'That's Gay' is Born – Welcome!

What's gay? This is gay. A little introduction to my new newsletter.

Hi, hello, and welcome,

Whether you’re a fellow LGBTQ+ person or a good ol’ straight/cis ally interested in that world (and trying to learn how many letters that acronym actually has in it these days), I’m glad you made it.

My name’s Till. I’m a 22-year-old queer kid living in New York City.

A 22-year-old gay boy in NYC? There are like a million of us. Why should you care about what I have to say?

Good question (if I may say so myself).

Although I’ve been writing on Medium on a daily basis since July 2020, I’ve hesitated to start anything in the realm of a regular newsletter because I found myself cornered by this very question. Why should anyone care what I have to say?

Also, does anyone still read their email regularly if it isn’t for work?

To be honest, I still don’t really know the answer to those questions, but I’ve decided they’re not questions worth holding me back from writing and publishing what I love to write and publish.

So what do you love to write? What is That’s Gay?

That’s Gay is going to be about all things queer, relationships, and self-discovery. From the perspective that I know (that of a thoroughly confused, 20-something queer kid), as well as via the words of others, I’m going to explore all the questions, revelations, and hangups that come with navigating a queer life (esp. in your twenties).

The content will fluctuate. At times you’ll get personal stories from me, at others you will see think pieces on queer issues in entertainment and politics, and then there’ll be interviews showcasing different voices in the queer community – often much more knowledgable and rich than my own.

Or so goes the plan anyway. And you know what they say about plans …

Also, consider this first post my official “I’m not an expert” disclaimer. No, I’m by no means an expert on the queer space, I just live in it and I find it interesting. In fact, I’m very much an amateur.

Really, I’m just a writer writing about what he wants to learn more about.

Why write That’s Gay?

Writing about queer things in a candid way is by no means ground-breaking. Respect to all the candidly queer writers that came before me and continue to come through.

Having said that, I feel like the world I grew up in could have used more queer writers and creators that talked about and helped demystify all the taboos around being different … in a queer way. Whether it’s sexuality (and sex), gender, or simply our perceived roles and expectations in this world, there’s a lot to talk about – and I think everyone, queer or not, can benefit from that kind of talk.

As a person that’s going up against all these things personally, and as a writer that’s going to be publishing my stuff anyway, I figured I don’t want to leave this planet without doing my part to add to that discussion.

Has any of this tickled your fancy? Do you feel obligated to support me as a friend/family member? Great! Paste your email in that subscription box!

Don’t worry, I won’t see if you direct my emails to spam.

If you do subscribe and start reading, I’m very grateful for your interest (as well as for your eyeballs and ability to read). If you fall in this category, consider lending your eyes to my writing on Medium as well. I write about all sorts of stuff over there.

When can you expect a newsletter from me?

As I’ve learned from my past writing/creative endeavors, it’s best for me not to set a posting schedule for myself until I know a good deal of what goes into the process.

As I’ve never written a newsletter before, I really have no idea what goes into it. So, for now, I’d say you can expect an email from me anywhere from 2 - 3x a week. Further clarity on that sched as time goes on …

I can’t wait to write more, until then.

You’re supposed to be here – live like it.

– Till

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