Spirit Day 2024!

Today is the fourteenth annual Spirit Day and I'm wearing purple to participate...and I hope you will too. The movement was launched in 2010 by teenager Brittany McMillan in conjunction with GLAAD (Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) as a day to remember the young people who have taken their lives due to homophobic bullying and soul-destroying lies perpetuated by homophobic groups, both political and religious in nature (and some who think they are above the law and combine both without paying any taxes!). To show support to the LGBTQ+ youth still with us and to combat the rampant bullying and frantic hatred that still infects our country at cultural and political levels, today is a day to wear purple and demonstrate to anyone who might be feeling alone and worthless that there are many people in the world who believe in the value of their lives and souls. As a past victim of homophobic violence, physical attacks, and bullying, this observance is very close to me.

GLAAD's website says:
#SpiritDay is the world’s most visible anti-bullying movement inspiring LGBTQ youth, especially transgender and nonbinary youth to live their lives in their truth and authenticity. This year, on Thursday, October 17th, GLAAD will organize thousands of celebrities, influential voices, news & media outlets, tv & film studios, brands & corporations, landmarks, sports leagues, tech leaders, influencers, faith groups and so many more to go purple and support LGBTQ youth by creating clear possibility models for them to thrive and be represented in the world.

While GLAAD research shows that LGBTQ acceptance is at an all-time high, so too is anti-LGBTQ discrimination and bullying. As online hate continues to foment real-world harm, coupled with the anti-LGBTQ climate of our day — from book bans to bans on drag, bans on LGBTQ history and bans on healthcare — America’s youth is particularly at-risk and has never needed our support more than right now. #SpiritDay gives LGBTQ youth, their parents and allies an opportunity to see what’s possible when we lead with acceptance.

Take the #SpiritDay pledge now to commit to going purple on Thursday, October 17th and showing LGBTQ youth you’ve got their backs! Learn more at http://glaad.org/spiritday and @glaad across all social media.

These are frightening, disappointing statistics.

- 68% of LGBTQ+ students feel unsafe at school.

- 60% of LGBTQ+ students reported discrimination based on their sexual orientation or gender identity.

- 53% of LGBTQ students report being verbally harassed simply because they were perceived as LGBTQ+.
- 66% of LGBTQ+ students said that hearing about potential state and local laws banning people from discussing LGBTQ+ people at school made their mental health a lot worse.

And the most disappointing, heartbreaking statistic of all:

- 41% of LGBTQ+ students seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year.

No wonder gay teens take their lives at much higher rates than the national average.

Anti-LGBTQ groups are using this deliberately misleading and harmful message to spread hate: "Protect our children." But of course they don't mean protect all children from harassment, bullying, and discrimination...their form of "protection" just increases the damage done to children as evidenced by the statistics above.

For more information, to take the anti-bullying pledge, or to donate to GLAAD, please visit their website.

https://glaad.org/spiritday/


Here is a letter I wrote to anyone who needs to hear it:

Dear gay teen contemplating suicide:

You are not wrong. You are not "bad.” You are not sick, defective, or evil.
You are perfect and beautiful just the way you are.
You have done nothing wrong and you have done nothing to deserve being humiliated, punished, or hurt, either physically or emotionally.
Bullying and discrimination are never, ever innocent: the bullies are the ones who are wrong, bad, and sick for hurting you.

Don’t believe anyone who tells you that you are any less of a human being than they are. Don’t believe anyone who tells you being gay is a choice or that being gay is about behavior; you are who you are. Embrace yourself and be proud of being alive.

You have value. You have as much right to be here on this planet as anyone else.
It may seem like the world is against you now, but know there are people for you out there, there are places for you out there. You will be happy, you will get to live YOUR life the way YOU want to, without having to pay any attention to the bullies or whatever “bible” nonsense some people might throw at you… you are not "impure," "immoral," "unnatural," or "against nature." Those are just ridiculous, ugly lies they tell to mask their hatred, fear, and prejudice.

You will survive and thrive! You get to live here. This is your RIGHT.
You might turn out to be an important author, a doctor who cures a disease, a famous designer, someone who invents a new type of metal alloy, an inspiring performer… or you might end up working with kids who need to hear that they have value and are perfect the way they are.
Please stick around.
Please.
We need you.

Keep yourself safe.

Love,
JEF

To help, please visit:
The Trevor Project
And please spread the word about this issue and these sites--you never know who might need to hear about them.

