30 SONGS FOR GAY PRIDE ~ 2022

I’m picking thirty of my favorite songs, one a day, for Gay Pride 2022. They range from pretty darned old to fairly new. They are each songs I really like, and many of them, love with all my gay heart. So I am going to try and one song to this list a day, and then repost it with that day’s date, moving the song from the day down one. I hope you like my list. And I would love to hear which ones you like, and tell me songs that make you feel Gay Pride!

As a bonus, you will find all the lyrics to the songs at the second half of this posting!

HAPPY GAY PRIDE!!
🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️❤️🧡💛💚💙💜🏳️‍⚧️❤️🧡💛💚💙💜🏳️‍🌈❤️🧡💛💚💙💜🏳️‍⚧️❤️🧡💛💚💙💜🏳️‍🌈❤️🧡💛💚💙💜🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈

GAY PRIDE SONG #25

TRUE COLORS

What a truly powerful and deeply meaningful song. The lyrics reach deep into so many of us. Grasp our hearts. Make us long to show the world who we really are. And hopefully they call us to do exactly that. To no longer hind our True Colors from Anyone! What do we have to hide?

…the darkness inside you / Can make you feel so small … Your true colors are beautiful / Like a rainbow…

Why are we afraid to step out of the darkness? What do we think will happen if people know us for who we are? What is that so-called privacy all about anyway?

“True Colors” was written by Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly and was both the title track and the first single released from Cyndi Lauper’s second album. It was the only original song on the album that Lauper did not help to write and was released in 1986, became a major hit for Lauper, and spent two weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100.

“True Colors” has obviously become a standard in the gay community. How could it not? In various interviews, Ms Lauper elaborated that the song had resonated with her because of the recent death of her friend, Gregory Natal, from HIV/AIDS.

Years later, Cyndi Lauper co-founded the True Colors Fund, a non-profit organization dedicated to eradicating LGBT youth homelessness.

With its message. With talk of colors and rainbows. It sure makes me feel my true self, and is such a powerful Gay Anthem to me.

FURRY FRIDAY: Pride Month

This is the last Friday of Pride month so it only seems fitting that we would make this Furry Friday related to GLBTQ+ Pride. The whole month of June is dedicated to Pride in honor and remembrance of the Stonewall Riots which occurred June 28, 1969. It was this event that was “the shot heard round the world” and finally helped set forth the Uprising against police brutality against GLBTQ+, a demand for equal rights, and the beginning of Gay Pride marches and parades yearly from that moment forward.

Showing your true colors is so important, whether one is GLBTQ+ or an ally. It is not enough to say that “gay is only a small part of me.” It was Harvey Milk’s cry to “Come out, come out, wherever you are,” that furthered this movement. “Coming out is the most political thing you can do,” he said. And, “If every gay person were to come out only to his/her own family, friends, neighbors, and fellow workers, within days the entire state would discover that we are not the stereotypes generally assumed.” He was able to say those things and advance the cause because finally a group of people said, “NO MORE!”

Not that a sense of Gay Pride didn’t exist before that faithful night in June ’68. There was a plethora of heroes who paved the way and made what happened possible in so many way. But that uprising gave us a symbol and a date to celebrate. And that is very important.

But preaching aside (especially to the choir), let’s now look at some beautiful bearded men celebrating their Gay Pride. Please VOTE for your Favorites. And Happy Gay Pride!!

~ Noah and Ben
❤️🧡💛💚💙💜

It’s National Kissing Day!

According to “National “: “National Kissing Day, on June 22, is all about showing your love and improving your health. That’s right, kissing is actually good for you!

Kissing relieves stress, burns calories, and benefits your immunity. With so many perks, we can’t imagine why anyone wouldn’t want to celebrate, so pucker up!”
Sounds awesome!

And to continue….

“Since then, historians believe the earliest references to kissing traces back to India, with four major texts in the Vedic Sanskrit literature referencing the supposed earliest forms of kissing. Dating from 1500 B.C., these texts describe ‘kissing’ as the act of rubbing and pressing noses together.

“Fast forward to 326 B.C. and kissing became mainstream thanks to the army of Alexander the Great. After the death of Alexander, his army spread out — as did the act of kissing!”

