'Men I've Never Been', a Memoir by Michael Sadowski

Men I’ve Never Been recounts Michael Sadowski’s odyssey as a boy who shuns his own identity—and, ultimately, his sexual orientation—in order to become who he thinks he’s supposed to be. Beginning with the memory of a four-year-old sitting in a dingy dive bar, sounding out newspaper headlines while his boasting father collects drinks from onlookers, each chapter highlights a different image of manhood that Sadowski saw at home, at school, or on television—from sports heroes, hunters, and game show hosts to his charismatic but hard-drinking father. As he learns not to talk, laugh, cry, or love, he retreats further behind a stoic mask of silence—outwardly well-functioning but emotionally isolated, sinking under the weight of the past.

Through wrenching tragedy and tense, life-threatening challenges, Sadowski struggles to find love, purpose, and healthy self-regard. In trying to understand his identity and his place within his family, he meditates on the power of real human connection and comes to grasp the damage of his troubled upbringing and the traumas caused by toxic masculinity. By turns comic and tragic, this nuanced memoir uncovers the false selves we create to get along in the world and the price we pay to maintain them.

Read more here.

Michael Sadowski is an award-winning writer and and author of several books, including In a Queer Voice, Safe Is Not Enough, and Adolescents at School. He is an administrator and professor at Bard College.

Do You Want To Reach Denver's Gay Community? Advertise With Denver's Best Gay Blog!

Do you want to advertise to Denver’s gay community? Of course you do, it’s the 7th largest in the United States! And the best way to reach them is with MileHighGayGuy – Colorado’s Best Gay Blog.

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Cookbook Let's You Add a 'Taste of Tucson' to Your Life

Taste of Tucson is a collection of delicious recipes from local restaurant experts, chefs and the author’s own original recipes, all inspired by the rich culture of Southern Arizona.

Alpers shares her own inspired recipe creations in this book as well as recipes from 16 of her favorite regional restaurants and chefs, while incorporating the history of the region, the mysticism and lore, and how it has contributed to the food of the people who live there.

“TASTE OF TUCSON is about how the evolution of food culture in my community inspired me,” Jackie says. “The cuisine of this region emphasizes its connection to Sonora a state in Mexico. Though the borders have been redrawn over the years Sonora (which Tucson was part of until only very recently) remains only sixty miles away. This cookbook is about inclusion and it is also about diversity. You will see the merging of cultures over time and the way food has progressed in one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in North America.”

The city of Tucson was designated as the first food capitol of gastronomy by UNESCO. The city’s agriculture heritage extends back thousands of years, its rich and diverse culture celebrated in the delectable food dishes and vibrant local ingredients. 

"In addition to my recipes, I collected recipes from local chefs whose recipes are excellent examples of Sonoran cuisine. Some are local classics and old favorites, some are new. All are outstanding representations of Sonoran cuisine at this time, and in this place.”

Some of the Tucson chefs who contributed recipes include: Daniel Contreras: El Guero Canelo; Suzana Davila: Café Poca Cosa and The Little One; Carlotta Flores and the Flores family: El Charro Café; Benjamin Galaz: BK Tacos; Amanda Horton: Desert Provisions; Teresa Matias and the Matias family: Mosaic Café; Maria Mazon: BOCA Tacos y Tequila; Isela Mejia: El Sur Restaurant; Erika Mattson Munoz: Seis Kitchen and Bruce Yim: Hacienda Del Sol.

“I’d like for TASTE OF TUCSON to be a jumping off point for readers to explore new culinary adventures. I hope these recipes and ideas inspire them to create their own recipe creations."

Gay Help Wanted: Database Coordinator at Out Boulder

Out Boulder is still seeking candidates for a full-time Database Coordinator position. If you are a talented individual who has prior experience with relational donor databases (CRMs) who is comfortable writing new protocols and is efficient with data entry, apply today to join the OBC team.

W Aspen & The Sky Residences at W Aspen Among the Winners of the 2021 Gay Travel Awards

The 2021 Gay Travel Awards presented by GayTravel.com has released its list of official winners.

