Published inLEVEL·PinnedMember-onlyA Note to My Trump-Loving Facebook FriendsYou’re quiet out there now that your leader is gone. Don’t expect us to lower the volume while celebrating this victory. — It’s funny how an election changes situations. Many of you have been uncharacteristically quiet over the last couple of days, or maybe Facebook’s algorithm gods are just sparing my sanity. Either way, I can’t tell you how much I appreciate the silence right now. Crickets all over.Donald Trump3 min readDonald Trump3 min read
6 days agoMember-only5 Words and Phrases Straight People Should Stop UsingIt’s OK to say “gay” — as long as you’re not in Florida — but let’s just banish these offenders from polite conversation. — I’m old enough to remember when “queer” was a dirty word, scarlet letters gay people were expected to wear with shame. “He’s queer,” the old church lady might say, whispering “queer,” because it was just too awful to say out loud in polite Christian company. It wasn’t until the great…LGBTQ5 min readLGBTQ5 min read
May 19Member-onlyHey Republicans: Stop Hiding Behind Your Children!An open letter to the grand old party of hypocrisy and B.S. — You people are all bluster and bravado these days, but as always, it’s only an act. You love to talk tough like your patron saint John Wayne, like America today is still the Wild Wild West and you’re riding in on white horses to save it and make it great…LGBTQ4 min readLGBTQ4 min read
Published inThe Riff·May 10Member-onlyDoes Willie Nelson Belong in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?I can’t believe anyone’s actually asking that question. — I read an article the other day (one of several I’ve since come across) that singled out the great, legendary Willie Nelson as the 2023 inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame least deserving of the honor. I was expecting George Michael, The Spinners, and even Missy Elliott…Music6 min readMusic6 min read
Published inZORA·Mar 19Member-onlyWhen Good Actors and Bad Questions Collide“What are you wearing tonight, then?” — Last week, for the first time in decades, Hugh Grant broke the Internet — which they didn’t actually say decades ago. So perhaps I should say, for the first time in decades, Hugh Grant was trending. They didn’t say that decades ago either, but the gist of what happened was…Oscars5 min readOscars5 min read
Published inThe Riff·Feb 28Member-onlyStrange Magic: Great, Mystifying Hits of the ’70s and ’80sRadio could be a land of confusion back then — and that was music to our ears. — Kids today are so literal. And nobody caters to that common denominator quite like the modern pop star. The committee-style songwriting that produces most contemporary hits doesn’t leave much to the imagination. …Music5 min readMusic5 min read
Feb 27Member-onlyIf Don Lemon Is Ageist, What Does That Make Nikki Haley?Mental incompetence, like one’s prime, can happen at any age. — Over the past 10 days or so, there’s been much ado about comments Don Lemon made February 16 on his show CNN This Morning. He said, among other things, that according to Google, women are no longer in their prime once they’re past the age of 50. Now that isn’t…Politics6 min readPolitics6 min read
Published inAn Injustice!·Feb 17Member-onlyBlack People and Televised Award ShowsTo the (White) victors go the spoils — This has not been a banner award season for Black performers. Don’t be fooled by Angela Bassett’s frontrunner status for the Best Supporting Actress Oscar. Not only is her nomination for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever only her second career nod and her first in 29 years (she was up for…Music8 min readMusic8 min read
Feb 14Member-onlyQueer Eye for the Straight GirlWhy do I love women? It’s never been because of what they’re wearing. — Although I like to think of myself as an overachiever, the best I can be, by Queer Eye standards, my gay sensibility is somewhat lacking. …LGBTQ6 min readLGBTQ6 min read
Published inMomentum·Jan 18Member-onlyThe Summer I Turned BlackHow I went from merely accepting my race to proudly and passionately embracing it. — There’s a memorable episode of the ’70s and ’80s TV sitcom The Jeffersons in which Allan Willis, the White son of mixed-race couple Tom and Helen Willis, makes an uncomfortable blanket presumption. …Race8 min readRace8 min read