Hmmmmm…. Alexander the Great, huh? Well, you know what kind of kissing that would have been, right?

BY THE NUMBERS

26 – the number of calories burned during a one-minute kiss.

278 – the number of bacteria colonies exchanged during a kiss.

2 Weeks – the time a person spends in their life kissing.

$1600 – the price for which a lipstick imprint of a kiss made by Mick Jagger was sold.

79 – the number of guys the average woman kisses before marriage.
(Is there anyonne besides me that finds this number hard to believe?)

90% – the percentage of people in the world who kiss on the lips.

50% – the percentage of people who have kissed before reaching their teenage years.

1923 – the year when the term ‘French kiss’ came into use in America.

34 – the number of facial muscles used to kiss someone.

5 – the number of cranial nerves involved in one kiss.

Well, there you go. The written part of this post. And now? Now men kissing and doing it for “health reasons.” Be warned, as you scroll downward, the pictures get….naughtier and I doubt your boss would want you to be looking at what you will be looking at! 😉

Blessed Summer Solstice

For many people around the world, today marks the celebration of the Summer Solstice, also known as Midsummer or Litha. It is at this time that the Northern Hemisphere is tilted closest to the sun.

In honor of the abundance of daylight and sunshine, communities have long used bonfires, music, dancing, and outdoor festivals as traditional features of both religious rituals and secular celebrations. In some modern Pagan practices, it is believed that this holiday represents the highest ascendancy of masculine divinity.

HAPPY RELEASE DAY!! HAPPY RELEASE DAY!!

ON JUNE 26, 2015, THE U.S. SUPREME COURT struck down all state bans on same-sex marriage, legalized it in all fifty states, and required states to honor out-of-state same-sex marriage licenses in the case Obergefell v. Hodges.

IN HONOR OF THAT LANDMARK EVENT….

My novella, Someday has been released today! So excited about this! It has been re-edited and had a whole new chapter added to bring it up to date!!!
Here is the cover blurb:

Lucas Arrowood is walking to school on his first day of kindergarten when he meets Dalton Churchill—a boy who stops and helps him tie his shoe. He knows from that moment he is going to marry that boy one day. “Boys can’t marry other boys,” his mother explains, but that doesn’t stop Lucas. He knows what he wants.

He and Dalton become best friends. And then, no matter how much he resists, Dalton falls in love with Lucas. Dalton’s very conservative family can’t accept that their boy loves another boy, but finally Dalton stands up for love and for Lucas. Still, he declares he won’t marry Lucas until it is legal everywhere. He hates the “commitment ceremonies” gay men have. They aren’t the real thing. Why bother?

So Lucas waits for his day. The day same-sex marriage finally becomes legal and he can be joined forever with the love of his life.

You would honor me by clicking on one of the links below and take a look and see if you like what you see!

Peace and Love,
BG “Ben” Thomas

To order from Amazon, CLICK HERE
To order from Dreamspinner, CLICK HERE
To order from Barnes & Noble, CLICK HERE
To order from Amazon UK, CLICK HERE

The Three Bears Are Doing Pretty Good After Their Second Booster Shots

Arms are sore enough that we really had to find the just right position to be able to sleep last night. We are sore this morning. But no other side effects except baby bear has been achey. And we all have been very very sleepy.

Getting tired is pretty much all we’ve had to deal with from the first shot. And hey, since Bill Gates is keenly interested in our whereabouts at all times and a secret government cabal is allowing him to put microchips in us, that is going to hurt a little bit afterall, right?

I just feel good knowing that our upcoming trip, sardined into an airplane, we will have some protection. That makes me feel good.

Clela Rorex, First U.S. County Clerk to Issue Gay Marriage Licenses has Died

It is SO important to remember during Pride Month to thank and show appreciate and love for GLBTQ+ Allies! You have helped us so very much to be who we are today! LOVE YOU! We had (and have) our work cut out for us, but it would have been impossible without people with open hearts and hands to give us boosts when we needed them!

And as part of that…..

