W_L

Current LGBT Reading for this week: Light fluff reading: Top Secret by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy Interesting modern Romance with a bit of wit and neologism Darker night time reading: Dressed for Death by Donna Leon If you are a mystery story fan, you probably know of the Detective Guido Brunetti series. European readers will know this pretty well, it's a classic in the genre with old fashioned story around the murder of a well connected man, who at first seemed to be a trans prostitute, and that leads the detective into the little explored world of Venice, Italy's LGBT under-belly scene circa 1990's. I appreciate anachronisms and good plots. Non-LGBT reading: Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey This is the 1st book in the Expanse series of novels, which inspired the Amazon Prime award winning Sci-fi streaming series. I am going to read the entire series up to present book before Season 5 premieres on Amazon. There are LGBT characters in the novel series, but it's not technically LGBT themed.

Love the spy genre and I have it in my queue as well.

Agree, and after so many years and life experiences, including an ex-boyfriend and finding myself in need to re-evaluate life, I've learned Depression is one of those things that people who suffer from it do not just get over it. It's part of you and it's like a shadow, sometimes covering you in self-doubt and anger, other times receding to be a foregone memory of darker times. For me, self doubt and anger go hand in hand with Depression; others it might be different. Additionally, I think Depression has sadly become part of many people's daily lives in the midst of social isolation created by COVID-19. People should express their emotions freely and openly without fear. Also for coping ideas, again for me, to avoid feeling down about the forced imprisonment at home, I took to diet/exercise and lost 60 pounds or 27 kilograms in the last 7 months. Tracking my calories, my exercise output, and watching my weight daily kept me focused on a goal and kept my focus away from feeling alone.

I've recently noticed things about fashion and tastes. Never been that hung up about exterior beauty, color coordination, or the other aesthetic areas in my life, primarily due to the fact that I only have really one eye to view most of it with. Yet, I've found myself drawn to certain novelties in fashion and accessories as of late. Maybe it's the 60 pounds of weight loss or the severe social isolation of COVID-19, but I am starting to see the appeal of aesthetics like color coordinating earbuds with your shirt Fashion and aesthetics is a personal thing, but it is a fun topic to find consensus on what we think is interesting among all the options out there. Also, I am planning on getting myself a Murse, the male version of a Purse, because I realize it just doesn't make sense for me to be carrying around my cell phone/wallet/keys/wireless earbuds+case/handheld magnifier/ect either in my hands or make my pockets look like I just robbed an Apple store. That's not only a fashion forward and gender statement, but to be honest, it's just more practical to have a handbag that can easily access all the stuff you need in front of you. I'd like to get people's opinions on what kind of Murse I should get as well. Anyone interested in discussing fashion or offering ideas on accessories purchases like a Murse for the man that has too much in his pockets.

These are very good points on the concept of character and method writing When I get into the head space of a character, I need to frame a character by reference, i.e. if my character is supposed to be contemplative and existential, then I read a book for reference like Randy Pausch's The Last Lecture to create the mentality. That's 2nd hand sourcing instead of direct interaction. Additionally, sometimes you can use real world locations within your own life as a branching point for stories and characters. Even different neighborhoods within a large city have different cultures, speech patterns, and mentalities. A setting can drive motivations for the character/plot as well, but in this case, you are closer to the setting than a reference. A character and plot may never fit into easy categories. I kind of feel like @Carlos Hazday sometimes as I write stories and leave them unfinished or unpublished, since I worry about readers thought That's my two cents

This is a really sweet story from one of the most recognized gay reporters in media. https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/30/media/anderson-cooper-father/index.html Hope he, his partner, and his new son Wyatt the best.

