Queer Cafe

LGBTQ INFORMATION NETWORK │ RAINBOW OF RESOURCES

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Cheers! Here's a toast to you! Here's to putting 2021 behind us! And here's to a fabulous 2022! Let's wring out the old and ring in the new! It's a brand new year! A new beginning! A fresh start! A clean slate! Best wishes and good luck! Here's wishing you much peace, happiness, success and optimism in the coming year! Here's hoping things will get better!

May your hope be rekindled and your passion restored.
May hurt turn to healing and wounds become wisdom.

May joy surround you and laughter infect you.

You Will Be Found

Big Year for Celebrities Coming Out
Glee: This is Your New Year

Post Modern Jukebox: What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?

LGBTQ Milestones We’re Thankful For This Year

Celebrities Who Came Out in 2021

Katy Perry: You're a Firework

Baby There's COVID Outside

Good Things That Happened to the LGBTQ Community This Year
Trans Americans Killed in 2021

Rod Stewart: Auld Lang Syne

Best LGBTQ Commercials of 2021
Celebrity Coming-Out Stories That Moved Us In 2021

Kasey Musgraves: What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?

LGBTQ Adult Population in United States Reaches 20 Million

ABBA: Happy New Year

Landmark Year for US Cities in Advancing LGBTQ Equality

Pentatonix: 12 Days Of Christmas

New Year Wishes

"Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right."
-Oprah Winfrey

"Hope smiles from the threshold of the new year, whispering, It will be happier."
-Alfred Lord Tennyson

"The New Year stands before us, like a chapter in a book, waiting to be written."
-Melody Beattie

"This is the new year. A new beginning. Another chance to turn it all around."
-Ian Axel

"What can be said in New Year rhymes, that's not been said a thousand times?
The new years come, the old years go, we know we dream, we dream we know.
We rise up laughing with the light, we lie down weeping with the night.
We hug the world until it stings, we curse it then and sigh for wings.
We live, we love, we woo, we wed, we wreathe our prides, we sheet our dead.
We laugh, we weep, we hope, we fear, and that's the burden of a year."
-Ella Wheeler Wilcox

“I have not always chosen the safest path. I've made my mistakes, plenty of them. I sometimes jump too soon and fail to appreciate the consequences. But I've learned something important along the way: I've learned to heed the call of my heart. I've learned that the safest path is not always the best path and I've learned that the voice of fear is not always to be trusted.”
-Steve Goodier

"There is a pleasure in the pathless woods.
There is a rapture on the lonely sea."
-Lord Byron

"May we always get what we need.

May we sometimes get what we want.

May we never get what we deserve."

-Irish Toast

New Year Countdown 2022

Most Popular LGBTQ News Stories of 2021

Pentatonix: New Year's Day

HRC: 2021 Slated to Become Worst Year for LGBTQ State Legislative Attacks

Rob Thomas: Someday

Ingrid Michaelson: I Just Want to Be OK

USA Today: Biggest Moments for the LGBTQ Community in 2021
Billboard: 25 Best Pride Songs of 2021

Most Notable LGBTQ Books of 2021

James Taylor: Auld Lang Syne

IndieWire: Best Queer Films of 2021
New Year Song by ABBA

Business & Marketing: Top LGBTQ Allies in 2021
HRC: Corporate Equality Index 2021

Best Wedding Photos Of 2021
People Who Came Out in 2021

Recalling Influential People Who Died in 2021

This is Your New Year

Another year you made a promise, another chance to turn it all around,
And do not save this for tomorrow, embrace the past and you can live for now.

Speak louder that the words before you, and give them meaning no one else has found.
The role we play is so important, we are the voices of the underground,

Say everything you’ve always wanted, be not afraid of who you really are,
Because in the end we have each other, and that's at least one thing worth living for.

A million suns that shine upon me, A million eyes you are the brightest blue,
Let's tear the walls down that divide us, and build a statue strong enough for two.

[Source: Song by Ian Axel, This is the New Year]

Ian Axel: This is Your New Year

Most Notable LGBTQ Films and TV Shows of 2021

What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?

LGBTQ Milestones We’re Thankful For This Year

Celebrities Who Came Out in 2021
Good Things That Happened to the LGBTQ Community This Year

Katy Perry: You're a Firework

Celebrity Coming-Out Stories That Moved Us In 2021
ABBA: Happy New Year

Best Wedding Photos Of 2021

Rod Stewart: Auld Lang Syne

Big Year for Celebrities Coming Out

Seasons of Love: Idina Menzel and Original Broadway Cast of Rent

Trans Americans Killed in 2021

Pentatonix: Auld Lang Syne

LGBTQ Adult Population in United States Reaches 20 Million

Landmark Year for US Cities in Advancing LGBTQ Equality

New Year Full of Promise

“Congratulations! Today is your day. You’re off to Great Places! You’re off and away! You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose.”