Harvest Moon

BEAUTY: Sculpture--Julian Watts

I can't look away from the amazing work of sculptor and woodworker Julian Watts. His bio sums it up:

"Julian Watts combines traditional wood carving techniques with an experimental sculptural approach to explore the formal and conceptual intersections between the human body, the landscape, and the functional objects that we interact with everyday. This approach has continued to evolve, expanding to incorporate an entire ecosystem of abstract, biomorphic wood carvings, ranging from bowls, to furniture, to largescale, purely sculptural pieces."

These pieces are so satisfying to gaze upon, as one's eye travels and feels the biomorphic and anatomical forms.

Top to bottom: Curve; Feelers; Hole Bowl; Joined Shape; Moon; Poke; Tree; Utensils; a selection of vases; Wall Collection (50); Watts with some of his work

https://www.julianwattsstudio.com/

LGBT History Month: "Smalltown Boy" by Bronski Beat, Perfume Genius, and The Knocks

FOR LGBT HISTORY MONTH:

In honor of the 40th anniversary of synthpop trio Bronski Beat's landmark debut album "The Age of Consent," London Records will re-issue a special anniversary version on October 18, 2024, including this reworking of their classic 1984 gay rights anthem "Smalltown Boy" (previously here). It features the phenomenal Perfume Genius (the nom de musique of Mike Hadreas, previously here) on vocals, and additional music and production from The Knocks.

This song means a great deal to me and I admire this new take since it keeps true to the original source material while feeling updated. Perfume Genius' vocals are a nice reworking, honoring the beautiful falsetto of Jimmy Sommerville.

It is hard to exaggerate the historical importance of this song. Released in 1984, "Smalltown Boy" became an anthem for LGBT rights during that time. It addresses issues of homophobia, societal and familial rejection, bullying, and physical and emotional abuse. Although I was not rejected by my own family (thankfully), I was the target of years of bullying and physical assaults, so this song occupied and still occupies a special place in my heart. I remember the first time I heard it: I was at the Greek Theater in Berkeley waiting for Simple Minds to perform as the opening act for Eurythmics, and a roar of excitement and approval came up from the crowd when the first percolating notes of this song rang out. It really struck me, since I had never truly heard a song about me or my own experiences. It was a powerful moment. Bronski Beat recognized me, and validated the pain and confusion of having total strangers come at me with absolute hatred, neck veins bulging, screaming, sometimes wielding weapons, eyes popping as they spewed their own fear.

Thematically, it reminds me so much of the song "Flawless (Go To The City)" by George Michael in which he urges gay men and women to get out of their small towns and go to the city where a better life awaits (previously here). Or at least a more tolerant life, one that is not filled with daily hatred and attacks. There is a very long history indeed of gay men and women leaving small towns and small-minded areas for metropolitan areas where they are accepted. Gay ghettoes arose in cities precisely because of their proximity to centers of culture, literature, and the arts. It's a sad, heartbreaking reality for many men and women but often one must leave one's place of creation because it has turned into a place of destruction. For one's own safety, both mentally and physically, sometimes the best option is to escape.

Musically, the song is from a 1980s genre known as "synthpop," a term meaning music that was created solely or primarily by synthesizers or electronic keyboards, which in turn grew out of a 1970s electronic sound from Europe and groups like Kraftwerk. Groups like Depeche Mode, A Flock of Seagulls, and The Human League were part of this 80s sound. But despite the fact that "disco" had died a painful death just a few years earlier, Bronski Beat combined the synthpop sound with serious dance beats and a male falsetto, which was a direct and deliberate tribute to gay disco acts singing in falsetto, particularly the legendary Sylvester. Sadly, the only living member of the original Bronski Beat trio is Sommerville--Steve Bronski died in 2021 and Larry Steinbachek died in 2017.

But their music lives on. This new version holds all that history, paying homage to the original three members of the band, and is here to rally a new generation as we again face hatred, discrimination, and attacks. Thanks Perfume Genius, and The Knocks!

Run away, turn away, run away, turn away, run away.
Run away, turn away, run away, turn away, run away.

You leave in the morning
With everything you own
In a little black case
Alone on a platform
The wind and the rain
On a sad and lonely face

Mother will never understand
Why you have to leave
But the love that you seek
Will never be found at home
And the love that you need
Will never be found at home

Cry...

Run away, turn away, run away, turn away, run away.
Run away, turn away, run away, turn away, run away.

Pushed around and kicked around
Always a lonely boy
You were the one
They'd talk about around town
As they put you down
And as hard as they would try
They'd hurt to make you cry
But you never cried to them
Just to your soul
No you never cried to them
Just to your soul

Cry...