Published on June 19, 2022 By Brody Levesque

“Clela was so far ahead of the country on this issue that it took the United States Supreme Court 40 years to catch up”

LONGMONT, CO. – Out Boulder County and the family of Clela Rorex are saddened to announce the death of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer pioneering ally, Clela Rorex. On March 27,1975 Clela issued the first marriage license to a same-sex couple in the United States. Her decision that day changed her life and was a pivotal moment in the decades long struggle for marriage equality.

“The LGBTQ+ movement lost a pioneering ally, and I lost a

Some Sunday Morning Pride Memes

So, I Think You All Know That I Don’t Do This Very Often So I Hope You Don’t Mind Me Asking….

A few years ago, I helped create a anthology that I was extremely proud of. Four novellas written by four gay men who were legally married, but grew up in a world where they figured they would never be able to be legally married in their lifetime. I asked the writers to harness that energy. Those emotions. The good and bad memories. And I have to say that the anthology was mindbogglingly good. And it came out on the one-year anniversary of the Supreme Court decision to grant same-sex couples the right to marriage.

But all good things pass and anthologies go out of print.

So, I took the story that I wrote (I try not to look at reviews, but I was thrilled at how good they were) and I re-edited it and updated it and even added a long prologue bringing the couple up to date in the world today.

(I cried a lot of good tears writing it)

AND it is being released the week of the anniversary of the Supreme Court decision to allow same-sex couples the right to marriage!!

SO here it is! I am asking for your support in purchasing this story. It is only $4.99. And it has probably about the most romantic story/couple I’ve ever written! Pre-orders are being taken now and it will be released this Tuesday, the 21st!

Here is the cover blurb: “Lucas Arrowood is walking to school on his first day of kindergarten when he meets Dalton Churchill—a boy who stops and helps him tie his shoe. He knows from that moment he is going to marry that boy one day. “Boys can’t marry other boys,” his mother explains, but that doesn’t stop Lucas. He knows what he wants.

He and Dalton become best friends. And then, no matter how much he resists, Dalton falls in love with Lucas. Dalton’s very conservative family can’t accept that their boy loves another boy, but finally Dalton stands up for love and for Lucas. Still, he declares he won’t marry Lucas until it is legal everywhere. He hates the “commitment ceremonies” gay men have. They aren’t the real thing. Why bother?

So Lucas waits for his day. The day same-sex marriage finally becomes legal and he can be joined forever with the love of his life.

Originally published in the anthology A More Perfect Union, ~ June 2016”

AND it has the most amazing cover by the utterly wonderful Cover Artist, L.C. Chase!!

Anyway, please consider supporting me on this endeavor. I am finally getting back into the writing that is so important to me.

Peace and Love!
BG “Ben” Thomas

To order from Amazon, CLICK HERE
To order from Dreamspinner, CLICK HERE
To order from Barnes & Noble, CLICK HERE
To order from Amazon UK, CLICK HERE

SO BELIEVE IT NOT, I WANT TO TELL YOU ABOUT ONE OF MY NOVELS ~~ And It Is On Sale Right NOW for Only $1.49!!

I love this book very much, although it is pretty different than anything else I’ve written in the last decade or so. It was written in response to people wishing I had more sex in my books. Well, this book has quite a bit of sex. It is also a lovely story of two me who need more than just sex, they need love. I think I delivered both in this story. I was even instrumental in the production of the cover by a very talented author! But besides all that, the book is on sale RIGHT NOW for only $1.49!! WOW!!!!

Here is the cover blurb: Frank Sinclair believes only in the visceral, the real, what he can touch and taste. After all, his mother left him when he was five years old, so how can love exist? His next sexual conquest is what makes his world go around, not romance and happily ever after. The hot guy he sees working along the highway in an orange jumpsuit fuels his bad-boy fantasies. Coincidentally, the guy shows up at the gas station across the street from his apartment building, and you can bet he’s going to take his shot.

Roy Ingalls is his bad-boy parolee in orange, and he’s ready and oh-so-willing to be Frank’s next conquest. But Roy isn’t quite the bad boy he seems—deep down he’s sweet, naïve… and the most intoxicating man Frank has ever met.

The sex is the best of their lives, but can a man who mistrusts love and another who isn’t ready to admit he’s actually gay ever move beyond friends with benefits?

I hope you will check it out.
XOXOXOXOX
BG “Ben” Thomas

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