Month: June 2017

Gay Men Who Fled Chechnya; "Sense 8" Two Hour Finale; A Gay Couple HGTV Show About Property

Gay Men Who Fled Chechnya

When I saw #HeterosexualPrideDay trending today on Twitter I had to wonder if any of those idiots even realize what’s been happening to gays in Chechnya. Aside from the obvious issues with #HeterosexualPrideDay, not to mention the misguided logic, I don’t see any heterosexual people being carried off to concentration camps in Chechnya…for just literally being heterosexual.

In late February or early March, Ali was in his apartment in Grozny, the capital of Chechnya, when he got a phone call from a local police officer. “Get dressed, we have to take you in,” the man said. Ali took the sim card out of his cell phone, inserted it into a spare, blank phone, and hid his regular handset. By the time he was done, two police officers were knocking on the door. They put him in a car and drove to a nearby street, where two cars were waiting. The men put him in the back seat of one of the vehicles and got in with him.

There’s more here.

Sense 8 Two Hour Finale

After getting a lot of negative response about canceling the TV show, Sense 8, Netflix announced today they will at least give the fans a two hour finale. It’s better than nothing. I loved that show.

Series co-creator Lana Wachowski also posted a letter online expressing gratitude to the fans who fought for the series to live on.

“The passionate letters, the petitions, the collective voice that rose up like the fist of Sun to fight for this show was beyond what anyone was expecting,” Wachowski said. 

Here’s the rest. 

A Gay Couple HGTV Show About Property

I have to admit that I’ve backed off on almost all HGTV shows in the last few years because they always seem so disingenuous. There was that one show about rental income that was so off base and gave so much bad advice I couldn’t even get through the first ten minutes. And those two weird twin brothers creep me out.

If you DVR any HGTV show, you can’t get through a half hour show in less than 10 minutes by fast forwarding and not miss a thing.

With that said…

HGTV recently aired a pilot for a potential new show called Down to the Studs, which would star husbands PJ and Thomas; a couple that refer to themselves, somewhat artlessly though appropriately, as the “Property Lovers.”

Normally, a TV show like this would interest me…if it were done in a genuine way. Tony and I have always been involved in real estate…Tony even has a real estate license. We recently purchased, gutted, and renovated a rental property in Palm Springs, CA. We love doing it. However, we know the realities involved. Trust me you haven’t lived until you’ve had contractors gutting your bathroom with a jackhammer at 2 o’clock in the morning in order to stay on schedule.

Here’s more. And if you think I’m being critical, read the comments below this article.

Kendle’s Fire

A PG Rated Gay Romance 



 Not All Gay Books Have Sex
In Their Prime by Ryan Field

 Amazon


Gay Men Who Fled Chechnya; "Sense 8" Two Hour Finale; A Gay Couple HGTV Show About Property

Gay Men Who Fled Chechnya

When I saw #HeterosexualPrideDay trending today on Twitter I had to wonder if any of those idiots even realize what’s been happening to gays in Chechnya. Aside from the obvious issues with #HeterosexualPrideDay, not to mention the misguided logic, I don’t see any heterosexual people being carried off to concentration camps in Chechnya…for just literally being heterosexual.

In late February or early March, Ali was in his apartment in Grozny, the capital of Chechnya, when he got a phone call from a local police officer. “Get dressed, we have to take you in,” the man said. Ali took the sim card out of his cell phone, inserted it into a spare, blank phone, and hid his regular handset. By the time he was done, two police officers were knocking on the door. They put him in a car and drove to a nearby street, where two cars were waiting. The men put him in the back seat of one of the vehicles and got in with him.

There’s more here.

Sense 8 Two Hour Finale

After getting a lot of negative response about canceling the TV show, Sense 8, Netflix announced today they will at least give the fans a two hour finale. It’s better than nothing. I loved that show.

Series co-creator Lana Wachowski also posted a letter online expressing gratitude to the fans who fought for the series to live on.

“The passionate letters, the petitions, the collective voice that rose up like the fist of Sun to fight for this show was beyond what anyone was expecting,” Wachowski said. 