GayTravel Chief Visionary Officer Steve Rohrlick said: "This year has been another challenging one for travelers. With the pandemic ebbing and flowing across the globe and the uncertainty related to the latest Omicron variant, many are restricted from traveling or waiting for a safer time. The Gay Travel Awards affords us all a moment to focus on the industry's best as a prologue to getting back out there."

The Gay Travel Awards support and promote LGBTQ+ travel and tourism by identifying and rewarding select destinations, properties, events, influencers, and other organizations that exemplify a spirit of inclusiveness and hospitality excellence. These distinguished winners lead by example and inspire other inclusive companies and brands.

Every year, especially now, The Gay Travel Awards offer something to look forward to while inspiring future travel. The Gay Travel Awards are akin to The Oscars^® for LGBTQ+ travelers.

Returning for its sophomore year, "The Gay Travel Influencers" category consists of creators who inspire travel with their inclusive spirit, a drive for diversity, and a desire to change the world for the better.

The 2021 Gay Travel Awards Winners by category appear alphabetically below:

AIRLINE
Delta Airlines, Atlanta, Georgia

BED & BREAKFAST/ INN
Banff Ptarmigan Inn, Alberta, Canada

CAR RENTAL
Enterprise Rent-A-Car, St. Louis, Missouri

DESTINATION, BEACH
Aruba, Lesser Antilles, Caribbean

DESTINATION, CITY (US)
San Francisco, California

DESTINATION, CITY (NON-US)
Barcelona, Spain

DESTINATION, FAMILY
Oahu, Hawaii

DESTINATION, ISLAND
Puerto Rico, Caribbean

DESTINATION, MOUNTAIN
Banff & Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada

DESTINATION, NATURE
Costa Rica, Central America

DESTINATION, WEDDING
Kauai, Hawaii

FAN-FAVORITE
Boston Harbor Hotel at Rowes Wharf, Boston, Massachusetts

GAY TRAVEL INFLUENCERS
@michaelandmatt

HOTEL, BEACH
The Ritz-Carlton, St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands

HOTEL, BEST VALUE
AC Hotel, Guadalajara, Mexico

HOTEL, BOUTIQUE
Moxy NYC Chelsea, New York

HOTEL, CASINO
San Juan Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino, Puerto Rico

HOTEL, CITY NON US
W Mexico City, Mexico

HOTEL, CITY US (TIE)
Fairmont Austin, Texas
San Francisco Marriott Marquis, California

HOTEL, FAMILY
Orlando World Center Marriott, Florida

HOTEL, GOLF
Los Suenos Marriott Ocean & Golf Resort, Playa Herradura, Costa Rica

HOTEL, HONEYMOON
Saii Lagoon Maldives, Maldives Islands

HOTEL, LGBTQ+ SCENE
Hyatt Centric Key West Resort & Spa, Florida

HOTEL, LUXURY
Zadún, A Ritz-Carlton Reserve, San José del Cabo, Mexico

HOTEL, MOUNTAIN
W Aspen & The Sky Residences at W Aspen, Colorado

HOTEL, PET FRIENDLY
XV Beacon Hotel, Boston, Massachusetts

HOTEL, SPA & WELLNESS
Carneros Resort and Spa, Napa, California

HOTEL, TROPICAL HIDEAWAY
The Ritz-Carlton, Turks & Caicos, Turks and Caicos Islands

HOTEL, WEDDING
W Punta de Mita, Mexico

LODGE/RANCH
Tenaya Lodge at Yosemite, California

PRIDE (NON US)
Pride Amsterdam, Netherlands

PRIDE (US)
Pride Northwest, Portland, Oregon

TOUR OPERATOR
Voyemo, Worldwide

GayTravel connects the LGBTQ+ community with gay-friendly destinations, hotels, cruises, tours, events, entertainment, attractions, clubs, and restaurants worldwide. Their mission is to provide the community with safe, welcoming, and curated recommendations to ensure that every vacation is both pleasurable and memorable. Wherever the journey ends, it begins with GayTravel.com!

