June always fills my heart with joy and wonder because of the very real achievements of LGBTQIA activists and the rest of us who simply live our lives as out gay people. I’m celebrating hard-won victories this month. For instance, when Walter and I decided to get married, we had Read more…
Dear Friends, The Fourth of July—following closely on Pride Month—always reminds me how fragile our liberties are. And never have I had a keener sense of our fragilities then I do today. But it seems to me that the Constitution is still reasonably intact, and that wisdom and justice still Read more…
Dear Friends, You haven’t heard from me lately because in mid-April, when I was rushing across Eighth Avenue to meet a cousin for an early supper after her matinee, I took a spill and managed to bust my right shoulder and right kneecap. The shoulder surgery that followed was but Read more…
Dear Friends, With all the horrible things going on in the world, I must say that what I find most disturbing are the attempts by state legislators (with help from the Supreme Court?) to strip LGBTQ citizens of their civil rights. Of course, some of these rights were mere glimmers Read more…
Dear Friends, OutRight has launched a fundraising campaign to channel funds to LGBTIQ groups in Ukraine for shelter and support in nearby countries. 100% of the funds raised for OutRight’s Ukraine fund will go to local organizations in Ukraine or neighboring countries that are supporting queer & trans people impacted Read more…
Dear Friends, Like the rest of us, I’ve been swept up in the drama unfolding in Eastern Europe this week. Will he or won’t he? Can he take down the democratically elected government of Ukraine, or will he find himself back on his heels? Will the world rise up against Read more…
Dear Friends, Food and cooking have been an important part of my life since I was a child. Is there such a thing as gay food? I think those days are long gone. But I’ve heard stories about entertaining habits among sociable gay men in the Fifties and Sixties—before I Read more…
Dear Friends,In honor of my birthday (last Saturday), and with Valentine’s Day just around the corner, I’ve decided to give away five copies of my Holiday Novella Series Box Set. So if you’re feeling romantic, please take a selfie of you and your significant other before Valentine’s Day and post Read more…
Dear Friends, With all the hatred swirling around us—homophobia, anti-Semitism, racism, and other forms of bigotry—we need all the information we can get to keep ourselves safe. The current state of mainstream public media sources adds to the confusion and fear. All of that came to mind this week when Read more…
Dear Reader, What a summer! Nothing happened as planned, and yet I find myself mourning its end, even though autumn is my favorite season. My Pandemic Report is very like others: We had to cancel our Memorial Day trip to Provincetown, MA, our favorite place not in New York City. Read more…