Meet the MileHighGayGuy Bloggers: Londell Jackson

A Denver native, Londell Jackson has worked for various organizations throughout the Metro area, including Gill Foundation, Denver Employment Alliance, National Endowment for Financial Education, and Center for Work Education and Employment.

Londell currently serves as Director of Education & Programs for Colorado Nonprofit Association. In addition, he is an Affiliate Faculty for Metropolitan State University of Denver, and an Adjunct Instructor for Colorado Community College System - Online. Londell holds a B.S. in Nonprofit Administration from Metro State, a M.Ed. with a specialization of Adult Learning, Training, and Development from Regis, and is currently working toward his doctorate in Adult and Occupational Education at North Dakota State University.

In his spare time, you will find Londell in the kitchen entertaining guests, playing with his Bloodhound and kitties, or enjoying a variety of leisure activities with his husband, John.

Meet the MileHighGayGuy Bloggers: John Hill, Music News and Reviews

John Hill

John Hill is a self-identified chart geek who has a passion for pop music of all kinds. Along with his chart-watching that began as a boy, he has also worked in the music industry in both retail and radio capacities, along with establishing a successful music blog.

John's experience with popular music goes back to his childhood, where he maintained his own charts based off of the Billboard Hot 100. As he progressed through his teens, he wanted to work in radio, and even achieved degrees in Radio/TV and Communications during his undergraduate studies. After graduating, he was drawn to the retail side of music for close to a decade before deciding that he liked having holidays with his family.

While his full-time job is in education, he currently writes a successful music blog titled Pop Music Notes. He is also active on Twitter @popmusicnotes and lives in Denver with his partners in crime James and Bruiser.

Meet the Men of MileHighGayGuy: Matt Kailey

Matt Kailey is a gay transman and an award-winning author, blogger, teacher, and community leader, as well as a nationally recognized speaker and trainer on transgender issues.

He is the author of Just Add Hormones: An Insider’s Guide to the Transsexual Experience (Beacon Press), a Lambda Literary Award finalist and Rocky Mountain News local bestseller, and Teeny Weenies and Other Short Subjects, a collection of humorous and heartfelt essays about his life before and after transition. In addition, his work has appeared in numerous publications, from anthologies to professional journals.

He is also a media personality who has appeared on local and national radio and television, in local and national print publications, and in five documentary films.

Health and Fitness

Phoenix Phacts by Thom Seehafer

Welcome to my very FIRST blog for MHGG. I look forward to writing many more. I hope to be a source of information and ideas for fitness training, equipment, and healthy recipes  –  basically the whole shebang on what it takes to stay healthy in this day and age.

Let me start by telling you a little bit about myself and my business. I am co-owner of a business here in Denver and in Colorado Springs called Body Solutions Rx.  We are a corporation that provides health and weight loss products and programs nationwide.  We have been one of the largest nationwide providers of hcg and metabolic weight loss programs since 2004.

Hcg is a naturally occurring protein hormone that develops in the placenta during pregnancy.  It aids in the endocrine functions and is believed to help reset the hypothalamus (a small structure in the brain that helps regulate sleep, eating, thirst, blood pressure, body temperature and electrolyte balance). From there, it sends signals to the body to break down fat and use it as a primary fuel source.  

The benefits for men who use hcg include weight loss and body reshaping, improvement in circulation, and increased mobility and energy levels. It is also believed to increase testosterone levels and to benefit those who suffer from diabetes and migraines.

There are no known side effects of using hcg, but there are changes that do occur while the body is in “detox” mode.  People tend to blame these on the hcg, but it is actually just a result of the body purging itself.

When it comes to weight loss, we have two programs available - a 500 calories per day plan and a 1200 calories per day plan.  But these aren't starvation diets. In addition to that 500 or 1200 calories from food, the body's own stored fat is a source of calories for your body to consume. Stored fat can provide anywhere from 1000-4000 calories per day. And that stored fat is is full of toxins.  It is far better to get rid of that kind of fat quickly - over a period of months rather than years. When people follow these programs, they are able to lose the weight and keep the weight off, even when the go back to a normal diet plan.  We also teach you what types of food to eat, how to eat, and how to make smarter food choices.

But Body Solutions rx is not just a weight loss center - we do so much more for our customers.  Support, tips, follow ups – whatever they need and whenever they need it, we are there for them.  We also have many other quality supplements in addition to hcg - everything from fat blockers and carb blockers to appetite suppressants and stimulants. And we always encourage our customers to do research on us before they buy.  Go to http://www.bodysolutionsrx.com to find out more about us.

The views in opinion pieces and columns do not necessarily reflect the views of MileHighGayGuy.com.