Run away, turn away, run away, turn away, run away.
Run away, turn away, run away, turn away, run away.

Cry, cry...to your soul, to your soul, to your soul, to your soul

Cry

Run away, turn away, run away, turn away, run away.
Run away, turn away, run away, turn away, run away.

https://perfumegenius.org/
https://www.theknocks.com/

And here is the original, classic song and video. It remains as powerful and heartbreaking now as it was then.

https://www.bronskibeat.co.uk/

Happy Indigenous Peoples' Day 2024!

BEAUTY: Interior Design--Sarah Vaile

This traditional, neo-classical Georgian home in Hinsdale, Illinois designed by interior designer Sarah Vaile is a delight. I love the dedication to pattern and color...it makes an interior interesting, interactive, inviting...hello Granny Smith green lacquered dining room walls! I especially love the photo of Cher, Elton John, and Diana Ross above the fireplace in the wood-paneled Library. Although the plaid-clad Tasting Lounge adjacent to the basement wine cellar is pretty amazing, too.

https://www.sarahvailedesign.com/

Happy International Coming Out Day 2024!

Today is the 36th annual International Coming Out Day. This celebration started in 1988 as a way to raise awareness of the LGBT community and civil rights movement.

Coming out, whether it is as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer, matters now more than ever. When people know someone who is LGBTQ, they are far more likely to support equality under the law and that is of utmost importance in this day and age when our civil rights and our very lives are still -- STILL -- under attack. But beyond that, our stories can be powerful and empowering to each other, inspiring change.

Every person who speaks up changes more hearts and minds, and creates new advocates for equality. If you haven't yet, and you can do so with physical and emotional safety within your family and community, join us.

We need you.

Sculpture by Lazar-G

https://www.hrc.org/resources/national-coming-out-day

"The Unloving Plum" by Haircut 100

Oh my god, I am having a wild nostalgic moment listening to this NEW single from 80s band Haircut 100. In my mind, I associate them with a whole neo-jazz groove that happened in the early to mid 80s with artists like early Everything But The Girl, Matt Bianco, Basia, Sade, Swing Out Sister, The Blow Monkeys, and to a lesser degree Fine Young Cannibals and the fabulous band The Blue Nile--I was there for all of it! And this new Haircut 100 song certainly fits the bill!

The band have announced a new album as well, out soon. Check their site for news and info!
https://haircut100.com/

"For All Our Days That Tear The Heart" by Jessie Buckley and Bernard Butler

After enjoying her amazing performance in the 2022 sleeper folk-horror film "Men," her outstanding work in the Charlie Kaufman film "I'm Thinking of Ending Things," and her brilliant and very quirky turn as Nurse Oraetta Mayflower on "Fargo," I have just discovered that the phenomenally talented Jessie Buckley can sing (she won an Olivier for playing Sally Bowles in a London production of "Cabaret!" with Eddie Redmayne as Emcee).

And what a voice on this devastating track, "For All Our Days That Tear The Heart," a collaboration with former Suede guitarist Bernard Butler. Everything--her voice, the instrumentation and arrangement, the narrative--all conspire to make this track one that wrings you out. Incredible.

I think, I feel, I fall, I fly
Try to change the lines
Stories of our time
We fight, we love, we dream, we want
To be the things we're not
For once in our lives

For all our days that tear the heart
Leave us nowhere
For all the years we left untold
Hurt we couldn't hold much longer

We shed our skin through life
We differ and multiply
Become ourselves in time
This place we called our home
Has fallen down to stone
Nowhere else to hide

Today I spoke to no-one
Didn't whisper them a word
Till the lines burnt my soul
For all our days that tear the heart
Lead us somewhere
Somewhere else to start

And here is a jaw-dropping live version performed by Buckley and Butler on "The Late Late Show" in Ireland.

This track is from the Jessie Buckley and Bernard Butler album "For All Our Days That Tear The Heart" which was shortlisted for the Mercury Prize in 2022.
https://www.buckleyandbutler.com/

LGBT History Month 2024: Willem Arondéus

Willem Arondéus
Photo courtesy of Marco Entrop,
Het Verzetsmuseum Amsterdam (Dutch Resistance Museum)

Future hero Willem Arondéus was born in 1894 in North Holland, Netherlands. After a career as an illustrator, he began writing poetry and novels, illustrating many of his books himself. But everything changed with the coming of the Nazis and WWII.

