A New try II

Just passing by to say Hi. This is maybe something you didn’t know about me, but in 2007 i published the Autobiography about my life as Gay. This picture however, is from 2018 during the culture night in my former hometown, where I grew up. I share book shelf with no other than the famous Tove Jansson and look in the right top corner of this pic, yeah Iconic humans such as Anne Frank and Albert Einstein is also there. Awesome!

Johnny Mathis is one of the most successful recording artists with 74 studio albums, with 10 achieving Gold status with sales over 50,000 units. In addition, six of his compilation albums also reached Gold status. Of these 16 Gold albums, six reached Platinum status with sales over one million copies.

Mathis was born in Texas, but his family moved to San Francisco when he was five years old. Early on, his father realized he had a natural musical talent and encouraged him by buying a used piano.

Mathis honed his skills with classical music training, but he was also an avid athlete. He achieved an athletic scholarship to attend San Francisco State College in 1954, where he competed in both basketball and track. He even set a high jump record while there.

Mathis was asked to try out for the U.S. Olympic Team that would travel to Melbourne in November 1956. But his father suggested that he focus his efforts on a professional singing career.

By 1962, Ebony magazine listed Mathis as one of 30-35 millionaires on its list of "America's 100 Richest Negroes".

During his long musical career, Mathis maintained his interest in sports. He has hosted the Johnny Mathis Invitational Track & Field Meet at SF State since it started in 1982. He is also an avid golfer and has hosted charity tournaments in the US, UK, and Northern Ireland.

In 1982, during an interview with Us magazine, Mathis said off-the-record:

"Homosexuality is a way of life that I've grown accustomed to."

The magazine published the statement anyway, outing Mathis. Mathis later explained that he received death threats as a result of the article and decided not to publicly discuss his sexual orientation.

In 2006, Mathis opened up about his sexuality in an interview with the podcast The Strip. He explained that his reluctance was partially due to his generation, where gay men were taught to hide their sexuality. Mathis confirmed that he was gay.

"I come from San Francisco. It's not unusual to be gay in San Francisco. I've had some girlfriends and some boyfriends, just like most people. But I never got married, for instance. I knew that I was gay."

Mathis announced that he was retiring from touring. His final public concert was on May 18, 2025, in New Jersey.

Clothing company Patagonia is currently suing drag queen Pattie Gonia for "irreparable” harm to their brand.

To be clear; Pattie named herself after the region in South America.

So Pattie is asking people to politely ask Patagonia to drop the lawsuit.

I'm extending the invitation to all of you, because suing a drag queen for 'infringement' in the current political cultural landscape is vile. Especially a drag queen who has raised millions of dollars for non-profits, uses her platform to raise awareness for climate activism, and fully aligns with Patagonia's apparent climate-conscious mission statement.

They're claiming they're suing for $1. They're actually asking her to stop using her name, and pay over $1 million in legal fees. They're straight up harassing her.

In contrast, drag queen Jan Sport has a Jansport bag line. It's that easy to just... work with a queen.

Anyway. Be respectful(ish), but feel free to be annoying on Patagnoia's socials, asking them to 'DROP THE LAWSUIT'

June is Black Music Month.

Just a reminder that some of America's greatest cultural gifts to the world came from Black musicians. Blues, jazz, gospel, rock and roll, soul, funk, R&B, and hip-hop all have roots in Black communities.

No matter your race, age, or politics, chances are your favorite playlist owes a debt to Black music. 🎶❤️

If you've ever tapped your foot to a beat, sung along in the car, danced at a wedding, or turned up the radio when your favorite song came on, you've probably enjoyed music shaped by Black artists.

Vincent Price and Clifton Webb appeared in drag during a Navy Relief Show at Madison Square Garden in 1942. He was part of a routine spoofing "Floradora Sextette" - an early Broadway show featuring six women singing "Tell Me, Pretty Maiden". 

The other actors in drag were Ed Wynn, Eddie Cantor, Boris Karloff, and Danny Kaye (not shown).

CLIFTON WEBB:

("St. William Dorsey Swann," by artist Jason Tseng, Queer Saints)

No known photographs of William Dorsey Swann exist today, but his legacy is undeniable. He was born into slavery in 1860, but as an adult, he organized underground "drag balls" in Washington, D.C., and called himself "the Queen of Drag." The group of men that he gathered with came to be known as "House of Swann."

In spite of numerous arrests and criminal charges, Dorsey kept on with his pursuits. In 1896, he was falsely charged with "keeping a disorderly house," that is, running a brothel. He fought the charges, but was nonetheless convicted, and spent ten months in jail. He wrote to president Grover Cleveland to request a pardon, but was denied. This made him one of the first Americans to make a legal fight for LGBT rights.