A Touch Of Gay

Happy birthday Chuck Renslow, LGBTQ+ community now 12% of population, Texas anti-drag law struck down.Daily Inspiration: Let my intentions be honest, respectful, humble, and loving.* Let me see how my own life lessons can bring balance.* Allow me to overcome temptation to be negative, disrespectful, or arrogant.* Let me see today with a sacred eye.* Let me see beauty in all things.Check In:* Disaster in Nepal and loved ones struggling with health underscoring delicacy of life.* Pent up anger out there in the world, our community. Let that shit go.* Weight struggles, working to adjust diet and habits.News: Passing of Dolly Parton and Tim Curry* Dolly Parton passes away, leaving a legacy of joy and kindness.* Tim Curry passes away, an icon to many in the community for his work.Social: LGBTQ+ Adults Now 12% of Population* Based on the latest U.S. Census data, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation recently release updated population estimates showing that a record-high 12% of U.S. adults – roughly 25.6 million people – identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or gender diverse.* Electoral battleground states such as Arizona (13.34%), Georgia (11.46%) Michigan (10.95%), New Hampshire (11.88%), North Carolina (10.56%), Ohio (11.29%), Pennsylvania (11.14%), and Texas (12.54%)* There are 40 states with an LGBTQ+ population of greater than 10%* Bisexual+ people are the largest group at over 7% of all U.S. adults.* More than half of all LGBTQ+ adults (53.8%) are between 18 and 34 – a signal of sustained, long-term growth in political and economic power as this generation ages into peak spending and voting years.* The analysis is drawn from more than 2.4 million responses to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey collected between 2021 and 2024.* The Household Pulse Survey is one of the last major federal data sources to include a gender identity measure before the current administration removed sexual orientation and gender identity questions.* Since then the current administration has stripped sexual orientation and gender identity questions from hundreds of data sets to erase the LGBTQ+ community from the statistics that shape public policy, community resource development, corporate strategy, and campaign outreach.* These findings show that LGBTQ+ people are a substantial and growing segment of the population and we now have critical mass in almost every state in the nation. We’re not a niche constituency, and no campaign, brand, or employer can afford to treat us like one.* Full Information: https://www.hrc.org/press-releases/record-breaking-lgbtq-adults-now-12-of-population-greater-than-10-in-40-of-50-statesNews: Federal Court strikes down Texas Anti-Drag LawA federal judge in Texas struck down a 2023 state law Tuesday that sought to restrict drag shows, ruling it was unconstitutional while citing #DollyParton.U.S. District Judge David Hittner said the measure, known as Texas Senate Bill 12, improperly restricted speech, violating the First Amendment of the Constitution. The ruling prevents state Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is running for the Senate, from enforcing the law and denies his motion for a new trial.Hittner also had advice for “those who find such activities as described in this case offensive,” saying “The solution is relatively simple...just don’t go.”Leather Event News: Mid-Atlantic Leather announces they are moving to new hotel in 2028* MAL 2027 will be the last event at the Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill - January 15-18, 2027* MAL 2028 will be at the Washington Hilton* Info: https://www.leatherweekend.org/Catch Of The Week: Happy Birthday Chuck Renslow* August 26, 1929 – June 29, 2017* Known for pioneering homoerotic male photography and establishing many landmarks and landmark staples of our modern day gay and leather culture.* Co-founding the Gold Coast bar and Man’s Country bathhouses* Founded original Chicago Eagle bar* Published magazines Triumph, Rawhide, and Mars.* Force behind what became International Mr. Leather.* Co-founding with Tony DeBlase of the Leather Archives & Museum in Chicago.* The museum was founded in response to the AIDS crisis, during which the leather and fetish communities’ history and belongings were frequently lost or intentionally suppressed and discarded. The museum continues to accept and preserve this today.* Leather Archives and Museum: https://leatherarchives.org/Please drop your comments on YouTube or email them to [email protected]* Website: atouchofgay.com* Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Bluesky: atouchofgaypod* Audio Podcast drops on all major platforms every Sunday* YouTube Podcast drops a day early on Saturday* Our Podcast plays on GayPHX.com streaming radio every Monday at 10:00am This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit atouchofgay.substack.com

