“Billy Wright: Prince of the Blues” Guest Writer: Bishop Hartsel Clifton Shirley In nature, we often hear the thunder before the lightning strikes, yet both can be powerful--and even frightening. Such was the case with Little Richard, the iconic and influential figure in popular music and culture for seven decades. The forerunner to that very well-known entertainer was the [...]
Over the years, I’ve queried LGBTQ folks of various ages and stripes about criticisms they may have of Pride Month in general and their particular Pride celebrations. Frequent comments include “Pride Month is way too commercial.” “ It doesn’t adequately reflect its true meaning.” “Prides are not serious enough; you know, too much glam and glitter and too many [...]
“Piano in the Background” Guest Writer: Bishop Hartsel Clifton Shirley Aaron Bridgers was once called one of the “last remaining links with the sophisticated, elegant musical world of Duke Ellington and his collaborator Billy Strayhorn.” Sophisticated and elegant he was. Born January 10, 1918, in Winston-Salem, Bridgers grew up studying classical piano, having an affinity for French [...]
Essex Hemphill. That groundbreaking, uber-talented, and openly and unabashedly gay/SGL (same gender loving) African-American poet and author—truly was a force of nature. Ahead of his time, Mr. Hemphill blazed the way for talents including James Earl Hardy, E. Lynn Harris… …And myself. Today is the birthday of this sensational scrivener. Therefore, I pay homage to this phenom, who [...]
Mark the date: Saturday, March 12! That’s the return date of WYATT!— the engaging, thought-provoking, and scintillating radio show! WYATT! does a deep dive into those timely and critical issues that impact Gay/SGL (Same-Gender-Loving) men with a diverse set of LGBTQ movers, shakers, and change agents. The podcast is absorbing, informative, provocative…and sprinkled with sly, spicy (and sometimes [...]
Intense strokin’--with no worryin’! The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has just approved a condom for use during anal intercourse for the first time. Now, this doesn’t mean that a new prophylactic has been created specifically for this use; rather, an existing condom can be marketed as reducing one’s risk for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) during anal sex. Late last month, the FDA [...]
Saturday, February 5! That’s the return date of WYATT!— the engaging, thought-provoking, and scintillating radio show! WYATT! does a deep dive into those timely and critical issues that impact Gay/SGL (Same-Gender-Loving) men with a diverse set of LGBTQ movers, shakers, and change agents. The podcast is absorbing, informative, provocative…and sprinkled with sly, spicy (and sometimes a wee bit) [...]
At least half of Americans feel that COVID is harming their mental health, according to the Kaiser Foundation. This demonstrates how the pandemic has ballooned into a nationwide psychological trauma. These results make one thing clear: if you’re scared, anxious, depressed, struggling to sleep through the night—or just on edge—you’re certainly not alone. “It’s a huge number,” Kathy HoganBruen, [...]
This Thanksgiving: prepare yourself for the uber-exciting and erotic-charged continuing saga of Wes and 'Tonio with the release of DELIRIUM!, the long-awaited, brand-new installment in my Nothing Can Tear Us Apart (NCTUA) series of novels! Here’s a refresher on how NCUTA goes down: What would you do after the man of your dreams battered you because he believed you’d been unfaithful? Could you forgive this man [...]
The iconic Little Richard’s enduring phrase “Good Golly, Miss Molly!” perfectly characterizes the start of my New Year! Already Y’all, 2022 has started with one helluva high-octane BANG! The much-talked-about LUXXXE Studios has just tapped me as its Principal Screenplay Writer of one of its full feature films to be released this fall! LUXXXE is the brainchild of Gay adult entertainment’s “Performer of the Decade,” Mr. J. D. Daniels. This high-concept production company [...]
Saturday, January 8! That’s the return date of WYATT!— the engaging, thought-provoking, and uproarious radio show! WYATT! does a deep dive into those timely and critical issues that impact Gay/SGL (Same-Gender-Loving) men with a diverse set of LGBTQ movers, shakers, and change agents. The podcast is absorbing, informative, provocative…and sprinkled with sly, spicy (and sometimes a wee bit) [...]
Oh, my gawd. The New Year is here! And coming with the year ahead are all those ambitious, dramatic—and myriad–promises we make. We vow (and fervently!), “This year’s gonna be different ‘cause THIS TIME, I’m gonna stick to my New Year’s Resolutions!” Just like glue. So, I thought it’d be rather nifty to explore the [...]