Nice to see StevieB: Happy Leap Day

by StevieB

Happy Leap Day.

Today is February 29, A day born from a Civil Servant named Sosigenes of Alexandria, and his get rich quick scheme. Sosigenes, wanting extra funds in the bank, convinced Mr. Boss Man Caesar to add on an extra 24 hours every four years to the Julian calendar. This was just to mess with everyone’s calendars for all time.

Alexandrians being notorious jerks, where also cunning enough for the Caesar to fall for the plan. Caesar never connected Sosigenes to his Alexandrian headquartered calendar making company. To this day the North African empire is solely driven by making all the world’s calendars.

For me, this day marks the anniversary of moving from Dallas, Texas to Denver, Colorado in 2004. Marking eight years I  living on the base of the great Rocky Mountains. Here are some other historical Wikepedia events:

1720 – Queen Ulrika Eleonora of Sweden abdicates in favour of her husband, who becomes  King Frederick I.
1936 – February 26 Incident in Tokyo ends.
1940 – Finland initiates Winter War peace negotiations
1960 – Family Circus makes its debut.
1988 – Svend Robinson becomes the first member of the Canadian House of Commons to come out as gay.
1992 – First day of Bosnia and Herzegovina independence referendum.

It is uncanny, the strange occurrences that seem to happen on this, Leap Day. I for one, will always remember where I was on the February 29, when I heard that the Tokyo incident had finally ended.

So, go forth and make your own wonderful memories today! Attempt your own coup d’état on your own Japanese ruling party.* Go witness the strange and awesome sight of a day that only comes but once every four years.

*The staff of the Nice to see StevieB blog, its affiliates, and/or Stevie B. neither advocate nor
  claim any right to overthrowing the Japanese ruling power in a romantic and/or
  sexy Yukio Mishima kind of way.


This post originally appeared on Steven Bennet's website Nice to See StevieB. Republished with permission.

The Gay Vegans: Make Leap Day donation to the non-profit of your choice!

By Dan Hanley

Being gay and vegan, we have several different kinds of non-profits that we donate money to. Some are making the world a better place for animals, some for LGBTQ folk, and some for people with HIV or AIDS. All of them love getting donations in February.

Most non-profits get tons of donations in the last couple of months of the year. This make sense for people giving money, as they are feeling a little more generous and/or making donations for tax purposes. For the groups making the world a better place for all living beings, a donation in December is great. The same donation earlier in the year, when giving is low and needs remain the same (and for most groups we support the need is always rising), means even more.

As much as we try to be a voice for the voiceless every day, and as many actions as we might take to support animals being tortured and humans being discriminated against, there are many groups out there that are rocking it for the voiceless. Some of them are linked from our blog. Check them out. Look to see if it might be a convenient time to donate to one of these groups, or a group local to you making a difference.

Then donate. Give them the much needed funds they need to continue to rock it for the voiceless.

And don't think for a second that your donation of $10 or $25 is too small to make a difference. It all adds up, and every donation is important to the organizations out there making the world a better place for all living beings.

This post originally appeared on Dan Hanley's website The Gay Vegans. Republished with permission.

Meet Thom Seehafer, MileHighGayGuy's newest blogger

Thom Seehafer

By Drew Wilson

Thom Seehafer is a businessman, bodybuilder, personal trainer and martial arts enthusiast in addition to being one of the newest MileHighGayGuy bloggers. Starting this Thursday, March 1, Thom will be writing about health and fitness and providing training tips and exercises in addition to healthy recipes and cooking ideas.

Says Seefhafer, "What makes me different in the personal training arena is that I don't just follow the standard exercises or routines.  I take the basic things and tweak it up. I always keep my clients guessing about what's coming next."

I had the chance to talk to Thom about his personal and professional interests including his experiences living in Colorado Springs, his 12 bodybuilding competitions, his many pets, and his favorite people, places, and things in Colorado.

Daniel and dogs

Drew: How long have you been in Colorado and what brought you here?
Thom: I will have lived in Colorado Springs for five years this October. I spent the first three years living in Woodland Park where I owned and operated Phoenix Tanning.  It was a tough business area in Woodland Park, so once I closed that business down, I started working down in the Springs. Eventually the 45 minute drive each way got tiresome so my partner Daniel and I found a nice rental in quiet little suburbia.

What originally brought me here was the chance meeting of my partner online. I was in North Carolina and he was here in Colorado. We started our chats early summer of 2007, which led to texting and hour-long chats at night.  We met physically at Raleigh Durham Airport on our way to St John USVI, I had invited him to take a vacation with me. In a short time, I sold my house in NC, he flew back from CO, we loaded up my Cherokee Jeep and five dogs, three cats, attached the 8X12 trailer and made the drive that I NEVER want to make again. But the journey was fun and easy and it made it clear to me that this was very right.

