The weekend is nearly here. San Francisco, Chicago, Toronto and NYC will all be celebrating Pride (apologies to cities I may have overlooked). Happy Pride to all on this last weekend of June.
As this post goes live, I’m flying back from NYC to spend time with Sergio and to relax with friends. What will you be doing this weekend?
This week’s Furry Friday is served with a side of leather.
And just in time for Pride Celebrations in San Francisco, Chicago and NYC the US Supreme Court delivers the news we’ve all been waiting to hear. State bans on Same Sex Marriages are unconstitutional. It has been a long road since the Massachusetts State Supreme Court mandated Massachusetts to allow same sex couples to marry in 2003, but it has been worth the wait.
NOTE THE PARTY NOW WILL START AT 7:30
AND WILL TAKE PLACE AT CLERY’S
DETAILS IN THE LINK BELOW
GLAD and TWC are hosting a Pop Up Marriage Equality Party to celebrate later today at 6PM in the Back Bay.
Earlier this week the Oxford English Dictionary added the word Masshole, formalizing a term well known to frustrated drivers throughout the Northeast. The dictionary defines the term as a piece of “coarse slang” meaning “a term of contempt for a native or inhabitant of the state of Massachusetts,” Masshole was one of nearly 500 words added to the dictionary, along with twerk, sext, hyperlocal, freegan, fratty, and fo’ shizzle.
You can read the full article in The Boston Globe, here.
No other town captures my imagination or makes me feel as at home as Provincetown. This video from CBS gives you a glimpse of some of what Ptown has to offer and its rich cultural heritage which all of us have benefited from.
Earlier this week Rich Hawkins who describes himself as a twenty something chap living in London wrote an article published on HuffingPost’s Gay Voices entitled, It’s Okay to Be Gay, Just Don’t Touch Each Other.
In the article he writes, “I have a long-term boyfriend who I live with and share my life with, yet I don’t hold his hand. We are consciously and subconsciously not tactile in public, and yet in private very loving and affectionate…” His article talks about the incredible changes in the general public’s attitude towards homosexuality over the past 20+ years and how this has allowed many of us to live a more authentic life. However, the title and his assertion that gay is fine provided it remains a hypothetical and doesn’t exist in the form of PDA (public displays of affection) is a surprise to me. I think nothing of holding Sergio’s hand when we are in public, but I know I wouldn’t do that just anywhere and am always conscious of my surroundings when we are in public and holding hands.
I’m sure we all edit our behavior but to what end? Much of this is probably determined by where you live and how “out” you are. For example, I don’t think anyone would feel uncomfortable holding hands in San Francisco’s Castro, Los Angeles West Hollywood or NYC’s Hell’s Kitchen, but how might you feel about embracing your significant other or holding hands in Peoria, IL? What are your thoughts?
Last month I wrote my post Summer reading, sharing three books you might like to consider buying (from your local LGBT bookstore of course) or taking out from your library. They included a series of erotic short stories, a political commentary on the LGBT movement and a murder mystery that takes place in Europe.
Now it is my turn to ask you for some summer suggestions. I’ve just finished reading local author, Matthew Pearl’s book The Poe Shadow, and I am now looking for suggestions on what to read next. Some of my favorite genres include: historical fiction (like The Poe Shadow), LGBT fiction, Science Fiction / Fantasy, and mystery / detective literature.
Pine Street Inn is hosting their annual “Summer Inn the City” fund raiser to help the Innbassadors program for the Pine Street Inn. This is a group of Boston’s emerging leaders who are committed to the mission of ending homelessness in our city. Help support this program and the Pine Street Inn by coming to this year’s party hosted at the Ink Block here in the South End. Tickets to the party are just $50 and include food and drink for the night.
Thanks to the Highland Street Foundation, Free fun Friday’s has returned to Boston this summer. Starting Friday, June 26th the following venues will be open and free to the public:
TANGLEWOOD in Lenox, MA
NORMAN ROCKWELL MUSEUM in Stockbridge, MA
THE MOUNT: EDITH WHARTON’S HOME in Lenox, MA
WORCESTER ART MUSEUM in Worcester, MA
MIT MUSEUM in Cambridge, MA
PEABODY ESSEX MUSEUM in Salem, MA
THE HOUSE OF THE SEVEN GABLES in Salem, MA
Much thanks Highland Street Foundation.
Caption this photo which happens to capture exactly how I feel most mornings. I’ll get you started with a possible caption and hopefully you’ll feel inspired to share a few of your own in the comments section below.
“His bark is worse than his bite provided he gets his morning coffee.”
Manhunt Bubbles annual summer party is this Saturday at the Manhunt Mansion in Brookline from 2- 6PM. More details about the event as well as a link to the Facebook event page where you can purchase tickets ahead of time is below.
Manhunt Mansion is at 166 Fisher Ave., Brookline, MA
$20 Guest List (Limited Space) / $25 at Door | 21+ only
Food & Drinks included
Music by DJ Gay Jim Clerkin from Kiss 108 FM
An exciting urban intervention program is set to take place under the I-93 highway overpass near Traveler and West 4th Street to help turn this underutilized 2.5 square mile area dividing the South End and Southie into an outdoor Urban Innovation Gallery. The Design Museum Foundation has a 7 minute video describing the intent behind this program, which you can view here.
If you are interested in learning more about this program there are three ways you can get involved.
Volunteer and help transform the Neighborhood Border Zone into an Urban Innovation Gallery by helping with events, design, installation, and more — Volunteer Form
Sponsor this project to help make it a success — Sponsorship Form
Form an Urban Innovation Festival team to take part in a 3-day Urban Innovation Festival next summer, start thinking about your team and stay tuned for a Call for Teams, coming soon.
Beach Adonis
From free boot camp sessions on the Greenway to Zumba on the Esplanade there are summer outdoor fitness classes through out the city of Boston in the morning and evening. Below I’ve compiled some of the classes currently available and open for you to join so get outside and give one of them a try.
MONDAY
6:30-7:30 AM November Project’s Destination Deck
7:15-8:15 AM Pilates at Post Office Square
7:30-8:30 AM HIIT Workouts at Madison Park in Roxbury
5:30-6:30 PM Yoga at Post Office Square
6-7 PM Zumba at Christopher Columbus Park in the North End
6:30-7:15 PM Pilates at Rose Kennedy Greenway (every other week)
TUESDAY
7:15-8:15 AM H.I.I.T. at Post Office Square
10-11 AM Tai Chi at Symphony Park in the Fenway
5:30-6:30 PM Zumba at Post Office Square
6PM Running Group starts at City Sports in Back Bay
6-7 PM Zumba at the Hatch Shell in the Esplanade (Starting 7/15)
WEDNESDAY
6:30-7:30 AM November Project at Harvard Stadium
7:15-8:15 AM Pilates at Post Office Square
5:30 -6:30 PM Boot camp at Post Office Square
6:30-7:30 PM Line Dancing at Franklin Park
THURSDAY
7:15-8:15 AM Morning Stretch & Renew Yoga at Post Office Square
5:30-6:30 PM Zumba at Post Office Square
FRIDAY
6:30-7:30 AM November Project Hill Training (Summit Ave Brookline)
I’m sure there are more classes than those mentioned above. Share any other free outdoor summer classes that you know about by adding them (along with a web link) in the comments section, and I will add them to this list.
BosGuy 