Continuing our growing line-up of LGBTQ+ country music superstars, Justin Green earns his first crowning as Dazzler of the Day thanks to some incredible songs like ‘Coyote’ and ‘Reno’ and ‘Front Page News.’ His style of country music is rooted in the tradition of storytelling that strikes the most emotional and powerful chord of the many genres his music encompasses. A self-taught musician, Green’s authenticity is what sets him apart from other artists, compellingly driving some of his greatest work. Check out his website here for merchandise, performance dates, and booking information.
In these parts, a gay cowboy is really just a cowboy. Cowboys have historically never much taken to identifying themselves as gay or straight or anything other than a cowboy. It’s a modern-day defiance of labels that runs back to a time long before being gay was commonly named. Here, we celebrate gayness and queerdom and all the diversity of the world, especially when it comes to cowboy living – because at his heart, a cowboy is all about living to let live.
To that end, this celebratory post features a favorite song by The Cowgays (see also Chris Housman in his Dazzler of the Day crowning here). It’s a hand-clapping exercise in self-acceptance and self-love for all us gay kids who grow up wondering if we were worthy of it.
Wish I wasn’t gay, wish I wasn’t gay I don’t wish I wasn’t gay no more Clap your hands for Jesus, hallelujah, praise the Lord I don’t wish I wasn’t gay no more
Used to lay in bed at night and cry myself to sleep Tossing and a-turning, wondering why Thought that damned old devil had a hold on me ‘Til the day I finally saw the light
When I think back to how absolutely lost I felt as a gay kid, with no internet, no gay visibility, and no idea that everything I was feeling wasn’t wrong or twisted or sinful, I marvel at how relatively well-adjusted I turned out in spite of that (while simultaneously marveling at how genuinely fucked-up I was in terms of how ill-equipped and unloved I felt when I dared to step into my queerness). Things cut every which way back then, and there are still repercussions to having grown up like that.
Wish I wasn’t gay, wish I wasn’t gay I don’t wish I wasn’t gay no more Clap your hands for Jesus, I done shut that closet door And I don’t wish I wasn’t gay no more
Without guides or support or the basic recognizance of seeing myself in just about anyone else, I made my way mostly alone, and at the worst time of one’s life to be alone. Those formative years, while difficult tin many ways, served to fortify and build a strength in me that most of my friends didn’t need to have at such an age, and that some lucky people don’t really need at any age. I’m grateful for having built myself up then, and glad, in retrospect, to have done it all by myself, because it taught me I could survive just about anything, even when left entirely to my own devices. That’s a striking sense of independence that I wouldn’t trade for any years of youthful ease; it prepared me better than most to deal with an awful and often unfair and unjust world. Gay people of a certain age are simply built stronger, because we had to be. It was that or die, sometimes quite literally, and I had my fair share of close calls. It’s hard to feel like you belong somewhere when you never felt you belonged anywhere, and if you don’t feel like you belong at at early age you do wonder at what value you have on this earth.
Preacher used to tell me I was headed straight to Hell For something that I tried but couldn’t change Had to walk through fire ’til I found myself Holy revelation, I’ve been saved
Wish I wasn’t gay, wish I wasn’t gay I don’t wish I wasn’t gay no more Clap your hands for Jesus, hallelujah, I’m reborn I don’t wish I wasn’t gay no more
Strangely enough, and it came from somewhere deep within me, some vain sliver of a belief in myself, I never once wished I wasn’t gay. It would have been easier in those days, it would have made things fit comfortably into place, it would have solved any number of issues that came from being closeted and repressed and forced into a life that wasn’t natural for me – but for some reason I never crossed into that particular realm of self-hatred. Oh I hated myself for many reasons, but my queerness wasn’t ever really one of them. (There was so much more to hate than the fact that I found men attractive!) Still, I understood soon and well enough that being gay would indeed be more than ample reason for others to hate me, so I wouldn’t admit it until the age of 18.