Here’s the rest. 

A Gay Couple HGTV Show About Property

I have to admit that I’ve backed off on almost all HGTV shows in the last few years because they always seem so disingenuous. There was that one show about rental income that was so off base and gave so much bad advice I couldn’t even get through the first ten minutes. And those two weird twin brothers creep me out.

If you DVR any HGTV show, you can’t get through a half hour show in less than 10 minutes by fast forwarding and not miss a thing.

With that said…

HGTV recently aired a pilot for a potential new show called Down to the Studs, which would star husbands PJ and Thomas; a couple that refer to themselves, somewhat artlessly though appropriately, as the “Property Lovers.”

Normally, a TV show like this would interest me…if it were done in a genuine way. Tony and I have always been involved in real estate…Tony even has a real estate license. We recently purchased, gutted, and renovated a rental property in Palm Springs, CA. We love doing it. However, we know the realities involved. Trust me you haven’t lived until you’ve had contractors gutting your bathroom with a jackhammer at 2 o’clock in the morning in order to stay on schedule.

Here’s more. And if you think I’m being critical, read the comments below this article.

Kendle’s Fire

A PG Rated Gay Romance 



 Not All Gay Books Have Sex
In Their Prime by Ryan Field

 Amazon


Being Gay In the 70s and 80s; How To See Justin Theroux Naked; D.C.'s Town Nightclub Is Closing

Being Gay In the 70s and 80s

Here’s a piece that talks about what it was like to be gay in the 70s and 80s.

Such Is Life Videos’ set of news clips about LGBT stories from decades ago is an excellent primer for just how far we’ve come. These two videos, featuring the 70s and 80s, are both long, but make for excellent stop-and-play action in a browser tab for watching during breaks. After all, most segments are only a few minutes long and you won’t miss any plot lines.

There’s more here.

I have a lot of older gay friends and I’ve heard so many stories…all true. So you’ll want to read the comments with this one.

How To See Justin Theroux Naked

This one is really nothing more than a clickbait gimmick. But I love The Leftovers so if it helps them get an Emmy I’ll all for it.

It’s quite simple, really: The Leftovers’ producer has assured us that Justin Theroux will get 100% naked if the show wins an Emmy nomination this year.

Now that the show is finally wrapped up, the powers that be are doing everything in their power to grab some awards and acolytes for their efforts.

Here’s the rest.

D.C’s Town Nightclub Is Closing

Here’s yet another fatality from the never ending saga of gay nightclubs closing.

“After more than ten years in operation at 2009 8th street NW, in the center of the Shaw neighborhood of Washington, DC, Town Danceboutique, the city’s largest and most well known LGBTQ nightclub, will be closing.” 

More here. 

Seems to be a sign of the times.

Kendle’s Fire

A PG Rated Gay Romance 



 Not All Gay Books Have Sex
In Their Prime by Ryan Field

 Amazon

Being Gay In the 70s and 80s; How To See Justin Theroux Naked; D.C.’s Town Nightclub Is Closing

Being Gay In the 70s and 80s

Here’s a piece that talks about what it was like to be gay in the 70s and 80s.

Such Is Life Videos’ set of news clips about LGBT stories from decades ago is an excellent primer for just how far we’ve come. These two videos, featuring the 70s and 80s, are both long, but make for excellent stop-and-play action in a browser tab for watching during breaks. After all, most segments are only a few minutes long and you won’t miss any plot lines.

There’s more here.

I have a lot of older gay friends and I’ve heard so many stories…all true. So you’ll want to read the comments with this one.

How To See Justin Theroux Naked

This one is really nothing more than a clickbait gimmick. But I love The Leftovers so if it helps them get an Emmy I’ll all for it.

It’s quite simple, really: The Leftovers’ producer has assured us that Justin Theroux will get 100% naked if the show wins an Emmy nomination this year.

Now that the show is finally wrapped up, the powers that be are doing everything in their power to grab some awards and acolytes for their efforts.

Here’s the rest.