Pants if temp is under 50 F, but otherwise no pants I am also partial to No shirts as well on warmer weekends We all do what makes us happy and relaxed in these troubled times

I thought about putting this in the Pit, but it's health issue, not a political or sensitive topic for debate (Please do not turn this into a political topic, I just want to raise health awareness). Probably it's a good idea to start a topic here in the lounge to clear the air and give people good guidance without overreaction. In the last couple weeks, I've noticed that in Boston at least, it seems so much quieter. The weather has been unseasonably nice for New England (we hit 60's last weekend), there's no major holidays, and still a few normally busy establishments are dead. I've read up on the history of HIV/AIDS' affect and one of the things I remember most from my reading was that there was too much fear with conspiracy theories, veiled hatred, and lies that were spread from word of mouth, which took decades to end like the fear of LGBT blood donors for instance. So here's my attempt at a little myth busting and hopefully alleviation of fear: 1. Don't let fear of "potential" infected in your area cause you to panic and buy all the cold/flu medication from your pharmacy/drug store. The majority of the infected Coronavirus population is isolated in China under a province wide quarantine. In total, 82,166 people have been infected and 32,812 people have already recovered. This is not the "Black Death" with high mortality rates. 2. The best way to prevent infection is: a. Wash your hands with soap and water as much as you can b. Try not to congregate closely with people, who appear sick. 3. A face mask is not going to ensure 100% protection from this virus. There's been many notable cases of medical professional with advanced face masks treating patient, who have been infected as well due to careless exposure, like scratching an itch under your mask after contacting an infected person. Most face mask are not tight enough to protect your nose or mouth from tiny droplets from sneezes, either. .John Hopkins has few more facts on their website in addition the ones above: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/coronavirus/2019-novel-coronavirus-myth-versus-fact

Call me by your name was introspective, romantic, and very movingly tragic portrayal of young love. Very good book overall Also for those looking into a Christmas sorry with a gay twist and Halmark-esque story: Mr. Frosty Pants It's a fun southern gay romantic story about two 22 year old guys, old best friends who never realized their mutual love for one another. It's a bit cliche as most modern love stories: Rich kid loves a poor kid, abusive parents, bourgeois social climbing, and star-crossed lovers. Also, it has several gay sex scenes that would make Nifty readers blush a few shades, good for gay audience though. Yet, beneath it, the author does tell a unique story set in the backdrop of Knoxville, Tennessee from the neighborhood descriptions to the local bars. There's also a powerful scene between one of the guys and his homophobic father in a nursing home, which was built up artfully and legitimately makes up for the cliche imperfections. Honestly, if I were beta reading this story, I'd focus on that relationship even more. It's the epitome of Southern Gothic style, an abusive poverty born southern homophobic father destroys his gay son's self-esteem and forces him into a perpetual Gothic southern-styled cycle of abuse and torture to maintain the same system of abuse to begin with, but it might just be me as I enjoy Southern Gothic treatments of poverty, violence, and cyclical destructive behavior (It probably should be a dying literary style as none of this is good and I do want Southern LGBTQ friends to have better than this).

Aye, me as well, when I write Science/Speculative fiction, there's a lot of backstory that the main plot cannot cover. You give glimpses of a character's past, their emotional spectrum, and their beliefs. One of the things I like from authors, specifically fantasy authors, there's a few novels and compendiums of additional material that exists within their universe that never made it into the main plot. Here's a few examples: Lynn Flewelling's Nightrunner Series focuses on two queer spies/lovers, but the main plots only hint at their history. She wrote a collection of short stories called "Glimpses" which expanded the universe with stories hinted at, but never revealed. J.R.R Tolkien own unpublished background stories and epilogue stories formed, "Silmarillion", which gives us background stories of the universe and even stories like the origin of Sauron. He also wrote appendices, which few authors do now, greatly expanding the universe histories of his characters in even greater detail. PS: @Krista Not sure if you ever read the Lord of the Ring series or its compendium, but if you have, do you think the relationships depicted in his work are part of our spectrum? Tolkien never calls the relationships of men fighting together in war and being tied forever afterward homosexual in name, but he does note that the relationship is by its nature stronger than bonds of (heterosexual) marriage. What we consider to be part of the spectrum today was radically different in the 1940's, though. The concept of Queerness, Gay, Bi, or Straight were just beginning to form. However, since we are all modern readers and the reality is he knew some of his subtext/words could be considered as referring to "gay" materials even among his contemporaries, I do think he was a prime example of Queerbaiting, in the most benign fashion of course. ------------

Wow, you guys got a really intense band of snow. The storm that came this week in Boston just dumped about 5 inches, but it took 12 hours.