Thought that I was lost with no end in sight ‘Til I found my chosen family tree Any friend of Dorothy’s is a friend of mine So cheers to the queers like you and me
Once I did, however, there was no going back, and forging a way for my gay self at a time when not everyone did was forging an existence brazenly fired in the heat of defiance and courage. In some ways, it made everything that followed a bit of a cake walk – something I need to remind myself when I recoil from simpler challenges. It made me into the man you see before you – and in a lot of ways it made me the cowboy I’ve only recently discovered in myself.
Wish I wasn’t gay, wish I wasn’t gay I don’t wish I wasn’t gay no more Clap your hands for Jesus, hallelujah, praise the Lord I don’t wish I wasn’t gay no more!
Chris Housman is crowned Dazzler of the Day thanks to a country music career of unprecedented courage and commitment. His latest album ‘Dodge City’ references his childhood visits to the ‘Cowboy Capital of the World’ while expanding the genre to include those of us who fancy fellow cowboys. Standing in the truth of who he is as an openly LGBTQ+ community member, Housman offers some driving music (see and hear the brilliantly bullish ‘Cowman’ and its crotch-grabbing video) and a few indelible images to turn the notion of country music on its hot head. He’s currently on tour if you want to see him live – check out his website here for more info and upcoming tour dates.
Dovetailing beautifully with this Fall of the Cowboy, Brian Falduto gets crowned Dazzler of the Day thanks to his country music with a queer twist. His latest song ‘Free Coffee’ is most definitely a song for the season, and his ‘Same Old Country Song’ sets the stage for the very gay cowboy stories about to unfurl here. Falduto is set to release a new EP – ‘I Could Be Happy’ – later this fall, and keen-eyed observers may remember his younger turn in ‘School of Rock’. As a certified life coach, he marries social wisdom with country pop, weaving an indelible image and sound together that fits perfectly into our Fall of the Cowboy. Check out Brian’s website here.
There’s nothing I like better than a decent diatribe of a little lovely alliteration, which makes Dazzler of the Day Daddy Dyl a natural exercise in dazzling destiny. An artist celebrating unabashedly queer work and leaning into nudes and a natural state of being, Daddy Dyl offers work that is provocative, evocative, and beautifully decorative. As easy on the eyes as it is occasionally challenging to the brain, this is artwork aimed to celebrate the queer experience – with all its requisite passion, joy, connection and humanity. More impressive is the artist’s boldness to pose with some of his works, echoing their themes and confidence, and baring his body and soul on multiple levels – a gloriously defiant stance in an age that wants to shut so many of us into silence and darkness. Check out the Daddy Dyl website here for further evidence of Daddy Dyl’s brilliance.
Establishing his own fashion brand ‘Deaf Identity’ and giving good face and body to his brand, Luke Christian handily earns this Dazzler of the Day crowning thanks to a lifelong commitment to being an entrepreneur who cares, and one who is confident enough to incorporate his own identity into his work. As a deaf and gay man, Christian often jokes about having two strikes against him, and has never let that deter him from creating an inspirational and aspirational life that is as impressive as it is courageous. Attitude Magazine awarded him their Pride LGBTQ+ Community Hero award, while Deaf Uity named him their Deaf Role Model of the Month last year. Check out the Deaf Identity brand website here. and all of Christian’s social media links here.
While his song ‘Cruising’ came out a few years ago, it still makes for the perfect summer bop, so give it a listen down below. Before that, check out Matt Harkenrider’s entire body of work for an illustration of why he has been named the Dazzler of the Day. Catchy melodies, infectious fun, and visuals that are more than easy on the eyes, Harkenrider is just about the perfect package deserving of all the flowers.
His latest book, ‘The Castle of Stories’ is due to be released in the coming days, joining the pantheon of work he’s already written – ‘One Love’, ‘The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle’, ‘Becoming Ted’ and ‘The Madonna of Bolton’. If that wasn’t enough, Matt Cain also co-founded a new LGBTQ+ independent publisher, Pansy, which solidifies his crowning as Dazzler of the Day. A stacked resume of published writing from years of freelance work, in addition to years of support and volunteer endeavors for the LGBTQ+ community, cement his status as Dazzler. Check out his website here for more of his brilliance.