D.C’s Town Nightclub Is Closing

Here’s yet another fatality from the never ending saga of gay nightclubs closing.

“After more than ten years in operation at 2009 8th street NW, in the center of the Shaw neighborhood of Washington, DC, Town Danceboutique, the city’s largest and most well known LGBTQ nightclub, will be closing.” 

More here. 

Seems to be a sign of the times.

Kendle’s Fire

A PG Rated Gay Romance 



 Not All Gay Books Have Sex
In Their Prime by Ryan Field

 Amazon

Frank Mugisha and Anti-Homosexuality Act In Uganda; Angela Merkel and Gay Marriage In Germany; Johnny Weir's Horrible Divorce

Frank Mugisha and Anti-Homosexuality Act In Uganda

Over the weekend a friend I follow on Facebook mentioned a gay activist in Uganda named Frank Mugisha, and I remembered a brilliant article written by Mugisha about year ago where he talks about his struggles as a gay person in Uganda. His article is also timely to what’s happening right now, again, in Uganda.

Mugisha wrote this last year…

That being said, I was starting to feel as though there were reasons to be positive and to hope for change. The abominable Anti-Homosexuality Act, about which I wrote for the Guardian in 2014, was later rescinded. Our close community of activists committed to improving the lives of LGBTI Ugandans is vibrant and as strong a movement as it has ever been. Some of us have even received global recognition for our work. And so Uganda Pride 2016 was set to be a long overdue celebration of our hard work and resilience.

He then goes on to talk about the horrible things that happened during that Pride celebration. You can check this out here. As I said, it’s a brilliant piece about what life is like for some LGBT people.

With that said, here’s what been going on recently in Uganda:

Uganda’s government has vowed to bring back a bill that would punish homosexuality and the promotion of LGBTI issues with jail time.

Speaker Rebecca Kadaga, who wished to pass a ‘Kill The Gays’ bill in 2014, has called on legislators to pass a new law. Homosexuality is already punishable by up to seven years.

Evidently, in some parts of the world the struggle is even more intense than ever, and we should all be aware of it.

Here’s the rest. 

Angela Merkel and Gay Marriage In Germany

This seriously bothers me. I see people praising Angela Merkel all the time on social media without even realizing how anti-gay marriage she’s always been. You can do a simple search for that, and it’s even mentioned in this article to which I’m linking.

However, this bothers me even more.

Merkel seems prepared to have the Social Democrats (SPD), the German Liberal Democrats, and the Greens have an ‘in conscience’ vote for or against the marriage.

‘I want to focus the discussion in a direction that is conscious decision-making, rather than wanting to impose anything,’ she said.

This statement marks a significant change on her position about the topic. In 2013, the Chancellor opposed it fearing the ‘good of the children’ if there were same-sex couples.

How Merkel manages to get so much praise passes me by.

There’s more here.

Johnny Weir’s Horrible Divorce

Although this article doesn’t mention it, I’ll always remember Johnny Weir as the guy who went to Russia and called LGBT activists idiots.

Weir is back in the news…sort of…and he’s talking about his divorce. It’s an interesting follow up for anyone who was following Weir back then.

Champion figure skater Johnny Weir is speaking out about his ‘terrible divorce’ from Victor Voronov in 2014.

Voronov had gone on the syndicated US show Inside Edition and accused Weir of a host of things from biting him to marrying him to provide fodder for a reality show.

Here’s the rest of it. 

And, he’s into fur.

Kendle’s Fire

A PG Rated Gay Romance 



 Not All Gay Books Have Sex
In Their Prime by Ryan Field

 Amazon



Frank Mugisha and Anti-Homosexuality Act In Uganda; Angela Merkel and Gay Marriage In Germany; Johnny Weir’s Horrible Divorce

Frank Mugisha and Anti-Homosexuality Act In Uganda

Over the weekend a friend I follow on Facebook mentioned a gay activist in Uganda named Frank Mugisha, and I remembered a brilliant article written by Mugisha about year ago where he talks about his struggles as a gay person in Uganda. His article is also timely to what’s happening right now, again, in Uganda.

