Brighton Bears of Summer

Woof Wednesday

All images from Bear Pride Chicago 2008 via A Bear's Life
"Celebrating the Masculine Community"

If it's Wednesday...

[debut!] Tales from a Twink

Gay Babies crying "Gimme More"

by Barbieboy07

[Barbie's bio
visit Barbie's World]

More than Britney Spears' last hit, "gimme more" is what we need to demand from ourselves and our community leaders.

Queer kids in Chicago have a lot to look forward to when we turn 21, Lakeview's famous night clubs and bars, and not to mention all of Chicago's premiere drag queens and club kids. Don't feel to bad for us, we do have some awesome venues and organizations as well. We've got 18+ clubs like Sangria's on the west side of Chicago, and Zero Gravity in Naperville. (though Z.G. doesn't market specifically to LGBT teens, many gay kids go there and can feel comfortable in its environment). Thanks to LGBT20 empowerment center, the Center on Halsted we have peer groups discussing everything from trouble at home to safe sex practices, and we even had a prom back in June for gay kids from all over the city.

There are however many things that gay babies don't yet have. Drag queens in general don't come to the 18+ clubs, and a many that do are horribly lack luster. Even with organizations like the Center on Halsted and great interactive podcasts like the Feast Of Fools, it feels like gay teens don't have the same sense of community that our older counterparts do. What we are truly missing is a voice, a voice that transcends age, gender and race so we can become a integral part of the community.

Just being in Lakeview instantly washes away the phobia some of us may have in our own neighborhoods, and gives us a self esteem boost...

Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood is affectionately nicknamed "Boystown" by residents in the city, but more than that it is considered "Gay Mecca" by the LGBT youth in the city and surrounding suburbs. Night clubs and gay bars litter North Halsted avenue and surrounding streets. From Spin on Belmont to Circuit on Addison, Halsted is the place to be if you're over 21! Just being in Lakeview instantly washes away the phobia some of us may have in our own neighborhoods, and gives us a self esteem boost that rivals taking cocaine. Gay adults have lots of great venues to choose from in Lakeview and Andersonville but so do teens!


Teens (18+) not only have great clubs like Sangrias/RadioStar, Club Dulce and Zero Gravity, but also amazing community organizations that actually care. The Center On Halsted (located at 3656 N. Halsted) has been supporting the LGBT community for a very long time (formerly as Horizons.) Not only do they have groups and programs for people of ALL ages, but they also offer mental and sexual health sessions with real health care professionals. There are also organizations that are more gender specific. Steamworks Gym (and bathhouse) located on 3246 N. Halsted is a great place for guys 18+ to go workout and possibly hookup with other members.

Steamworks is a great place to meet guys, it's a very comfortable environment and most importantly SAFE. They have a zero tolerance policy for drugs and alcohol, and there are several boxes located all around for lubed and non-lubed condoms. Besides dancing, personal fitness and sex (a gay man's bread and butter) there are a few openly gay friendly restaurants. To name one without sounding too much like a commercial, Hamburger Mary's located on 5400 N. Clark St. in Chicago's Andersonville neighborhood is a fantastic and fun restaurant that has so much more than great food. Every Sunday is karaoke night, and on Thursdays they have performances from Tina Torch, Regina Upright and others.There are many other venues and organizations that appeal and market themselves to gay youth, though not many gay youths feel the need to interact with the rest of the community.

Has the internet disabled us so much that we are afraid to venture away from our living rooms and volunteer in our communities, attend forums and discuss the problems that our community faces?

I've felt for awhile that a lot of younger gay people don't have a strong sense of community. Many gay teens are either segregated due to race, socioeconomic standing or misconceptions about the other letters in the LGBT soup of sexuality. Is something wrong with us? Has the internet disabled us so much that we are afraid to venture away from our living rooms and volunteer in our communities, attend forums and discuss the problems that our community faces?

I'm a big supporter of leaving one's comfort zone and discovering new things and experiences and I try to attend as many community forums and stay as informed about things that affect our people as I can. I've noticed I am normally the youngest person there, and it doesn't look good for the baby gays. When we don't support and and participate in our community it seems like we don't care, and I know thats not true, many young gay people care very much about our issues. Something that we need more than anything else is to establish a relationship with our LGBT community leaders and advocates. We need to start singing in the streets!

"Gimme more" gay venues
"Gimme more" classes on gay history
"Gimme more" gay youth sports teams
"Gimme more" movie nights @ the center (feat. John Waters/Warhol films)
"Gimme more" community fundraisers
(like cute twinks in shorts washing cars)
"Gimme more" drag performances
"Gimme more" community forums
"Gimme more" community involvement

"Gimme more" outspoken gay kids who give a damn

[LifeLube is thrilled to share Barbieboy07's experience and perspective - and his Tales from a Twink is a new, regular feature on the blog. Let Barbie, and us, know what you think!]