Comedian, songwriter, and unicorn lobbyist Shawn Hollenbach is crowned Dazzler of the Day on the eve of tomorrow’s performance at Rocks in Albany, NY as part of their Happy Place Comedy show. As a practiced host and storyteller, Hollenbach uses wit and a way with words to captivate audiences and put on a scintillating show. Check out his website here for the full story.
NOTE: Michael Breyette was an artist who left behind a powerful visual legacy, a legion of fanatically-devoted appreciators of his art, and a world in dire need of his particular beauty – the images of hope, of lust, of summer, of love – and always, even after his departing, of life. It’s been a few months since we lost him, and I finally decided to post a letter I wrote to him after his death – my own way of grieving and hoping to heal, and trying to convey to his husband, and the world, how much he is missed. Artists may live on in their artwork, and there is some solid bit of solace in that, but when you know the artist, when you adore the person, that doesn’t diminish the great pain of missing them.
Dear Michael – Once again I find myself writing to a friend who left this world too early, and once again I feel at a loss of how best to say something that meets the sorrowful moment at hand. Despite a couple of decades of correspondence, I’d only ever met you once – at a gallery show in Provincetown. In person you were just as kind and friendly as your messages – a happy and increasingly rare circumstance of a favorite artist living up to the image and idea of a favorite artist. You were one of the first artists to immortalize me, seeing some bit of beauty in the raw assemblage of bones and flesh that once comprised my physical being. It came at a point in time when I wasn’t sure who I was – and you saw something that was somehow worthy of your artistic pursuit.
I’ve always fancied myself an artistic spirit, but never a great artist. You saw beauty in my words, and suddenly I could begin to see beauty in what I created. The fact that an artist I’d so admired might share a similar appreciation of beauty in me did more for my ravaged self-esteem than just about anything else. Your talent didn’t always seem wholly of this world. It was fantasy and hope and the embodiment of carnal desire. It was both pure and naughty – a celebration of sex, eroticism and lust. Above all else, it was the expression of beauty and love – and beauty would always be your gift to the world. It remains your lasting, immortal legacy – the physical creation of a body of work that makes living in our world so worthwhile – which is why your sudden absence is so keenly felt by all whom you touched.
Whenever I needed a jolt of inspiration, whenever I wanted a reminder that there was passion and artistically-brilliant execution in motion, and whenever I just needed some reassurance when times felt dark or sad, a visit to your website and a perusal of your work was all I needed to right myself.
It wasn’t talent alone that drew me to your creations, it was the heart of the man behind them. Only one who truly loved others would ever be able to so magnificently render fellow human beings in such a splendid manner. That became evident in our correspondence and shared admiration. When you asked me to write a foreword to your book ‘Summer Moved On’, it was an honor, a privilege, and a humble gift that would never quite do your exquisite work justice.
In that work, and in so much subsequent work that would come in the years that followed, your spirit and love for life would shine through. It was a thrill to watch as you gained rightful recognition and success in such a harsh and competitive industry. Throughout it all, you retained your uncompromising vision – portraying us in unabashed scenes of love and beauty and idealism. You put the best versions of ourselves forward, committing them to paper and canvass for all time, in scenes that inspired, moved, intimated, teased, celebrated, and lived in the way that the best artwork does. You did it so well, and with such remarkable consistency, that perhaps we took your gifts for granted, the way humans tend to do when the greatest artists live among us. I hope you knew how much your work mattered, how much it resonated and touched so many of us lucky enough to view it. I hope you understood how much you meant to me, and to so many people who had the honor of being in your presence or the presence of your work. In so many ways, you remain the living sentiment that beauty never dies, that art always matters, and that good people remain in our hearts even after they are gone.
Actress, activist and model Hunter Schafer has made a name for herself by fighting for trans rights – a fight more important than ever as this country seems hellbent on denying basic human dignity to all of its denizens. Schafer studied painting and design before working as a model and making her way into acting, where she has since been mesmerizing audiences in ‘Euphoria’. She earns this Dazzler of the Day for refusing to be anything other than her authentic self, and doing it with beauty and grace.