Mugisha wrote this last year…

That being said, I was starting to feel as though there were reasons to be positive and to hope for change. The abominable Anti-Homosexuality Act, about which I wrote for the Guardian in 2014, was later rescinded. Our close community of activists committed to improving the lives of LGBTI Ugandans is vibrant and as strong a movement as it has ever been. Some of us have even received global recognition for our work. And so Uganda Pride 2016 was set to be a long overdue celebration of our hard work and resilience.

He then goes on to talk about the horrible things that happened during that Pride celebration. You can check this out here. As I said, it’s a brilliant piece about what life is like for some LGBT people.

With that said, here’s what been going on recently in Uganda:

Uganda’s government has vowed to bring back a bill that would punish homosexuality and the promotion of LGBTI issues with jail time.

Speaker Rebecca Kadaga, who wished to pass a ‘Kill The Gays’ bill in 2014, has called on legislators to pass a new law. Homosexuality is already punishable by up to seven years.

Evidently, in some parts of the world the struggle is even more intense than ever, and we should all be aware of it.

Here’s the rest. 

Angela Merkel and Gay Marriage In Germany

This seriously bothers me. I see people praising Angela Merkel all the time on social media without even realizing how anti-gay marriage she’s always been. You can do a simple search for that, and it’s even mentioned in this article to which I’m linking.

However, this bothers me even more.

Merkel seems prepared to have the Social Democrats (SPD), the German Liberal Democrats, and the Greens have an ‘in conscience’ vote for or against the marriage.

‘I want to focus the discussion in a direction that is conscious decision-making, rather than wanting to impose anything,’ she said.

This statement marks a significant change on her position about the topic. In 2013, the Chancellor opposed it fearing the ‘good of the children’ if there were same-sex couples.

How Merkel manages to get so much praise passes me by.

There’s more here.

Johnny Weir’s Horrible Divorce

Although this article doesn’t mention it, I’ll always remember Johnny Weir as the guy who went to Russia and called LGBT activists idiots.

Weir is back in the news…sort of…and he’s talking about his divorce. It’s an interesting follow up for anyone who was following Weir back then.

Champion figure skater Johnny Weir is speaking out about his ‘terrible divorce’ from Victor Voronov in 2014.

Voronov had gone on the syndicated US show Inside Edition and accused Weir of a host of things from biting him to marrying him to provide fodder for a reality show.

Here’s the rest of it. 

And, he’s into fur.

Kendle’s Fire

A PG Rated Gay Romance 



 Not All Gay Books Have Sex
In Their Prime by Ryan Field

 Amazon



Gay Guys Deleting Grindr To Read More Books; Dating With Tourette's Syndrome; Pride Hecklers Throw Hate Shade At Nikki Haley

Gay Guys Deleting Grindr To Read More Books

Even though I know nothing about Grindr, I’m thrilled to hear this. I already know for a fact that a lot of gay men are voracious readers and I’m glad to hear that reading is now becoming even more popular.

Jason Chen was sick of meeting losers on Grindr. The sex was never great, and the conversation was even worse.  So he deleted the app and started a gay book club instead.

“Our club is pretty standard-issue,” Chen explains in a new article published by The Cut. “We send endless emails trying to get together, spend much of our time gossiping, and have rosé-fueled debates about whether Elena Ferrante could possibly be a man, or where the narrator of The Idiot falls on the spectrum, or if A Little Life qualifies more as torture or interiors porn.” 

You can read more about this here. 

Dating With Tourett’s Syndrome

Here’s something about a gay man with Tourette’s syndrome, and the issues he has to face when it comes to dating.

 Damian explains that he recently arranged to meet a guy for drinks. The guy never showed. Or so he thought.

“It turns out then after he met up with one of my other friends, that he saw me,” Damian says. “He saw me ticking. He thought I was crazy and walked away.”

There’s more here. It does get more upbeat. I actually knew someone once who had Tourette’s and after you get to know the person, and like the person, you don’t even notice.