Pure Joy

Where the Hell is Matt? (2008)
from Matthew Harding
on Vimeo.

Thank you Knucklecrack for this.

Call me Alex

Gorgeous, talented, and totes transtastic Chicago star of stage and screen Alexandra Billings gives a great interview to Positively Aware's Jeff Berry in their current issue - completely devoted to the issue of transgender folks and HIV.

Excerpt: Be honest. Don’t make up a past. Don’t try and fit in to a world that you’re making up in your own head. If you’re a male to female transsexual, or a female to male transsexual, don’t pretend you’re something you’re not. Don’t lie to people. Don’t say to them, I’m male, I was born male—this is what I am. You’re not. You’re a transgender male, or you’re a transgender female. And that’s great. It doesn’t mean you’re not female, it doesn’t mean you’re not male. It just means you’re a different kind of male, a different kind of female. And that is a gift, so accept that. Accept what you are, and think of it as a gift, think of it as a present somebody gave you, instead of this awful, terrible thing that you have to hide. It’ll make life much easier, believe me—and much more funny.

Read the whole thing here.

Free Hugs

secrets of Jackson park

told by dale

couple of ducks

So I went to Jackson Park a week ago, Right after Chicago Pride which was rainy but hot .But anyway I went to just get out of the house . It was beautiful as ever sun shining birds singing and gays guys searching for sex... So I was there to just get some peace and quite which was well needed after all the drama at home. Which didn't involve me I choose to stay away from drama. But I was walking enjoying myself talked to a couple of people fed a couple of ducks which is a a bad thing because they will try to follow you home damn ducks. But anyway I saw this real cute guy up there, me being me I thought he was looking for sex so I didn't attempt to talk to him. So I walk thorough the chinese garden and enjoying the beautiful plants and animals which have probably seen every sex act in the book Oh my if plants and animals could talk. But I saw that guy again I thought he was following me but I didn't want to jump to any conclusions. But when I walked by him I smiled he smiled back which made me feel good I was like wow I get smiles from guys but not in a place where I knew it was all gay men. So I decided to get ready to go home and I seen him siting on the bridge I told myself that I wasn't going to smile at him but I couldn't help it. So as I walked by he smiled but he start talking to me I was shocked, That this guy would talk to me . I was shy at first but I warmed up to him. So we talked and talked it got dark and it felted like I was on a date I just didn't want it to end. So we talked more but it start getting late and I told him I had to get home because it was late and so he offered me a ride home and I had to turn it down because I just met him , and I didn't feel that comfortable with him even though we talked for hours . So we said our good byes and I walked away feeling to happy but felted lost. Because I didn't get his name or his number I felted bad because I talked to this guy for hours and didn't get a number or a name. So the morale of this story is that Jackson Park is not that bad of a place it depends on what your intentions are . But if you want to meet cool people there are a lot of them out there. P.S. If you meet somebody that's really interested in you get the name and the number.

read more secrets of Jackson park

Pretty Sticky, Ricky

The Worst Kept Non-Secret in Public Health

by David Ernesto Munar

We may never know whether this delay is due to legitimate scientific concerns, deliberate suppression or both. But with every month of delay, the CDC is missing opportunities to sound a much-needed alarm to those who have allowed inadequate funding and ill-advised policy to perpetuate high rates of HIV transmission.

Since the fall of last year, rumors have been circulating that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will release revised statistics indicating that the number of people living with HIV in the United States is actually higher than previously reported. Some say the number could be as much as 50 percent higher. But, nearly three-quarters of a year later, there is still no indication of when we might see a new report documenting the likely number of HIV infections occurring each year in America. David Ernesto Munar, a vice president at the AIDS Foundation of Chicago and chairman of the board of the National Association of People with AIDS, writes the following piece in response to the CDC’s continued silence on the matter.

For more than a year, U.S. federal officials have attempted—sometimes in vain—to quell rumors that the number of new HIV infections in the United States is on the rise. The Washington Blade first broke the story in November 2007, reporting that the CDC was poised to raise the official estimate for the number of HIV infections believed to occur in the United States to a range as high as 58,000 to 63,000 per year—a greater than 50 percent increase over the current estimate of 40,000 annual HIV infections.

By December 2007, World AIDS Day media coverage in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Bloomberg News, The Associated Press and other outlets amplified the leaks. They also described growing frustration among AIDS community advocates with delays in making the important research findings public.

Read the rest on POZ here.

La Pequeña Works the Santiago Subway

Every pequeña cosa La P does makes us soooooo muy feliz.

mmmM Network - this mmmMonday

[M Network is a men's social group that will meet on selected Mondays of the month at Center on Halsted. Gay, bisexual, and transgender men can meet-cute in a fun non-bar atmosphere to tawk, gawk, network, etc...]