For additional information, visit www.GayTravel.com or call (800) GAY-TRAVEL or follow @GayTravel on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.

Study Reveals United States ranks #1 Worldwide for Musical Influence

medimops (a momox GmbH brand), Europe's largest online marketplace for second-hand cd’s and records, has released a study showing the countries that exert the most musical influence worldwide. As a multicultural company and music-lovers themselves, medimops wanted to see if they could contribute to the time-honoured debate of which nation influenced whom using a unique data-driven approach. Determining musical influence is no easy task, however, the company looked to modern music streaming services to determine the extent of each country’s musical output and reach, combining ‘play’ and ‘view’ data with other measures of artist recognition and support systems. The resulting index offers the most comprehensive dataset about musical influence to date, revealing the 30 countries whose contributions have had the greatest impact on the global music landscape.

How the study was conducted:
medimops began the study by analysing music streaming data across multiple platforms - Spotify, Youtube and iTunes/Apple Music - to identify the most popular artists around the world and where they and where they were born.* This was then narrowed down to the top 30 countries worldwide. Each artist’s global influence was determined through a scoring system that measured their popularity outside their country, language, and cultural group of origin. The number of internationally-renowned artists that were born in each country was also found, reaching all the way from classical musicians like Bach, to modern-day artists like Beyoncé. To add further context, medimops consulted an ethnomusicological study on the uniqueness of local sounds, identifying how distinct each country’s traditional and folk music styles were from others.

It was important to understand how far each country supported the development of a local music ecosystem, so the company looked into the existing infrastructure, ranging from the number of music schools and major labels to the percentage of people working in the music industry. Local demand and support for live music were determined by investigating how popular a country was as a destination for major artist tours/concerts over the last five years.

Finally, to also determine which type of music is produced most in each country, medimops measured musical output based on four different genres - pop, electronic, rock, and classical. By combining these indicators of historical development, global music reach, and local artist support, medimops was able to calculate the first-ever Global Influential Music Index, which uses data to showcase the worldwide influence of each country’s musical output.

Performance Now Theatre Company presents "Nunsense" at the Lakewood Cultural Center

Performance Now Theatre Company presents Nunsense January 7 through January 23 at the Lakewood Cultural Center, 470 S. Allison Parkway in Lakewood. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m.; Saturdays and Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets are $20 - $36 and are available or online at www.performancenow.org or by calling 303-987-7845.

​

Sister Julia, Child of God, has accidentally killed fifty-two residents of the Little Sisters of Hoboken convent with her tainted vichyssoise. With the deceased nuns on ice in the deep freeze, the remaining nuns – ballet-loving Sister Leo, street-wise Sister Robert Anne, befuddled Sister Mary Amnesia, the Mother Superior Mary Regina, and mistress of the novices Sister Mary Hubert – stage a talent show in order to raise the money to bury their dearly departed.

 

The cast includes Karen Krause (Mother Superior), Nancy Evans Begly (Sister Hubert), Sara Metz (Sister Leo), Katie Reid (Sister Robert Anne) and Colby Resinger (Sister Amnesia).

Campus Pride Announces Awarding of Second Round of Social Justice Mini-Grants

Campus Pride, the preeminent resource for LGBTQ leadership development, diversity inclusion, and advocacy within higher education, today announced the awarding of ten new Social Justice Mini-Grants for Activism. Campus Pride launched its social justice mini-grant program in June 2021 as part of the organization’s 20th-anniversary celebrations with an inaugural ten awards. Each grant is worth up to $600.

Grantees represent schools from across the country, working on projects ranging from providing binders to transgender students, cultivating a photojournalism series, developing educational and safe space trainings on campuses, and supporting LGBTQ students on one of the most discriminatory campuses in the country. View the full list of mini-grant awardees and project descriptions online at www.CampusPride.org/SocialJusticeMiniGrantFunding.