Artist Alfredo Roagui 2027 Calendar coming, Honey Davenport fundraising T-Shirt line, defining your sexual ideal, Florida Leather WeekDaily Inspiration: Sobriety isn’t about loss, it’s about freedom.When we get sober, we don’t just stop drinking. We start getting our lives back.* We get our mornings back.* Our relationships back.* Our self-respect back.* Our dreams back.* Our ability to actually be present and intentional in our own lives back.Check In:* 1000 YouTube subscribers* Huge thank you!Health: Once A Month PrEP Tablet In Clinical Trials* Alimatravir, also known as MK-8527, is an investigational antiretroviral (ARV) drug that is being studied as a potential PrEP product.* Once a month oral tablet developed by Merck.* Two Phase III clinical trials are investigating efficacy for use as HIV prevention.* Licenses granted to generic manufacturers in India, Kenya, South Africa, and Uganda to produce Alimatravir while Phase 3 clinical trials are still enrolling.Sex: Intentionality In Our Sexual Ideal* Defining your sexual ideal and pursuing it with intention.* Who am I in my sex – boundaries, principles, integrity?* What are my desires – stating them, asking for them?* What am I offering my partners – do I care or cater to their desires?* Being true to self in all areasLeather News: Honey Davenport Tees* Portion of proceeds go toward Honey Davenport travel fund and Leather Archives Museum* Facilitated through Rough Trade Gear* Pre-Order Now* https://www.roughtradegear.com/honey-davenportEvent: Florida Leather Week 2026 – November 8th-16th* Mr Eagle Wilton Manors 2027 Contest* Socials & Parties* Leather Pride Walk* Flag Raising* Chili Cook-off* Unveiled Visions Exhibition* Classes & Workshops* https://floridaleatherweek.com/Catch Of The Week: Alfredo Roagui 2027 Calendar* Artist 2027 calendar soon to be complete and offered for order* Available again for USA* Instagram @roaguiPlease drop your comments on YouTube or email them to [email protected]* Website: atouchofgay.com* Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Bluesky: atouchofgaypod* Audio Podcast drops on all major platforms every Sunday* YouTube Podcast drops a day early on Saturday* Our Podcast plays on GayPHX.com streaming radio every Monday at 10:00am This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit atouchofgay.substack.com

Cruising etiquette fails, online leather gatekeepers are not leather, Christian male-only lust free gyms.Daily Inspiration: De-shame sexually transmitted infections* If we all agree that sex is not nasty, dirty or immoral, then we should also agree that infections transmitted in the act aren’t either.* A sexually transmitted infection is no dirtier, nastier, or immoral than a cold we catch on an elevator, the subway or at a family gathering.* We need to check our judgments and realize our shame comes from within.Check In:* Berlin’s Christopher Street Day Pride celebration attack. One person dead and 29 injured in Tiergarten Park from terrorist attack.* Suspect later killed by police* Watch yourselves out thereCruising Etiquette Fails: Pushy entitled behavior is not sexy* Bathhouses, Adult Stores, Sex Parties, On The Apps* Assumes interest* Proceeds without consent* Can’t take no for an answer* Questions why* Indignant about rejectionThe Online Leather Gatekeepers: This is NOT Leather* In wake of Honey Davenport win of IMRL, Leather Gatekeepers come out of the woodwork claiming heresy, that drag queens cannot be leather, this can’t be leather, that can’t be leather, blah blah blah.* Sparked much debate in IMLBB Facebook group and other social media platforms claiming mantle of what is and is not appropriate or protocol with hundreds of posts pontificating about what Leather is.* IMLBB Facebook Group is not the community, nor an official arm of IMLBB* Most of the Leather Gatekeepers online don’t actually show up or are participants in the community events. Rather, they are nothing but armchair quarterbacks online living in a fantasy world past of Tom Finland Art and claiming to be “old guard”.* They are NOT Leather - This group is a fan group for IML/IMBB.* Come to some events, go to IMLBB and see what Leather truly is.Catch Of The Week: Christian influencers opening male only “lust free” gyms* Christian fitness influencers have sparked viral online debate by opening men-only, “lust-free” gyms* These spaces aim to help men avoid perceived temptations in traditional fitness centers.* “Why are we men’s only? Who are we?” asks Jeff Hambrecht, founder of Proverbs 27:17 Fitness in Oklahoma City. “In a nutshell, one of the No. 1 places affairs and infidelity occur, cheating, is the gym.”* Mitch Parsons, founder of Youth Group for Men and Remnant Men in Denver, had a similar experience. “I quit four gyms before I built one,” he says. “I realized the problem wasn’t the gym. It was that no one had built what I actually needed, or what I wanted.”* “I was tired of having nakedness shoved in my face every time I walked into a gym to train,” Parsons claims. “I had to choose between honoring the Lord, honoring my wife, and guarding my eyes, or training my body. So I quit four gyms.”* Both male-only gyms take inspiration from Proverbs 27:17, which says, “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.”* Article: https://baptistnews.com/article/men-only-gyms-seek-to-protect-christian-men-from-lust/Please drop your comments on YouTube or email them to [email protected]* Website: atouchofgay.com* Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Bluesky: atouchofgaypod* Audio Podcast drops on all major platforms every Sunday* YouTube Podcast drops a day early on Saturday* Our Podcast plays on GayPHX.com streaming radio every Monday at 10:00am This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit atouchofgay.substack.com