I do agree on that point, American media don't focus on LGBT issues unless it's a some scandal, bigotry, or some hate crime. It is nice to know people no longer care elsewhere about who you take into bed, rather who you are working with/for Krista, yeah, I do agree there is an element of fans baiting ourselves with beloved characters, hoping for a relationship (the proliferation of fanfiction hasn't helped, but some of it is really good). As for modern writers and producers, it's true that sometimes people just force story lines and backgrounds to appeal to audiences rather than organically create them. Immersive story writing is not meant to be completely inclusive, nor is it going to appeal to everyone. I love Harry Potter series for what it is, whether Dumbledore has a boyfriend or not. On he other hand, if Albus and Scorpius were outed by JK Rowling, now that would be worth something, since those characters are somewhat active and have current literature that would flesh out the intent to form a queer relationship. Since we're on the subject of fantasy plots, another example of Queerbaiting that raised eyebrows and led to nothing, came from just 1 scene of Game of Thrones: Yara is an out Lesbian warrior in this world of swords and dragons, while Daenarys is a forceful queer Queen. So when fans saw this in 2017, we all thought, there's something between them, 2 years later: 1 is dead and 1 is ruling an island.

Okay, I've seen it, didn't know it was still going on for so long, I thought it was a mini-series with a few episodes that got cancelled after 2014. I do agree that version's pairing is queerbait, Martin Freeman's Watson is very well played. ------- Unrelated to the topic: the sibling rivalry/subtle hints at familial bonds between Sherlock and Mycroft Holmes, his older brother, was my favorite out of all the versions of the various interpretations. They hate each other, but have such a deep love and respect as well. Mycroft is not an easy character to love; he's basically the British government , but you can't but feel genuinely impressed. -------- Anyway, I agree on the queerbaiting in Sherlock, but let's continue onwards to a longrunning Canadian TV show universe....Degrassi (Americans and Brits shouldn't leave out the Canadians from the Queerbaiting topic)

Well, Sherlock and Watson have been a long running partnership between bachelors.... Which version or show are you referencing Zombie, there are more versions of Sherlock Holmes and Watson than there are Doctors in Doctor Who?

The treatment of Ian in the UK series was in my view, might be different for others, regressive of his homosexuality in later series (US we call it a season, but same concept). Also, we do not see him in series 11, it is only mentioned as an off-comment that he's marrying a transgender male. They tried to make him straight, then tossed the character off the show after he reveals that he still has feelings for men. It's less about him being bi than the series tossing him for not conforming, which I find to be queerbaiting. In the US version, Ian is still around. He might a bit bipolar, but he's consistently gay, whether he's with his on/off boyfriend Mickey or dating Trans-male Trevor. I am not discounting that I am bias against his character portrayal in the UK version, also fair disclosure I have a crush on Monaghan in the US version. Can we both agree that the entire turn with him and Maxine may not be likeable for LGBTQ+ audience? His abrupt removal from the series after she rejects his bisexuality is at the very least insensitive in my view, and at worst queerbaiting by proposing a character with multi-layer sexuality, but denying it in the end. Everyone has their own tastes, I understand, but denying and removing a queer character after he/she comes out feels wrong. Maybe, I am off base here, but I am open to your opinions. Ian in either version was a breakout character, I just wish his UK version was more welcomed.

