Art, Poetry, Aunties, and Queer Outrage
James Finn — The Blog
Hey, you lovely people who subscribe to my Medium publication. Update time!
Here’s a short list of art and polemic I created last month that I believe is worth sharing. (Which doesn’t neatly correspond to what people have been reading.)
If you’ve been browsing my stuff lately, you might have noticed a darker tone. I’m tired and discouraged, though I’m working hard to dig my way out of negativity. As always, when the going gets tough, creating art is a balm.
Art and memory
Charging the Batteries of a Queer Soul
I painted this story to recharge my spiritual batteries. It’s a photo essay full of nature, frisky critters, and my Amish neighbors. Friends have told me it’s the best piece of writing I’ve produced in a long time. I don’t know. I know writing it helped me. It’s not been a popular piece, but if it recharged my soul, it might help you too.
I Tore Down the Berlin Wall With My Own Hands
Yes, a lifetime ago I really did tear down the Berlin Wall, with help from ten thousand Berliners. This is how it went down, from my own youthful, personal perspective. How did end I end up ripping the Wall apart with a hammer and chisel? And what does the Wall say about Donald Trump and his followers?
A Gay Chaldean Priest, a Chelsea Queen, and one Hot Daddy
Who ever said I’m a humorless old buzzkill? Shhhh! Don’t answer that. Here’s a funny story about gay male culture, tripping on shrooms, and San Francisco’s wackiest gay priest. Is there a moral? Don’t look at me, Doc. I was just along for the bus ride.
Aunty Jimothy is on a tear!
I had to strip all my Aunty columns of references to Dame Edna after actor Barry Humphries sparked outrage with transphobic statements. But Aunty is in rare form, holding forth on candid advice for the young and not so young. Outrageous and funny, Aunty is also well researched and sensitive. Check out her “pearlescent balls of wisdom!”
Aunty, Anal Sex Hurts Like Hell!
Must gay men have butt sex? Is it de rigueur? Aunty cites data, tells it like it is, and offers frank lessons in how to learn to bottom. But only if you really want to!
A teenager writes in, terrified of the consequences of anal sex after condom malfunction. Aunty gets real with risk data, and the dirt about PEP, a little-known medication to stop HIV AFTER you’re exposed.
Poetry and Verse!
I am not a skilled poet. But I try to be an evocative one. These three pieces are sensory impressions. Body memory. Spiritual longings that connect to physical presence.
One Queer Activism Essay!
If I wrote only one essay about queer humanity and equality last month that I wish everyone would read, this is it:
LGBT Parents, Foster Care, Fake News
LGBTQ families are in the crosshairs in the United States. Trump and the Republicans have allied with Evangelicals and the Catholic hierarchy to stop same-sex parents from fostering and adopting children.
They’re pulling no punches, and they’re willing to shred civil rights law in the process. They ARE shredding the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out —
Because I was not a socialist.Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out —
Because I was not a trade unionist.Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out —
Because I was not a Jew.Then they came for me — and there was no one left to speak for me.
That’s all for this month, guys!
I hope this sample of my work is helpful, inspirational, or at least entertaining. As always, the text links lead to free stories. You don’t need to be a Medium member to read.
Please write to jamesfinnwrites@gmail.com with comments — or with questions for Aunty Jimothy.
