
Christmas Music: Vanessa Williams “Do You Hear What I Hear?”
In full rotation in my house every Christmas season. What I love about Vanessa’s recordings is she reveals, alongside stunning vocals, her rich and artful musicianship. Her brilliant arranger/music director on her holiday albums, Rob Mathes, brings rich and rhythmic gospel flavor to these takes on “Do You Hear What I Hear” and “The Drummer Boy.” If you don’t have Vanessa Williams’ holiday albums, you’re missing out. Love, love, love.
Melania Dragged For Maskless White House Christmas Tour

Beautiful #Christmas display of young artists in the @WhiteHouse Blue Room. Their ornaments symbolize the joyful spirit of the holiday season. pic.twitter.com/PBb8CzhS2v
— Melania Trump (@FLOTUS) December 22, 2020
The first gift to emulate the holiday spirit would be you wearing a mask on your face! Help protect the kids, not just yourself. @flotus @WhiteHouse
— Tana Senn (@TanaSenn) December 22, 2020
“Who gives a fuck about Christmas stuff and decoration? But I have to do it.” – First Lady Melania Trump pic.twitter.com/PFyk0tUtlm
— Edward-Isaac Dovere (@IsaacDovere) October 2, 2020
People in the future will see videos like this and be confounded by the children wearing masks for safety and the First Lady doing whatever she feels like.
— Astronomikos (@rawveggies) December 22, 2020
Isn’t it wonderful to see our first lady trying to be such a great example of leadership by showing all these young kids around and being up close and personal WITHOUT wearing a mask herself? It’s not hard; wear a mask!
— Robert Holmes (@HolmesRobert21) December 23, 2020
I see a woman who doesn’t care about the well being of children in her presence or the well being of children in cages.
— JuneBug⁷ 🌊 🇺🇸 (@Ladyjet02) December 23, 2020
Back at ya! pic.twitter.com/crRvAYPW4q
— Ronald Boisvert (@RonaldBoisvert1) December 23, 2020
InstaHunk Round-Up: Hump Day Edition

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Everyone is at the beach it seems – Rodiney Santiago scored some rays in Cancun, Mexico:
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Sean O’Donnell is ready for a 47 hour nap (which sounds pretty awesome to me):
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Rick and the Griffopotamus are in a penguin kind of mood:
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According to Dan Tai, gorillas can’t swim. So, he sat on the edge of the pool:
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Fitness hottie Nathan McCallum has turned it out at the gym this week so hard, he might be seeing things:
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And Silverjow, my favorite illustrator on Instagram, has one of his hunky guys ready for Santa’s big day (make sure to click through the options):
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Podcast: AGT’s Branden James Chats On His Memoir ‘Lyrics Of My Life’

Through it all, he was surprised by one startling realization: how vital it is to be completely authentic in order to help others, as well as continue to heal himself. Lyrics of My Life is authentically Branden sparing no details about his lack of stability as a young adult, estrangement from his close-knit family, and, despite it all, his unbreakable will to overcome adversity. Searching for his own personal freedom, Branden finds reconciliation with his family, rediscovers his faith, and realizes that affliction and hardship are not what define us as human beings. The response to Lyrics of My Life has been awesome. Among many to praise the memoir were the readers of POZ who voted the book ‘Best in Literature’ for 2020.
The winner for the 2020 #POZAwards for Best in Literature goes to @BrandenJMusic for #LyricsOfMyLife, published by @cleispress. Congrats on not just winning, but for putting your experiences living with #HIV out there so others don't feel so alone. https://t.co/rDsidfWIzj pic.twitter.com/eY4ffa4wV6
— POZ Magazine (@pozmagazine) December 13, 2020
Gay Ex-Mormon Recalls Life-Altering Decision To Lose ‘Magic Underwear’