This inaugural class of awards includes the following schools and project themes:

• George Washington University, Washington D.C. – To grow the HBCU Commission on the East coast.

• Pennsylvania State University, Pennsylvania – Creating safe spaces to obliterate systemic challenges and barriers through writing, digital content creation, and programming.

• Pennsylvania State University, Pennsylvania – Helping students pay for gender-affirming surgeries.

• University of Connecticut, Connecticut – To research topics including the effects of disability on transgender people’s sexuality, the intersection of race and disability, and explorations into disparities marginalized people face.

• University of Connecticut, Connecticut – To research housing insecurity within the LGBTQ community in partnership with the University of Connecticut's Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies department, and the publication of a zine centered on these issues.

• University of Minnesota Morris, Minnesota – To cultivate a social media series exploring gender non-conforming fashion for plus-sized people.

• Virginia State University, Virginia – To develop “Leisure and Lessons” programming, creating social spaces for LGBTQ young people to connect and explore issues around mental and physical health.

• University of Wisconsin Whitewater, Wisconsin – To develop a PhotoVoice photography project to explore queerness in rural areas, telling the stories of rural LGBTQ individuals visually.

• Brigham Young University, Utah – To support BYU Pride’s efforts to advocate for real change on one of the most intolerant campuses for LGBTQ students in the country.

• University of Central Florida, Florida – To distribute binders to transgender students - an essential tool for transmasculine and gender non-conforming individuals.

Campus Pride will continue awarding Social Justice Mini-Grants for Activism in 2022. Student activists are encouraged to apply online at www.campuspride.org/actnow.

“Ask Your Gay Uncle” Podcast Delivers Big Guests, Deep Questions, and Lots of Heart

Hosted by gay millennial Ben Palacios and his gay uncle, baby boomer Tom Truss, the Ask Your Gay Uncle podcast offers topics such as sex addiction, conversion therapy, drag history, and how to come out when living in a long term care facility. 

Previous guests include New York Times bestselling author Dr. Eric Cervini; award-winning filmmaker Anthony Meindl; Broadway’s Gavin Creel; Men’s Health sex comlumnist Zach Zane and Australian gay rugby player Simon Dunn, among other LGBTQ+ advocates and luminaries.

What makes the podcast unique is the intergenerational familial dynamic offered by Ben and his uncle Tom. “I thought we knew each other well,” says Ben, “But each episode brings us through new uncharted territory, leaving us howling, cringing, or in tears."

Mr. Man Bares All in Year-End Top 10 List of its ‘Most Watched Scenes of 2021’

Mr. Man, the #1 Authority on Male Celebrity Nudity, is counting down the popular site’s Top 10 Most Watched Scenes of 2021, according to official membership clicks at MrMan.com.

After tallying up the year’s best birds-eye views, Mr. Man officials selected the best bare assets in the business. Here they are!

Kicking off the list at #10 is Peter Vack for his performance in PVT Chat. The New York-born actor’s onscreen work in this 2020 drama is so impressive and indelible that he also takes the #6 AND #2 spot on the list for the same film!

Juan Carlos Maldonado tackles auto-eroticism head-on in ‘70s-set prison flick The Prince (#9), while Hayden Christensen’s sex scene in 2006 drama Factory Girl still draws a rapt audience, snagging the #8 spot on the list.

At #7 is erotic German film Under the Rain and its stars Anteo Chara, Enki Babylon, Markus Reid, Valentin Braun; #5’s The Boys in the Band highlights an unforgettable ‘60s dinner party with stars Matt Bomer and Andrew Rammells. The film’s stars Bomer and Big Bang Theory’s Jim Parsons also scored the #3 spot for Bomer’s eye-popping shower shot as well.

Taking in the view at #4 is Sex/Life, in which stars Adam Demos and Mike Vogel made Netflix history with 20 million repeated views of Demos’ foot-long full-frontal scene in the erotically-charged series.