Colorado Springs has the reputation of being an unfriendly place for gays. What has been your experience with that?
The way I look at it, we are all here for one reason and that is to be happy and enjoy life.  If it's between man and woman, man and man, woman and woman, who cares?! When we first moved to Woodland Park, I didn't even give it a second thought, not that I ever did.  I worked in a restaurant and when they met my partner Daniel, he was welcomed just like any other customer who would walk through the door.  They was no labeling, or titles or any of the sort.  He was just a person, he was my partner and they know he made/makes me happy.

What is your opinion of the gay community in Colorado Springs? 
We are all people, God's creation in one form or another. The fact that I don't look or act the way you want me to is what gives us our individuality. Personally, I say live and let live! If you don't like me for one reason or another, there is plenty of space to walk around me, walk away from me or just plain ignore me. I don't care.

How and why did you get involved in bodybuilding?
I did my first competition in Virginia when I was 25 years old. Again, my philosophy is this, if you are interested in something or if you question something then try to find the answer to it.

So I just decided to do a contest to see what it was all about - bright lights, tiny suit, LOTS of energy. And it doesn't hurt that I am a BIT of an extrovert, so walking around on stage in front of people really wasn't so hard.

I have done about 12 contests or so and each has been fun and always a learning experience, but for me, the goal was more about me and what I can do to make myself healthier as opposed to getting the biggest trophy.

Winning first place, that's all fine and good, but should NOT be your primary focus. You get so much more out of this besides a trophy. You get confidence, you get pride, you get energy just by altering the looks of your body through the physical aspect of training and watching what you put in your body.

What it has shown me is how I can control my body's appearance through exercising, eating right, carbing up, or carbing down, depending on the case.  It has also made me a better cook because I now do more food preparation/making things from scratch as opposed to box mixes.

How and why did you get involved in martial arts?

I got started because it allowed me to be productive with my life (at a very difficult time) as opposed to being destructive with my life.  It was another way to develop my body and mind, outside of the gym environment.  I have studied Shotokan karate (very classical forms), I am studying American Kenpo (much more using friendly in today's world) and just adding to my repertoire, the teachings of Wing Chun. Why so much?  It's all about the learning and they go hand-in-hand. You can never have too much knowledge and the martial arts really allows you to think, be creative, develop yourself and really go outside your comfort zone and challenge yourself.  It has helped me through many battles of my life. It has given me understanding, energy, composure, and the ability to see the good and the bad - and then focus on the good. I have passed my knowledge onto others and it really is quite a trophy when you see someone training another person and they are quoting the messages that you said to them, way back when.  Martial arts is NOT all about learning how to fight and beat up somebody, but it does instill the confidence in you so that you are capable to handle pretty much any situation your life can throw at you and come out on the other side, pretty much a winner.

What is the best piece of relationship advice you know?
Communicate, don't hold things in. Nothing ever gets accomplished when you allow a boil to fester.  Talking allows it all to be exposed and then from there, you move forward.

What are some of your favorite people/places/things in Colorado?
Favorite places for me would be the restaurants and the parks here in Colorado. So many.

I have to say there is only one favorite "people" in my life and it's my partner, Daniel. I have many good friends and acquaintances, but feel blessed to have my one favorite person.

My favorite things in Colorado are sort of synonymous with favorite places. I like walking through Manitou Springs and Old Colorado City, and even walking downtown Colorado Springs either on a snowy night or a full moonlit night.

When was the last time your were shirtless in public?
Oh hell, I will do that any chance I get. But I don't get too carried away. A tank top usually shows off a far amount of physique, but I probably should go shirtless a little more to keep up my overall tan. I can do shirtless really, really easily.

How and when did you come out?
There was no big celebration. We sent out a Christmas card photo the first year we were together, and whether people heard my voice on the phone and saw my bright smile in a photo, they knew I was happy so the fact that I was in love with another man really didnt mean squat to them. They saw and heard me and they knew I was happy.

What's your favorite food/book/TV show?
Love sushi and chocolates, and they can be eaten separately and also together. My favorite book is 'Art of War' -talk about a book of strategy. And yes, call me typical, but nothing can beat reruns of 'Will and Grace' or 'I Love Lucy'. Both are great shows and one is a great classic.

Thom Seehafer is part-owner of Body Solutions Rx, a company which he says helps people release excess weight in a short amount of time, but in a healthy, safe way with the use of Hcg.