Pride Hecklers Throw Hate Shade At Nikki Haley

To be honest, I don’t even know who Nikki Haley is. This is one of those political things I don’t follow closely. But she must be someone important because she was leaving a restaurant in NY this past weekend that was on the Pride route, and on the way out LGBTQ people shouted hateful pejoratives at her…and even at her family. Her young son was with her.

So the only reason why I’m even posting about this is to state that I would never do something like this to anyone in public, and probably not even in private, especially not if they had a child with them. I wasn’t raised that way. Just because I’m openly gay, and proud to be openly gay, doesn’t mean I choose to live my life like others in the LGBTQ community. Taking the high road isn’t all that difficult to do. I also think that Pride events are more about tolerance and anti-hate.

With that said…

On Sunday, Haley says she and her family were booed and heckled while leaving a restaurant along the NYC Pride route.

After the incident, Haley posted this message on Facebook: 

You can check this one out here. And there are comments that vary, which shows that the ever growing division within the LGBTQ community seems to be getting wider.

Kendle’s Fire

A PG Rated Gay Romance 



 Not All Gay Books Have Sex
In Their Prime by Ryan Field

 Amazon

Gay Guys Deleting Grindr To Read More Books; Dating With Tourette’s Syndrome; Pride Hecklers Throw Hate Shade At Nikki Haley

Gay Guys Deleting Grindr To Read More Books

Even though I know nothing about Grindr, I’m thrilled to hear this. I already know for a fact that a lot of gay men are voracious readers and I’m glad to hear that reading is now becoming even more popular.

Jason Chen was sick of meeting losers on Grindr. The sex was never great, and the conversation was even worse.  So he deleted the app and started a gay book club instead.

“Our club is pretty standard-issue,” Chen explains in a new article published by The Cut. “We send endless emails trying to get together, spend much of our time gossiping, and have rosé-fueled debates about whether Elena Ferrante could possibly be a man, or where the narrator of The Idiot falls on the spectrum, or if A Little Life qualifies more as torture or interiors porn.” 

You can read more about this here. 

Dating With Tourett’s Syndrome

Here’s something about a gay man with Tourette’s syndrome, and the issues he has to face when it comes to dating.

 Damian explains that he recently arranged to meet a guy for drinks. The guy never showed. Or so he thought.

“It turns out then after he met up with one of my other friends, that he saw me,” Damian says. “He saw me ticking. He thought I was crazy and walked away.”

There’s more here. It does get more upbeat. I actually knew someone once who had Tourette’s and after you get to know the person, and like the person, you don’t even notice.

Pride Hecklers Throw Hate Shade At Nikki Haley

To be honest, I don’t even know who Nikki Haley is. This is one of those political things I don’t follow closely. But she must be someone important because she was leaving a restaurant in NY this past weekend that was on the Pride route, and on the way out LGBTQ people shouted hateful pejoratives at her…and even at her family. Her young son was with her.

So the only reason why I’m even posting about this is to state that I would never do something like this to anyone in public, and probably not even in private, especially not if they had a child with them. I wasn’t raised that way. Just because I’m openly gay, and proud to be openly gay, doesn’t mean I choose to live my life like others in the LGBTQ community. Taking the high road isn’t all that difficult to do. I also think that Pride events are more about tolerance and anti-hate.

With that said…

On Sunday, Haley says she and her family were booed and heckled while leaving a restaurant along the NYC Pride route.

After the incident, Haley posted this message on Facebook: 

You can check this one out here. And there are comments that vary, which shows that the ever growing division within the LGBTQ community seems to be getting wider.

Kendle’s Fire

A PG Rated Gay Romance 



 Not All Gay Books Have Sex
In Their Prime by Ryan Field

 Amazon

Pulse Nightclub Remembered In NYC Pride; Turkey LGBTQ Pride Rally Halted; Married Gay Asexual

Pulse Nightclub Remembered In NYC Pride

When I saw a photo of NYC Pride last year with people wearing white and holding up signs that had information about the 49 lives lost in the Pulse nightclub massacre, it hit me harder than I thought it would. The magnitude of that massacre still guts me a year later, as I’m sure it does for all other LGBTQ people.