So who is Mr. Man’s Number One Most Watched Star of 2021? That claim to fame belongs to British leading man Harry Lawtey for his up close & personal swinging display in front of a (lucky) mirror in HBO hit series about banking executives, Industry. Fans can also bank on Lawtey being back on this same list in 2022!

Want to see more? Find the entire list of Mr. Man’s Top 10 Most Watched Scenes of 2021 at MrMan.com/promos/top-100-celeb-penis-scenes.

To unlock Mr. Man’s entire collection of more than 8,000 stars, 90,000 pics & clips and a vast selection of curated films and TV shows in full HD video, new members can find hot summer deals by joining now.

Famous Feline Shares Heartwarming Journey from Shelter Kitty to Social Media Sensation

From spa days and birthday parties, to playing dress-up and Target “shopping,” the humanlike antics of an affable ginger tabby named Carrot have been shared with the famous feline’s nearly 300K Instagram followers, capturing the attention of human celebs like Ellen DeGeneres and Katie Couric.

The social media sensation is now giving readers a glimpse into a year in her furry, fun-filled life in her new book, Diary of the Cat Named Carrot, an uplifting, instantly stress-reducing story told from Carrot’s perspective.

From her humble beginnings as a tiny orange stray to being welcomed into a loving family—including Erin Merryn and her young girls Abby, Hannah and baby Claire—through her rise to internet stardom, Diary of the Cat Named Carrot chronicles her remarkable journey.

Carrot lived in the same shelter that had once housed the family’s previous internet star, Bailey, whose adventures were featured in Bailey, No Ordinary Cat. Much like Bailey had, Carrot loves spending time with her human family partaking in typically human pastimes: making mischief with her girl gang; joyriding in a pint-sized pink Barbie Jeep; doing arts and crafts; modeling a pink tutu and flowery headband; enjoying a spa day complete with fluffy robe and cucumber eye treatments; and celebrating Christmas, Easter and every holiday in between. It’s no wonder Carrot’s videos have gone viral—garnering attention from Ellen, the Dodo, Good Morning America, Access Hollywood, People and many other media outlets. 
 

Diary of the Cat Named Carrot is packed with color photos that will leave readers purring with delight. The journal of this sweet, adorable kitty with personality to spare shows us that the human-animal bond runs more than fur deep. It is a love that will last a lifetime. 

 

Erin Merryn is an author, activist, speaker, wife and mom to three girls—Abby, Hannah and Claire—and a fur baby named Carrot. She was named Glamour Magazine Woman of the Year in 2012 and a People magazine Hero Among Us for her tireless work promoting Erin's Law nationwide with a mission to keep our children safe by educating them about personal body safety. She is the author of Bailey, No Ordinary Cat, Stolen Innocence, Living for Today and An Unimaginable Act.

Do You Want To Reach Denver's Gay Community? Advertise With Denver's Best Gay Blog!

Do you want to advertise to Denver’s gay community? Of course you do, it’s the 7th largest in the United States! And the best way to reach them is with MileHighGayGuy – Colorado’s Best Gay Blog.

Just click the Advertising page or email sales@milehighgayguy.com to get started today.

“Cross-Stitch Like a Queen” Author Donating Book Profits to The Trevor Project

Get stitching with this first-of-its-kind collection of creative and colorful patterns inspired by drag queens, pride, and the LGBTQIA+ community.

Introducing Cross-Stitch Like a Queen: 25 Fun and Fabulous Patterns Celebrating Drag and the LGBTQIA+ Community by David Hastings, a new full-color book with step-by-step instructions to craft 25 fierce and feisty cross-stitching creations.

Inspired to give back and support the community, Hastings will be donating a portion of the proceeds from the book to The Trevor Project. Hastings, who moonlights as drag queen Dottie Salami in Brooklyn, also provides a list of organizations supporting the LGBTQIA+ community on a resources page at the end of the book.

The patterns range from easy to difficult—“difficult” categorized as such because the patterns include backstitching. “Once you get the hang of backstitches, you’ll be able to make any of these patterns easily,” Hastings said.