The first M Network event launches this coming Monday, July 21, 2008, from 6:00pm–9:00pm. Gather on the Center's roof (3656 North Halsted) with hosts, Feast of Fools; comedian Adam Guerino; and special guest internationally acclaimed performance artist Tim Miller, for a night of enlightenment, male bonding and other delights.

One complimentary drink ticket is included in the $20 admittance, which also includes food, music, comedy and all the etc you can find.

SNEAK PEAK for the August edition of M Network - Alpana Singh, Master Sommelier and Director of Wine and Spirites for Lettuce Entertain You and host of WTTW's "Check, please!" will lead a Zodiac Wine Tasting.

Marc Felion and Fausto Fernos - Feast of Fools

How can we talk about drinking without pointing fingers?

Limited capacity - RSVP for this free event now.

Sidetrack
Chicago
Wednesday, July 23

Be part of a fabulous Feast of Fools podcast!

click to enlarge

Wicked Farmer Tans -Team Gay City Pedals for Homo Health

12 gays, 204 miles, 95 degrees, and wicked farmer tans

Team Gay City joined 9,000 other crazy people to complete the Group Health Seattle to Portland Classic last weekend. The ride runs through some of the most beautiful back roads of Washington state, winding through Roy Yelm and Centralia before crossing the Lewis and Clark Bridge into Oregon. One more huge bridge crossing and you’re in Portland, where a crowd of people welcome you in! The team raised $10,000 this year for gay men’s health and wellness programs. More info on Team Gay City here

Click here -- one of the Gay City riders has a great essay on the ride, and more fun pics.

The Gay City boys are hosting the National Gay Men's Health Summit this October. Click here for more info. LifeLube will be there - will you?

NYC Bathhouses: Safe Sex Allowed

"Being able to do this type of work in venues where people are
actually congregating is invaluable."

New York City's Prevention Planning Group endorsed changes to a state code that regulates sex clubs and bathhouses that would allow sex with condoms in those businesses and said that such businesses are "important sites for HIV/STD/harm reduction interventions."

With 29 members in favor, none opposed, and two abstaining, the 50-member group, which advises the city on HIV prevention initiatives, backed a proposal from the Commercial Sex Venues Coalition that wants to change the 1985 code from its current ban in businesses on oral, anal and vaginal sex, with or without a condom, to prohibitions that are "directed specifically towards unprotected sexual activity," a coalition briefing paper said.

Read the rest in Gay City News.

Q: I just got an oral or genital piercing. How long should I wait before having sex?

A: A fresh piercing should be treated just like an open wound to the body, so it's best not to expose it to potentially infectious body fluids until it has fully healed (at 8-10 weeks depending on the piercing). Condoms and dental dams should provide you with proper protection from infection when used correctly. Your piercer should be knowledgeable enough to let you know when it's safe to play with a pierced area again.

[thanks to Howard Brown Health Center for this info]

Friday is for Faeries

So many Fridays, so many Faeries

Billions in HIV Funding and the Ban is Lifted

Woo woo for the U.S. Senate! Yesterday, they rocked in the fight against HIV.

First, they approved a $50 billion in international funding over the next five years, which will help in areas such as Africa and Asia - via PEPFAR - the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.

Meanwhile, the Senators also voted to lift the travel ban on HIV-positive travelers.

…A measure added to the Senate bill by Sens. John Kerry, D-Mass., and Gordon Smith, R-Ore., [reverses] a policy that has made it difficult for HIV-positive foreigners to visit or seek residency in the United States.

“For 20 years the United States has barred HIV-positive travelers from entering the country even for one day,” said Rachel B. Tiven, executive director of Immigration Equality. “Today the Senate said loud and clear that AIDS exceptionalism must come to an end.”

The bill will goes back to the House, which approved the aid back in April, but did not have language about the immigration ban. It is hoped they will just take up the Senate version of the bill.

[love to queerty for the great summary]

Viral Art

Before the gays were routinely portrayed as vectors of disease and purveyors of pathogens, it was the ladies who were the naughty naughty ones... A new exhibit at the National Academy of Sciences in D.C. called "An Iconography of Contagion" highlights some of the posters that were used to scare the crap out of innocent, unsuspecting hetero males.

Read more on the Accidental Blogger - including a gallery link of some of the images on display.

[Thanks to G. Simone for spreading the contagion to LifeLube]

What does "drink responsibly" mean?

Limited capacity - RSVP for this free event now.

Sidetrack
Chicago
Wednesday, July 23

Be part of a fabulous Feast of Fools podcast!

click to enlarge

Alcohol - Use or Abuse?

[via Windy City Times]

“Can we have a healthy relationship with alcohol? It's not a question of can we... we must. These are things that are part of our world.”