A breathtaking gust of fiercely fashionable fabulosity, Robert Hartwell is a force of joy and hope and promise packaged in the prettiest wardrobe you may ever see. With an impressive Broadway background in shows from ‘Memphis’ and ‘Motown’ to ‘Cinderella’ and ‘Hello, Dolly!’, Hartwell has the theatrical experience and rich knowledge to share with others looking to break into musical theater, hence his running of The Broadway Collective. His reality renovation show ‘Breaking New Ground’ revealed a bit of the man behind the myth while pushing the idea that being unabashedly ourselves is always the best form of progress. With a commitment to beauty, joy, and fashion, and a bedrock of family and friends to populate his wonderfully whimsical rooms, Hartwell earns this Dazzler of the Day crowning as if to the manner born.
Walking the walk I talked about in this post declaring this the spring of rejoining the real world and taking physically-present part in the action, I made a Sunday stop at the recent holding of A Big Gay Market hey in Troy, NY. The ride over the Hudson River is not as far as it once felt, and as long as you veer clear of rush hours, it’s not usually backed up, especially on the rainy, early afternoon I made the trip to the Mount Ida Preservation Hall.
Once inside, a warm and inviting environment filled with a bustling crowd beaming with happiness at being there greeted me, along with tables of enchanting materials – from cuddly crocheted cuties to scrumptious candles that filled the space with their delicious fragrance. Stickers and artwork were on hand, as were homemade jewelry and knitwear, and all sorts of goodies.
I’m already looking forward to their next event on April 26, 2026 at Washington Park in Albany.
It wasn’t long, long ago I fooled the guards, but someone tipped them off But all my cards aside, the bells still rang No charms, no claims No good for goodness sake
White asparagus is not just some variant form of the green spikes most of us know so well; it’s just green asparagus that has been completely starved and deprived of light during its growing season. That doesn’t mean it is less; in fact, it contains much the same levels of fiber and nutrients and all the good things that asparagus supplies. But it looks different. It’s been through more.
Oh, I don’t wanna run and hide I don’t wanna live a lie I?need the spotlight Like a bird inside a cage Exotic, but covered up with lace If what they say is true There’s no place for me and you But when I walk my walk When I put my makeup on Look at me, look at me Don’t you see your queen?
When mother left, the halls did cry As for the world, it went on like before But time passed, and the band began to play First, there was light, then there was sound Then all the stars came out
Some have warned that this is not the time to speak out and attract notice. Some have said it’s better to be silent, to take no side, to make no noise. Some have never even more wrong. This moment in history calls upon us to be more ourselves than we’ve ever been before. To boldly proclaim our right to exist, to live, to love – and to defy anyone standing in our way. Live and let live, or perish trying to prevent us from doing the same.
Oh, I don’t wanna run and hide I don’t wanna live a lie I need a spotlight Like a bird inside a cage Bright-eyed and longing for the stage If what they say is true There’s no place for me and you But when I walk my walk (But you better give up before you die) When I put my makeup on (Doesn’t matter who you are) Look at me, look at me Don’t you see a queen?
Too often we diminish ourselves, making our existence smaller to please others, dimming our own light as not to over shine anyone else. Fuck that. Fuck all of that in the most fucking heinous way possible. Skull-fuck it through the goddamn eye sockets of anyone who sees it that way.
There’s an empty seat That’s where you’ll find me There’s a broken heel That’s where you’ll find me If the sun doesn’t shine on you Break your glass and cause a scene And tell the world, just wait, you’ll see There’s no more time to cry when the crowd’s right there
While the Lavender Scare gave no reasonable or sane reason to fear gay people, the Lilac Scare is here to turn that on its head – because people should be scared, very much scared, very much afraid and very much in terror about what we will do when attacked. But do not worry too much – it will be done beautifully, it will be done fabulously, it will be done gorgeously – and you won’t even feel the prick of metal slicing through skin until it’s too late.
When I walk my walk And when I put my makeup on Look at me, look at me Don’t you see your goddamn queen?