Uh..."cough" Shameless "cough" Channel Four if I am not mistaken It got imported to the US, but it was originally a UK show. Ian was written as gay with relationships with older men and a few guys his age, then bi on the side of heterosexual from series 5 onward especially during his relationship with Maxine, and eventually in the UK series 8 is marrying a transgender male. His character almost felt like a cheat of writing staff to flip an established gay character for plot. This was queerbaiting in a modern UK series. In this regard, the US version actually did a better job, Ian is thoroughly gay throughout the series. He might have a relationship with a male transgender person, but honestly, Trevor was a cute guy, despite the biology, and speaking as a gay male myself, I don't see any problems with that relationship matching gay guy's sexuality. If anything, the US version introduced the concept that homosexuality is not based on biological aspects alone on gender, love can exist with the personal gender identity. Of course, he did end up with his old thug boyfriend Mickey, who did right by him in the end; even if it wasn't a happy ending, it was happy for his character. Romance need not be perfect, sexuality need not be absolute, but at the very least, the character should be consistent with who they are, not the needs of a network or producers need to raise ratings by manipulating a character.

That's why Modern Family works as both a comedy and a drama in so many ways There's some bad tropes, too that we can all point out, but at times, when they do showcase the gay couple, it's genuinely fun and nuanced "every-man" comedy from a slice of life. PS: I agree with you on Star Trek Discovery and Buffy's handling of Willow/Tara. Also, don't forget the tragic unrequited gay character, Andrew, who never gets a break in the guys he falls for (I'd love for him to have ended up with some one nice after the last episode and ignore the Angel episode of him with Italian female models, which is like the ultimate queerbait slap in the face after 6 years of an obviously gay character). Ah, you old disagreeable bag of bones, where have you been? True with queerbaiting many TV and streaming shows are mass market merchandise with targeted audiences and ad placements for different audiences. Still, despite more LGBTQ+ acceptance in society with counterpoints for open LGBTQ+ relationships, queerbaiting continues. @Thorn Wilde mentioned Supernatural, but I am thinking of Legacies more, where the main female protagonist, Hope, has been hinting at an interest in girls, while she is engaged in an "epic" romantic story line with a male character. Don't get me wrong, I love open sexuality, but American TV shows rarely handles nonconformist sexuality well, i.e. someone who does not identify as gay, straight, or bi.

So I thought about this a bit, mainstream media is normally LGBTQ+ friendly nowadays in many respects from TV/Streaming shows or books/online stories. However, there's always a popular show or book that attempts to be broader and appeal to our community by leading readers down a certain trail of ideas and concepts for same sex relationships, which LGBTQ+ readers/viewers/writers term as Queerbating. It is not explicitly mentioned if characters are gay or not, but we're given a few breadcrumbs to lead to such a conclusion with the creator never justifying it in order to maintain deniability for heterosexual audiences, who do not prefer that interpretation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queerbaiting Do you think it's right that LGBTQ+ audiences are led down a path of unspoken and unaddressed relationships? In a world where same sex relationship are no longer criminal offenses in most nations, is Queerbating techniques of obfuscation even a good way for expression of how LGBT relationships should be handled?

Richard Marx's "This I promise you", you might remember the cover by N'Sync 😛 , I thought it N'Sync song but it was written by Richard Marx Also, poor JC, he was just as good as JT (Justin Timberlake), but he's no where nearly as recognizable as a singer. (Heck, him, Justin, and Britney Spears were all in Mickey Mouse Club, think of the pop talent that Disney cultivated in the 90's).