Dr. Jake Jacob, an openly gay physician, recently reflected on social media about his process of severing ties with the Mormon Church specifically his decision to stop wearing his ‘temple garments.’
Posting a photo clad in just a white t-shirt and briefs, the beefy doc shared with his 278K Instagram followers that it has been 12 years since he decided to stop wearing the ‘magic underwear’ noting “it made no sense since I was having sex with men which is a mortal sin against the Mormon church’s teachings.”
But rather than a sad moment of reflection, Jacob recalls the decision as “life-altering physically, emotionally, and spiritually.”
“It was my last physical reminder, for good or bad, of my ties to childhood religion,” he continued. “It was liberating for my body to finally remove the oppressive clothing that insisted I always stay covered instead of celebrating the body God gave me.”
For the hunky 39-year-old, shedding the garments represented discarding unnecessary shame and self-loathing that he’d carried for years about who he was and a part of himself that he “can’t and shouldn’t change.”
“It was a necessary step in overcoming years of conversion therapy that taught me I was broken and somehow God was supposed to fix me if I was righteous enough, an ever-moving impossible goal post,” he added.
Jacob also recalled the feeling of “sliding into my sheets without any clothes the first night I felt freedom I’d never experienced before.”
Being able to choose how he presented his body to the world began “a journey of loving my own body, embracing my flaws, of actually looking in the mirror and choosing to like what I see without guilt or forced ‘humility’ which I now know was the quest for impossible constant perfection of body and mind.”
The result was the beginning of loving himself “for who I am independent of a higher power’s approval or acceptance of my peers.”
With good and bad days in the rearview mirror, Jacob’s focus now is on the gratitude he feels having journeyed towards self-acceptance.
“I’m grateful I took a chance stepping into the unknown discovering a life I never dreamed could be so fulfilling,” he writes in closing.
The good doctor offers more than just eye-candy on his social media, although he’s clearly built AF. Check out some other recent posts below and follow the body-conscious Jacob on Instagram here for more of his posts.
Podcast: ‘She’s Not Doing So Well’ With Bobby, Jim & The Miz
Who’s looking for a new podcast to follow? Check out co-hosts Bobby Griffith, Jim (just Jim), and The Miz (Anthony Villiotti) every Wednesday for their fun-filled gay podcast, She’s Not Doing So Well, an irreverent yet empathetic look at everyday life through an LGBTQ+ lens. Described by the crew as a ‘recipe for disaster stemming from unexpected encounters,’ She’s Not Doing So Well provides insightful discussions on topics ranging from relationships and sex to gay life and mental health while incorporating edgy humor to leave their listeners begging for more. “We have no rules and love to talk about things we don’t know much about to be able to learn and grow,” reads the show’s official description. “Nothing is off-limits.” The hour-long episodes delve into commentary and experiences that inspire audiences to transition from surviving to thriving in the cultural challenges that we face as humans as well as some wholesome gay comedy. Check out the guys’ latest episode below and you can find the full catalog of 60+ episodes on Apple Podcasts here.
News Round-Up: December 22, 2020

• CNN: Donald Trump has begun issuing presidential pardons and among the recipients are former Reps. Chris Collins and Duncan Hunter. Both are Republicans, and both were the first in Congress to endorse Trump for president. • Philly Inquirer: Looks like we found that ‘voter fraud’ folks have been talking about. A man in Delaware county registered his dead mother and mother-in-law to vote using their IDs, and he then cast a mail-in ballot…..for Donald Trump. The 70-year-old admitted to casting the illegal ballot to “further the campaign of Donald Trump.” • The Herald: A wedding venue in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, – the Warehouse on Ivy – denied a same-sex couple the opportunity to hold their wedding there citing its ‘Christian values.’ North Carolina is one of 27 states with no statewide laws offering protection from discrimination against the LGBTQ community.
N. Carolina wedding venue denies lesbian couple, citing ‘Christian values’
If you are an LGTBQ ally please cancel any events your are planning at Warehouse on Ivy in Winston-Salem, NChttps://t.co/H7RBFEmaQN https://t.co/O1bSyFaqlt — 🎄🎅🏽B L A Z E R🎄❄️☃️FIND JOY⛄️ (@Ellasperson) December 22, 2020
Video: Boston Cop Brags About Driving Into Protesters
NowThis News shares this report of vehicles being used to attack protesters across the country. In the first clip, a Boston police officer boasts about driving his car through a crowd of protesters. At the 30 second mark, the officer he’s bragging to turns away once he realizes his buddy has just confessed on an active body cam. ‘I’m f*cking hittin’ people with the car,’ says the police officer. The short video goes on to note other violent attacks on protesters with vehicles. Note – I’m definitely not anti-cop. I am anti-bad cop. These jokers make life much harder for the good guys.
Christmas Music: Tom Goss ‘Christmas 2020’

Friday night Mike went for a walk, I picked up the guitar and wrote a song. It was so fun to me that I immediately got on the phone and roped Ned Douglas into production, Mike Lovins into bass and Liz DeRoche into harmony arrangement. I told them everything had to be done immediately!
The next day I had an awesome song and then roped Michael Briggs into making a video with me. This project has made me smile so much, I hope it makes you smile as well.
Moral of the story… there are so many people around you that love you!!!!! Including me. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Happy New Year, love you lots!
You can find my numerous posts about Tom and his music here.