Perfect for fans of drag and drag queens, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, and allies, Cross-Stitch Like a Queen is a celebration of the mantra “love is love.” Go forth and stitch!

Colorado LGBTQ activist Jordan Blisk to receive Stonewall Award

The American Bar Association Commission on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) will honor Colorado LGBTQ activist Jordan Blisk with its Stonewall Award during a virtual ceremony on Feb. 12 at 5:30 p.m. PST at the ABA Midyear Meeting in Seattle.

Named after the New York City Stonewall Inn police raid and riot of June 28, 1969, which was a turning point in the gay rights movement, the award recognizes lawyers who have considerably advanced lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals in the legal profession and successfully championed LGBTQ legal causes. 

Blisk is the assistant director of chapters at the American Constitutional Society, a progressive legal organization, and executive director and board chair of the Colorado Name Change Project (CNCP), where he leads programs that provide transgender Coloradans with legal and financial assistance with their name and gender marker corrections through attorney-led workshops across the state.

 

CNCP accomplishes its goals through attorney-led workshops, microgrants to defray or wholly eliminate the cost of legal transition, individual pro bono legal assistance, nonpartisan advocacy and innovative technology implementation. Blisk is working to lay the groundwork to replicate and expand successful CNCP initiatives in neighboring states with policies on legal transition that are less accessible than Colorado’s.

 

After high school, Blisk served in the U.S. Air Force for four years, then received his B.A. from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. Having earned both the rank of senior airman and his undergraduate degree by the age of 20, three years later, Blisk became the first openly transgender graduate of the University of Colorado Law School, where he organized the first annual CU Law Name Change Clinic.

 

In law school, Blisk interned at Lambda Legal, working primarily on state and federal impact litigation cases such as Zzyym v. Pompeo and utilizing the resources of Lambda to fight against discriminatory practices in blood donation by LGBTQ person and to fight for the inclusion of transathletes in youth sports.

 

In 2021, the National LGBT Bar Association selected him as one of the “40 Best LGBTQ+ Lawyers Under 40.”

 

“We are thrilled to honor trans activist, veteran and lawyer Jordan Blisk, who through his advocacy work inspires us all to demand and create a better world for all of us,” said Judge Benes Aldana, chair of SOGI.

Relentless Beats Announces the Return of Crush Arizona

Like a long-lost love that walked back into your life, Crush Arizona returns to claim its rightful place as your Valentine’s festival soulmate. Presented by Relentless Beats and Insomniac Events, the country’s best solution to the anti-Hallmark way to spend the holiday will take place at Rawhide Event Center on February 12, 2022, and feature: Crystal Skies; Deorro; Herobust; Lucii; Taiki Nulight; Valentino Khan, and Cafe Caderas with more to be announced.

Crush Arizona, along with the recent announcement of RBDeep’s new three-day house and underground festival, Body Language, is a harbinger of a great show and festival season to come in 2022. Other exciting events on the Relentless Beats calendar include: Day One Block Party, featuring Gorgon City and Green Velvet; Funtcase; Dada Life; Mason Collective; Nitti Gritti; Eptic; Adana Twins; Kaskade; Aluna; Spag Heddy; Subtronics; Baynk; Tchami x AC Slater; Zeke Beats; Golf Clap; HE$H & Bommer; Jerro; Feed Me; Keys N Krates; Sullivan King; Tommy Trash; Eliminate; Cosmic Gate; Josh Wink; Liquid Stranger; Yousef; Sander Van Doorn; Virtual Riot; Chris Stussy; Borgore; No Mana; Cheat Codes; Igloohost; Jeffrey Sutorius; Mihalis + Eskuche; SubDocta, and many more. Shows are added daily; visit RelentlessBeats.com to subscribe.

General Admission passes are on sale for $35, plus fees. VIP passes, with express entry, commemorative lanyard, access to VIP deck with premium view, premium bar, and VIP lounge are available starting at $125. VIP is an 18+ area. Purchase tickets online at www.relentlessbeats.com. Crush Arizona is an 18 and over event.