Removing genes for sexuality with the result of asexual majority, sounds almost like a Dystopian world, like Lois Lowry's The Giver series (Actually, in that Sci-Fi dystopia, sexual interest was as muted as the color spectrum, so maybe. you're onto something ) I think if people remove aspects of sexuality from human genome, we will lose a piece of ourselves, there may still be hetero and homosexual attraction and relations, but the color behind the relationships: the attractiveness of your boyfriend's sleepy face, the extreme degree of anger and lust from a heated argument, and slow moments in between. Sexuality is more than just the sex, there are parts of it that extends into everyday life.

https://www.latimes.com/science/story/2019-08-29/there-is-no-single-gay-gene This is a very interesting note, there has been wide debate for almost 3 decades since the human genome project on whether being "gay" is genetic? A study conducted on over half a million people may get us closer to the answer, which interestingly is a "mixed" bag. According to research into genetics, there are some genes that do have prevalence, but they are only about 8%-25% of our the population for same sex behavior,. Not all same sex behavior fall in line with this, which means according to the study, while genetic factors are influential, they do not predetermine sexuality. If these findings prove true through the test of time, I wonder what this may mean for gay/lesbian/bisexuals/queer people. It also raises a lot of intriguing question for the future: One of my biggest fears has always been that if genetics were the only reason we are non-heterosexuals, then there might be a threat to "cure" it like a genetic defect. If this is not a genetic defect per se, but a complex expression of human genetics and environmental factors, then there are 2 major points: 1. You cannot cure sexuality like a defective body part, and 2. Sexuality exists in a spectrum and you cannot easily label people. Also, the same can be said of heterosexuals, who have potential same sex attraction, you never know what a few things in life might open up. Anyway thought I would share this in the Lounge for open discussion

Thanks @Thorn Wilde, I'll do Andre Aciman "Call me by your name" next month I used my monthly credit on "Red, White, and Royal Blue" as it was the best seller on audible LGBT section, 1st chapter reads/listens like an episode of "West Wing" with a twist of modern input, political history/perspective and 21st century irreverence are a fun combination. It's not going to be everyone's cup of tea, but I do enjoy the backdrops and enjoy complex intrigues. It's one reason why I enjoy Lynn Flewelling's Nightrunner series, despite being fantasy, there's tons of political intrigue, scandal, and blackmail in the fantasy kingdom of Skala that the story is set.

I own the physical copies of Lynn Flewelling's Nightrunner series, along with the e-book versions. However, I decided to branch out once more and bought the audible versions. What took me 1-2 months to read in the past, I finished in a little over a week of continuous listening, while I was sick in bed. It's a mainstream 7 fantasy book series with LGBT lead characters, a novelty for the genre. (I also own Tamir Triad in print and e-book). Maybe audio isn't as visceral as reading it with your eyes, but in some ways, hearing a story has a certain kind of appeal as well. I checked the audible website there's only 3,125 LGBT titles, so it's a limited selection, sadly. Even reading at a good rate of 320 words per minute, a major feat for one eye, I can't sustain the speed for more than an hour before stopping. I wonder if anyone else has suggestions or a better way to read stories with more human-like synthesizers than what Microsoft offers? Does anyone else share my fondness for audio books? Is there a medium where I can find LGBT stories in audio?

2-0 US won over Holland, it's a consecutive win and 4th overall for women's soccer. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/07/sports/soccer/usa-vs-netherlands-score.html Beyond this victory, another victory for LGBTQAI+ is the fact that this is the 1st major sporting event, where both teams had a large contingent of "out" athletes in current roster. https://www.outsports.com/2019/6/11/18660301/out-gay-lesbian-bi-2019-women-world-cup-soccer

It's cool, I am happy to see St. Louis win Stanley cup. Boston fans aren't that crazy "must win" it all, we're satisfied with Football and Baseball this year, plus our huge trove of old basketball championships that no one, not even Jordan, could take. St. Louis lost a lot of things, they lost their basketball team in 1950's and Rams a few years ago, their city needed this win. Also, not to speak ill of my home team, but seriously if you can't win 3 games at home in the championships with game 7 on home ice, it's you're own fault. Congrats @Dabeagle on the win, I'll be rooting for the Cleveland Indians and San Diego Padres this year Cleveland Browns and New Orleans Saints for football I'll support my home team Bruins and Celtics though, they need all the help they can get.