July Update: Summer Songs (Patreon)

Hello friends! 

Thank you so much for all your support on Patreon. Before we talk about what's going on this month, I wanted to give you a heads-up about a small change to Patreon.

Starting this month, Patreon is required to collect sales tax on some items. Most backers won't be affected by this, depending on where you live, but others might see a slight change in the amount you're charged -- and in most of those cases we're talking, like, a couple of cents. 

Fortunately, Patreon has some transaction-classification tools that I'm already using to make sure you're not overcharged. If you have any questions you can reach out to me directly, or read Patreon's FAQ about sales tax here.

As for what's going on in July: With all the activism and protests of the last month, I've had Stonewall, riots, and Pride on my mind a lot lately. I hope that's something that will continue. It's remarkable to me that Pride had a solid run of exactly 50 years following Stonewall, and then just as it was getting so repetitive that a lot of people were like "what is Pride even about anymore," the community found a way to re-invent it.

For now, it's worth remembering that the name "Pride" didn't happen by accident -- following the productive disobedience of Stonewall, the word "pride" was a deliberate reference to reclaiming attitudes towards diverse genders and sexualities, taking something that was supposedly shameful and declaring it to be a strength. So as we move into Queer Wrath month, with justice and liberation for all on our minds, I hope that's a helpful way to calibrate your plans.

And of course, I am delighted that we all get to observe Pride through our community, our culture! Here's some of the stuff that your Patreon support makes possible in the month of July:

• Culture Cruise! All backers get early ad-free access to Culture Cruise videos, taking a deep dive on queer content in the entertainment we love. In the last two months, I focused on the groundbreaking documentary The Queen and the spiritual successor, Paris is Burning. This month, we'll be taking a look at what followed both. Watch for the next Culture Cruise video to come out around July 24. 
• The Sewers of Paris! Each week on the podcast, a guest plucks a piece of entertainment from their past -- books, movies, music, shows, and more -- and answers the question: how did it change your life? 
• Livestreams! I really love having time to kick back and relax and chat with folks about what's been up in your life. Click the bell here to get a reminder when the next one goes live. 
• Cozy Pants! A podcast for Patreon backers at $4/month and up! Join me and my partner James for a fun affectionate chat about the cultural comforts that are lighting up our lives -- and of course, a very slow review of the Tyra Banks' fantasy novel Modelland. 
• Weekly Debrief! Get caught up on the latest LGBTQ news, how it affects you, and actions you can take! I stepped back a bit from Debrief in the month of June to focus on some other projects (a livestream to benefit The Bail Project and another to benefit the NAACP). Going forward, I'm thinking about the best way to present the information in Debrief and what form it might take. Keep your eyes out for a survey about that later this month.

As for the future: I've also been thinking a lot about the phrase "back to normal" a lot lately. It doesn't seem like "normal" is going to happen anytime soon, but then again was "normal" ever that great? Personally I'm still hoping things become better than normal. Abnormally good? That's something to strive for. 

At any rate, I'm overflowing with gratitude to you for being a member of my Patreon -- without your support, I couldn't make these video, audio, and livestream projects. It means absolutely everything to me, and I'm thrilled every day that I get to make stuff for you.

Pride and Wrath,

Matt

PS: If you haven't already, follow me over on Twitter and Facebook and Instagram, as well as the channel I share with my partner on Twitch!

PPS: BTW if you like LGBTQ podcasts you may enjoy Queens of Adventure and Queens of Adventure: Legends, my comedy-adventure podcasts that stars drag queens playing Dungeons & Dragons. Queens of Adventure features a very fun ongoing story, and Legends features stand alone stories so it's a great place to dive in!