For a community that tends to drink and drug at higher rates, what exactly is the LGBT community's relationship to alcohol, and is it a healthy one?

The connection between alcohol and the LGBT community will be the subject of discussion at an upcoming podcast forum, “Let's Take a Glass Together,” organized by LifeLube, Project CRYSP, the Chicago Task Force on LGBT Substance Use and Abuse, Sidetrack and Feast of Fools. Featured speakers include local bartenders, UIC professor and researcher David McKirnan and Howard Brown Health Center's Lisa Rivitz.

What's the problem?

Several small studies over the years indicate that LGBT people have higher rates of alcohol dependence than their straight counterparts.

A 2001 Urban Men's Health Study, which surveyed MSM ( men who have sex with men ) from four cities, including Chicago, found a prevalence of heavy and problematic alcohol and drug use. A majority of men—85 percent—reported recreational drinking. Roughly 12 percent reported three or more alcohol-related problems and 8 percent reported alcohol abuse, which is slightly higher than the national average for men, according to 2001-2002 National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism data.

Findings from a 2000 National Alcohol Survey of all 50 states suggest that alcohol dependence differs by sexual orientation, especially among women.

The Chicago Health and Life Experiences of Women Study, also known as CHLEW, is an ongoing study of lesbian health. Although the study is not completed, preliminary findings show higher rates of drinking among lesbian and other sexual minority women than the national average. Popular settings for heavy drinking include lesbian and gay bars and LGBT events. Lesbians reported more alcohol-related problems and tend to show less age-related decline in their alcohol consumption than their straight counterparts, preliminary findings also indicate

“We, as a community, in general, tend to drink more and abuse drugs more,” said Simone Koehlinger, director of the Chicago Public Health Department's Office of LGBT Health. Koehlinger said that alcohol is “one of the biggest problems” in terms of substance use in the LGBT community.

According to Lisa Rivitz and Kurt Mohning of Howard Brown Health Center's Recovering with Pride program, they see an increasing number of individuals—many of which are older males—coming in for alcohol abuse, though the increases could be a result of new marketing techniques. Many of the clients they see use a number of substances in addition to alcohol.

Read the rest.

Join LifeLube and friends at the "Let's Take a Glass Together" forum next Wednesday.

"We are all Hussein"

Listen to LifeLuber Jim Pickett chat it up with the Feast of Fools in their latest podcast - #800 for the boys! - pimping out the next FREE LifeLube forum on alcohol - "Let's Take a Glass Together" - "magical negroes", HIV/AIDS in the south, unsafe sex Taiwanese style, prevy cops in Flint, satire and the not so loving embrace of big pharma. And lot's of other stuff. Like Pickett's new middle name... The comments have already begun - and so far so zesty! Hop over there now.

What role should alcohol have in our lives?

Limited capacity - RSVP for this free event now.

Sidetrack
Chicago
Wednesday, July 23

Be part of a fabulous Feast of Fools podcast!

click to enlarge

" I'm not gay, but I like my butt and anus played with. Can someone tell me why?"

via Get Real!, Heather Corinna's popular sexuality advice column, now on RH Reality Check

novastar asks:

I'm not gay, but I like my butt and anus played with. Can someone tell me why?

Heather replies:

I sure can, and I'm glad you asked.

Know what? Some gay men do NOT like having any sort of anal sex. Enjoyment of anal sex does not define or determine homosexuality, and lack of enjoyment of anal sex does not define or determine heterosexuality. So, a guy can be gay and yet not be all that interested in or even enjoy anal play. You can also be gay without engaging in anal sex: being gay is about being attracted to the same-sex, not about having a certain kind of sex, so even a gay guy who never has sex with anyone is still gay, just like a hetero person who has never had sex can still know they're heterosexual and be heterosexual. A guy can be straight and enjoy anal sex great big bunches: if you only desire anal play with men, then we're dealing with an orientation issue, but if you desire and enjoy anal play full-stop, it's just not about sexual orientation. Men of all orientations may or may not enjoy sexual anal stimulation, and the same goes for women of all stripes.

The anus is pretty darn sensitive for men and women alike, full of sensory nerve endings. Most of us tend to enjoy sex the most when it focuses on the places where our bodies are most sensitive, and thus, plenty of people enjoy anal sex of various kinds. Our anuses and rectums are also part of our genitals as a whole, so stimulation of the anus can increase stimulation of or sensation in our other parts.

With men particularly, a big reason anal stimulation or sex can be so enjoyable is because of your prostate gland (women don't have one).

The prostate is a very sensory, walnut-sized gland that is inside the body, below your bladder between your rectum and the urethra at the base of your penis. You can look at our cross-section of the male sexual anatomy to see exactly where it is