This dates back to 2016, and I think it’s worth revisiting.

 The 46th annual New York City Pride Parade was another out and proud celebration of gay rights and culture — but this time, signs of the worst mass shooting in U.S. history loomed everywhere.

 The owner and manager of Orlando’s Pulse nightclub, where 49 people were massacred two weeks ago by a terrorist, rode the lead float as armed NYPD officers provided heightened security and paradegoers and spectators waved “We Are Orlando” signs.

In any event, it’s a link to a piece that’s a year old about the people who remembered Pulse in NYC Pride. I also saw a tweet this weekend and I believe they did it again this year, too. I wish I could share the photo but here’s a link to the tweet I saw.

Turkey LGBTQ Pride Rally Halted

I think it’s important to know about the things happening to all LGBTQ people on a global level. In some parts of the world LGBTQ people can’t even have a Pride rally without getting into all kinds of trouble.

Police in the Turkish city of Istanbul have thwarted attempts by organisers to hold a banned Gay Pride march.

The organisers of the annual event had vowed to press ahead despite the ban by the authorities, who had cited threats from far-right groups.

But police briefly fired rubber bullets to disperse the marchers and detained a number of them.

If you are not familiar with what some LGBTQ people in other parts of the world are dealing with, this article should enlighten you. 

Married Gay Asexual

I find this fascinating. As I’ve said before in other related posts I don’t know enough about asexuality to comment. But I do know enough to fully support anyone who is asexual.

According to the Asexual Visibility and Education Network, an asexual is “someone who does not experience sexual attraction.”

So is it possible to be asexual and gay?

According to Mateo Sancho Cardiel, the answer is yes. And he’s living proof. 

There’s more here. The comments are pretty rough on this one, and I don’t totally understand that. Why do people have to comment so negatively on things they clearly don’t understand?

Kendle’s Fire

A PG Rated Gay Romance 



 Not All Gay Books Have Sex
In Their Prime by Ryan Field

 Amazon

Parents Outing A Straight Kid; Gay History Through T-shirts; More On Gay Concentration Camps In Chechnya

Parents Pushing A Straight Kid To Be Gay

Here’s a disturbing story about a guy who isn’t gay, but his parents think he’s gay and they keep pushing him to come out. I think it’s disturbing because any time a parent pushes this hard in any direction it can’t be good for the kid in the long run. And, this kid makes a point of stating that he’s not homophobic. He’s just not gay.

“For the last six years of my life, I’ve been met with monthly, off-the-cuff talks about how it’s okay to be gay,” says Redditor wakaawak.

The university student now feels stifled and dreads going back home because he “can almost feel the curiosity whenever [his mom’s] friends are having a cup of tea over at our house.” 

I don’t blame him for not wanting to go home.

Here’s the rest. 

Gay History Through T-Shirts

I think articles like this one show how diverse the gay community really is.  They’re referring to it as history through T-shirts.

Wearing Gay History began as a graduate student project at George Mason University in the Fall of 2014. Doctoral student Eric Gonzaba digitized the entire t-shirt collection of the Chris Gonzalez Library and Archives in Indiana. In just a few short years the collection expanded to include textiles from over 25 different countries.

There’s more here.  

More On Gay Concentration Camps In Chechnya

There’s nothing new to report about gays in Chechnya, but this article goes into detail about the entire topic, and it’s recent.

This is something I didn’t know until now…

The targeting of gay men in Chechnya started in chat rooms.  Security agents would pose as gay men, including old friends of the targets, and lure them to secondary locations where they were interrogated and tortured to try to get them to disclose the names of other gay men.

Some of them men were returned to their families or their families were brought to them at the camps, with the expectation they would perform an “honor killing.”  One man’s family was told, “sort it out or we’ll do it ourselves” after their son had spent two weeks under torture in the camps.

Here’s link to the entire piece. 

Kendle’s Fire

A PG Rated Gay Romance 



 Not All Gay Books Have Sex
In Their Prime by Ryan Field

 Amazon