Wikipedia recounts his work with the resistance: In 1942, Arondéus started an underground periodical called the Brandarisbrief. In 1943, the Brandarisbrief merged with another publication called De Vrije Kunstenaar. Through the merger, Arondéus met Gerrit van der Veen, the editor of De Vrije Kunstenaar. In the resistance, van der Veen specialized in forging identity cards. As a result, Arondéus also became involved in creating forged documents, along with lesbian resistant Frieda Belinfante. A major detriment to the success of these forgeries was the Municipal Office for Population Registration as its existence made the forgeries less useful, since their legitimacy could be checked against the registration lists and determined to be fakes. Arondéus and van der Veen, along with a number of associates, developed a plan to destroy the registration office.

Their attack, which took place on 27 March 1943, was partially successful, and they managed to destroy 800,000 identity cards (15% of the records), and retrieve 600 blank cards and 50,000 guilders. The building was blown up and no one was caught on the night of the attack. However, due to an unknown betrayer, Arondéus was arrested on 1 April 1943. Arondéus refused to give up the rest of his team but his notebook was found, and as a result, a majority of the group were also arrested. Belinfante was the sole person from the group to have survived, forcing her to take on a man's identity and go undercover.

On 18 June 1943, Arondéus was tried and sentenced to death by firing squad, along with 13 other men who participated. Two of the group received clemency, but the others were executed on 1 July 1943. Arondéus pleaded guilty and took the full blame, which may be why two young doctors were spared from execution and given custodial sentences instead. Before his execution, Arondéus made a point of ensuring the public would be aware that he and two other men in the group, Bakker and Brouwer, were gay, asking either a friend or his lawyer (accounts vary) to "Tell people that homosexuals are not cowards." (In Dutch: "Zeg de mensen dat homoseksuelen niet per definitie zwakkelingen zijn.")

In 1945, after the liberation of the Netherlands, Arondéus's family was awarded a posthumous medal by the Dutch government in his honour. In 1984, he was awarded the Resistance Memorial Cross. On 19 June 1986, Yad Vashem recognized Arondéus as Righteous Among the Nations.

December, page from a calendar illustrated by Willem Arondéus,
at the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, Netherlands

November, page from a calendar illustrated by Willem Arondéus,
at the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, Netherlands

October, page from a calendar illustrated by Willem Arondéus,
at the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Illustration by Willem Arondéus

Illustration by Willem Arondéus

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willem_Arondeus

"The Candidate"

The New Yorker endorses Kamala Harris for President of the United States of America.

Cover: "The Candidate" by Malika Favre
https://www.instagram.com/malikafavre

VOTE HARRIS WALZ!

https://kamalaharris.com/

"DEEP HOLES" by Rahim Redcar

Wow, what a stretch of amazing music over the last several weeks and it just keeps coming. Here is "DEEP HOLES," the first song from "HOPECORE," a new release by Rahim Redcar (formerly known as Chris or Christine and the Queens). He has flirted with dance music for a while but it appears this new release is full-on 80s Hi NRG and 90s house. It sounds great!

Even the artwork for the album cover (available in hot pink vinyl!) screams of the airbrushed 70s-80s, referencing Nagel.

https://rahimredcar.com/

BEAUTY: Painting--Andrew Salgado

The last time I posted about the wildly colorful work of artist Andrew Salgado was in 2019! So let's check in on him and see what he has been up to. I love his usual explorations in color and medium, but also composition and narrative. Lovely.

Top to bottom: Everybody Hurts; Flower Boys; Mon Cheri; Murdoch By The Sea; Note To Pirandello; Only Fools; The Protagonist; The Rites; Secret Spring; Solstice

https://andrewsalgado.com/

BEAUTY: Painting--Jan De Vliegher

Fancy a quick trip to Europe? Belgian artist Jan De Vliegher creates lushly Impressionistic images of top destinations on the continent and in the UK as well as lovely 18th and 19th century decorative arts: France (Versailles, Sèvres porcelain displays), Italy (Siena, Venice, the Boboli Gardens in Florence, Murano glassware and chandeliers), Austria (Schönbrunn Palace), and England (the vast decorative arts holdings at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London). I love how his technique is gorgeously loose with huge, vigorous brushstrokes but the result, like a true Impressionist, conjures the complete realistic view of that place or object. So beautiful...

Top to bottom: Antinous; Boboli; Cabinet; Chandelier; Cherubs 8; Duomo Siena; Facade Roze; Glass 4; Glass 23; Happy Lovers; Interieur Rood; Marcus Aurelius; Schonbrunn 2; Sèvres Plate With Flowers; Treasury 11; V & A 3; Venus Disarming Cupid; Versailles

https://jandevliegher.be/