treated his legion of Instagram fans to a revealing pic that finds him prepping for Thanksgiving totally nekkid and thirst-trappy, and we’re here to show it to you.

To tell you the truth, the turkey he's showing off looks a little tired, but I really love his roasting pan. I've been looking for one like that for a long time.

Here's more. 

In the spirit of the true, tacky, cheesy bathroom selfie, here you go...

Altered Parts

You can check this out here at Smashwords.

And here's the Amazon link. 

 Said With Care

Smashwords

Amazon

A PG Rated Gay Romance

Here's the Amazon link

Loose ID Publishing Closes; Lil Peep's Death Under Investigation Now; Dominic Sherwood's Gay Slur

Loose ID Publishing Closes

A friend pointed this out to me on Facebook and figured I'd share. Although I never worked with this publisher, I've always heard good positive things about them.

All things, it's said, must come to an end. For Loose Id, that time has come. Rather than risk the reputation and good will that we have worked very hard to build, on May 7, 2018, we'll be closing our doors for good. We want to thank all of our authors, artists, editors, employees, customers and friends for your help making this company a success.

Here's a link to the Facebook page where they made the announcement.   There's more. And it's very professional and eloquent.


Lil Peep's Death Under Investigation Now

I thought this case was pretty much wrapped up. Evidently, not.

 Now, a report from TMZ claims police are opening an investigation after discovering “troubling private messages” on his phone.

Authorities are particularly interested in texts from a woman seen on a tour bus with the rapper not long before his death.

There's more here.  I hope there will be follow ups to this. I was a fan of his. 

Dominic Sherwood's Gay Slur

Dominic Sherwood is part of a TV show called, Shadowhunters. I've never seen it and I'm not even sure who Sherwood is. But he made news recently for making a gay slur and now he's apologizing. 

He called someone a F$g, in that joking way straight guys often do, and this followed... 

“I think so many problematic phrases go unchallenged and they perpetuate negativity and hate and intolerance,” he says in a new Instagram post, “and today I was part of that and I am truly, truly sorry.”

Here's the link.  There are 47 comments with this and many varying opinions...unusual opinions. I think it's just part of mainstream heteronormative culture. I've heard it all my life. Straight guys talk this way all the time, they see nothing wrong with using that word, and it's going to take time for that to change. What I don't understand is when gay men don't see anything wrong with it. Why is that? Every other minority gets respect and people are called out for slurs like the word F&g. I think it's time for a few apologies. And no, this time I don't think we're being too sensitive. Using the word F#g would have been considered a pejorative 30 or 40 years ago. 

Altered Parts

You can check this out here at Smashwords.

And here's the Amazon link. 

 Said With Care

Smashwords

Amazon

A PG Rated Gay Romance

Here's the Amazon link

Sky Penis Follow Up; Sky Penis Christmas Ornament; Max Emerson "Eastsiders" Clip; 17 Movies About AIDS

Sky Penis Follow Up

Here's the follow up to the sky penis story I posted about a while back.

The two Navy aviators responsible for scrawling a massive sky penis above Okanogan County, Washington, on Nov. 16 have officially been punished by naval aviation chief Vice Adm. Mike Shoemaker, according to documents obtained by the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Here's more.  They won't lose their careers. I'm glad the punishment was more lenient. These guys work hard for our country. I'm sure they've learned their lessons.

Sky Penis Christmas Ornament

You have to have a sense of humor, especially these days with the horrible media throwing us clickbait daily...not to mention the sex abuse scandals that keep surfacing.

Just in time for the holidays, an aviation-themed novelty website is selling a Christmas ornament based on the time two naval aviators drew a penis in the sky.

You can check that out here. This is the vintage antiques/collectible of tomorrow.

Max Emerson EastSiders Clip

Eastsiders is a TV show that I found streaming on Netflix. I fell in love with it on the first episode and I'm looking forward to the new season. It's really a good show with good LGBT content, and it doesn't have any of that cheesy network TV content like Modern Family or Will and Grace. In fact, I think that's what I love about Eastsiders the most: it's nothing like old time network TV. It doesn't insult you.

In an exclusive Queerty clip, a stop in Palm Springs finds actor Stephen Guarino, Max Emerson and Willam Belli poolside. Willam has a special request for Emerson if he wants to indulge — will he or won’t he? You’ll have to tune in to find out.

There's a lot more here.

17 Movies About AIDS

I've seen most of these movies and I can't say anything negative about any of them. I think anything that brings awareness to subjects like AIDS is a positive thing.

 These 17 cinematic breakthroughs represent some of the most interesting, complex and portrayals of the epidemic and the suffering, struggle and inspiration it has engendered. Some are groundbreaking, others are award-winning but all are essential to understanding the impact HIV and AIDS has had on our society.

You can check it out at this link. 

Altered Parts

You can check this out here at Smashwords.

And here's the Amazon link. 

 Said With Care

Smashwords

Amazon

A PG Rated Gay Romance

Here's the Amazon link