We’re here, we’re queer, we’ll put on a frock for money — One night, just about thirty years ago, I met the man who would become not only my best friend and staunchest ally, but my lifelong partner. Plus, he makes me laugh harder than anyone on the planet. He's not in this picture, but he is in this story. Thinking back…

My 5 most-read pieces, so far … — I’m half-way through the Zane’s 100 Story Challenge. In a perfect world, I would’ve done 100 stories in 100 days, but as a certified recovering perfectionist, that didn’t happen. I had a look through of what I’ve done so far — some I vividly remember, others were “Oh! did I…

Yeah, there’s an app for that, but sometimes we go old school — Júlia and I were stretching out, having finished our run near a beachside exercise park. It’s nothing state-of-the-art— a glorified jungle gym with all kinds of chin-up bars and calisthenics stations. A number of local young muscle boys constantly hung out near those bars. flexing and preening their pumped-up pecs…

I’d tried to stop dozens of times but had never tried hypnosis — “Pardon me, can I buy a cigarette from you?” She looked like a middle-school art teacher randomly whisked from her Midwestern classroom and placed, sans smokes, on 45th Street. Middle-aged, not real tall, a little stout, PayLess shoes, her bright red hair (most likely applied in her own suburban bathroom)…

And life goes on without me — I went into the old Quebec one night, just to see if it was half as fun as the last time. I mean who doesn’t love a bunch of gin-sodden pensioners and the rent boys they pay to admire them? I was much further away from thinking about retirement back…

Yoga is where you find it. — I’m done with a run, but not ready to go home yet. I head towards Mokai, one of Barcelona’s seasonal beach cafes. It’s my favorite chirringuto, but it’s more crowded than usual and I’m looking for a fresh perspective this afternoon. Oh, what about the pier? It’s not so much…

Sparklers, Neely … Sparklers! — Baton Rouge — Critically acclaimed performance artist and drag celebutante Kitty Fiddler ended last night’s show with a bang at renowned boozer cum cabaret, Jizzaball’s. Patrons gasped in horrified delight when, during the climactic finale, her alter ego Dinah Might inserted what appeared to be a sparkler-stemmed marital aide into…

I got discouraged, but now I’m ready to take a chance again — I’ve been writing for a long time. Since before the internet was a binary blip in a shared glance between Vinton Cerf and Bob Kahn. I mean, I’m not Barry Manilow — I didn’t write the very first song. Yes, I’m old, but I’m not that old. …

№ 50 of 💯 — Echoes in the halls of silence — I’m sitting in the Hogwarts library at the university where you work. It’s actually a 19th-century Catalan water tower, but UPF didn’t turn it into its present state until 1999. The air conditioning is free and there is plenty of distraction-free space to spread out and catch up on end-of-term…