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This says so much, without a word being spoken. It's only four minutes long and will be worth your time. According to IMDB, this short gem was released on 1 June 2017. The YouTube version you're going to see here has almost 10 million views in only a little over 2 months. And look at all the awards in that short time too. Oh yeah, and it was created by a pair of students at Ringling College of Art and Design. Anyway, enjoy.

Mark Foster comes out as gay - as reported in the UK Guardian online newspaper

A friend suggested I look at the first in this series Imago by N R Walker, so when it popped up as a 99p offer on BookPub I jumped at it. Glad I did. It was a delightful read and a true Gay Romance story. It is not a wank feest piece of writing with a weak plot over the top as so much of so called gay romantic fiction is these days. Yes, there is sex in it, but the sex makes sense, it is there because it fits the story, not to give you a thrill. The story is that of a nerd type genius, who is a butterfly expert, and his meeting and subsequent relationship with a wildlife and parks manager. It's well told and interesting. The story is continued in Imagines and Red Dirt Heart Imago. Both of which are equally well written. They are all available from Amazon in both Kindle and Paperback forms. My only criticism of them is that they are all fairly short and personally I would have thought they would have made one good book if they had been combined.

There is a new story, 'Walking the Wild Side', being posted by Nigel Gordon on IOMFATS.org. It is now at chapter 4 and looks like it is going to get very interesting. I noticed in intro that it had been edited by Pedro and Cole Parker so was rather surprised not to see it here. Hope Nigel has not decided to move, his 'Words Unsaid' has also been posted to IOMFATS. Not sure where the story is going to go but I can say that at the moment I am very scared for the well being of the lead character. You can find the story at: http://iomfats.org/storyshelf/hosted/nigel-gordon/walking-the-wild-side/01.html

It has been announced that Gilbert Baker, the creator of the Gay Rainbow Flag died in his sleep at the age of 65. Baker designed the flag in 1978 for San Francisco's Gay Freedom Day. It subsequently became adopted around the world as the LGBT symbol. Personally I always regretted the loss of the old Lambada symbol and flag that was in use prior to 1978 but understand that there were copyright issues with its use in the States and that is what led to the creation of a specific flag for the Gay Freedom Day. As I am writing this I can look out of my window and see the Rainbow flag in the window of the commune that is across the road from me. I hope Baker's creation keeps flying for a long long time and someday in every nation on earth.

The death has been announced this morning of Rabbi Lionel Blue. He was European Director for the World of Progressive Judaism and came out publicly as gay in 1980, the first rabbi to do so. In the UK he became well known for his broadcasts on the Thought for the Day slot in BBC Radio 4's Today programme. He was a remarkable man. I met him twice, both times left a distinct impression on me of kindness and generosity. You can find his obituary here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12128766

Without doubt this has been one of the most difficult reads that I have read for a very long time. Not because the book is badly written or the story badly told. In fact it is really well written and well told. The thing that made it hard for me is the subject, the love between Cameron and Dylan and how Dylan's addiction to heroin affects their relationship. For the last eight years I have been fighting (when he has been out of prison) with my boyfriend's addiction to heroin. It is a fight I recently realised I had lost. Nicola Haken in this book examines the thinking of the addict and those who are involved with them. Her insights are true and often painful. Reading her descriptions of Cameron and Dylan and the interaction between them I realised she was describing events that I had experienced with my boyfriend. The book follows the life of Cameron and Dylan, two boys who fall in love but are forced apart by circumstances when they are thirteen, only to come together fifteen years later. By then Cameron's life has become one of success. Dylan's life is one of addiction. How the two of them deal with the issues that this creates and how love can survive the conflicts of such a relationship is well explored in the book. It is well worth reading. You can find it in ebook format for Kindle from Amazon and I believe it is available in other ebook formats.