-Dr. Seuss

"May you have the hindsight to know where you've been,

the foresight to know where you're going,

and the insight to know when you're going too far."
-Celtic Wisdom

"Maybe someday we'll figure all this out. Try to put an end to all our doubt. Try to find a way to make things better now. Maybe someday we'll live our lives out loud. We'll be better off somehow."
-Rob Thomas

"The New Year is full of promise, though you may also get a fair share of tough times. With each progressing year, you find yourself growing confident, experienced, and wise. That's the gift of the New Year. Raise a toast to the year that holds many promises. And may you be filled with optimism and enthusiasm."
-Simran Khurana

"For last year's words belong to last year's language. And next year's words await another voice. And to make an end is to make a beginning."
-TS Elliot

New Year Song by ABBA

Recalling Influential People Who Died in 2021

James Taylor: Auld Lang Syne

Big Year for Celebrities Coming Out

Pentatonix: New Year's Day

Most Notable LGBTQ Films and TV Shows of 2021

Same Old Lang Syne by Dan Fogelberg
Post Modern Jukebox: What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?

Best LGBTQ Commercials of 2021
People Who Came Out in 2021

Glee: This is Your New Year

Most Popular LGBTQ News Stories of 2021

Bruce Springsteen: Auld Lang Syne

USA Today: Biggest Moments for the LGBTQ Community in 2021
Billboard: 25 Best Pride Songs of 2021
IndieWire: Best Queer Films of 2021

Rod Stewart: Auld Lang Syne

Most Notable LGBTQ Books of 2021

U2: New Year's Day

LGBTQ Adult Population in United States Reaches 20 Million

2021 LGBTQ Year in Review

- US House of Representative adopts sweeping gender-neutral language rules

- Joe Biden becomes US President, introduces pro-LGBTQ agenda

- On first day in office, President Biden issues several pro-LGBTQ executive actions

- President Biden reverses Trump's transgender military ban

- Sarah McBride becomes first transgender state senator

- Pete Buttigieg becomes first LGBTQ presidential cabinet member (Secretary of Transportation)

- Dr. Rachel Levine, selected by Pres Biden, is first transgender person appointed to federal position (Asst Health Secretary)

- Nicholas Yatromanolakis becomes first out gay cabinet minister in Greece

- Puerto Rican social justice pioneer and LGBTQ activist Carmen Vazquez dies

- Anti-Trans Violence Continues to Surge, especially on black women

- B Scott becomes first trans non-binary TV host and producer on BET

James Taylor: Auld Lang Syne

Auld Lang Syne (Traditional)
LGBTQ Milestones We’re Thankful For This Year

Celebrities Who Came Out in 2021

Glee: This is Your New Year

Best Wedding Photos Of 2021
People Who Came Out in 2021

Kasey Musgraves: What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?

Good Things That Happened to the LGBTQ Community This Year
HRC: 2021 Slated to Become Worst Year for LGBTQ State Legislative Attacks
USA Today: Biggest Moments for the LGBTQ Community in 2021
Billboard: 25 Best Pride Songs of 2021

New Year Song by ABBA

Post Modern Jukebox: What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?

Pentatonix: 12 Days Of Christmas

Desiderata

- Many states sign bills banning trans athletes from school sports

- Elliot Page becomes first trans man on the cover of Time Magazine

- Leyna Bloom becomes first transgender woman of color in Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition

- Gay scientist and World War II codebreaker Alan Turing is featured on £50 Note in United Kingdom

- Arkansas becomes first state to outlaw gender-affirming treatment for transgender youth

- President Biden issues first presidential proclamation of Transgender Visibility Day

- Megan Rohrer elected as first openly transgender bishop in US Lutheran Church

- Sesame Street introduces gay characters

- Carl Nassib, NFL football player, comes out as gay

- Nevada pageant winner, Kataluna Enriquez, becomes first transgender Miss USA contestant

- US State Department allows X gender markers on passports

- MJ Rodruguez is first trans nominee for a lead acting Emmy award

You Will Be Found

IndieWire: Best Queer Films of 2021
Business & Marketing: Top LGBTQ Allies in 2021
New Year Countdown 2022

Pentatonix: Auld Lang Syne

HRC: Corporate Equality Index 2021

Auld Lang Syne by Mairi Campbell

Happy New Year Quotes

Post Modern Jukebox: What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?

Baby There's COVID Outside

Trans Americans Killed in 2021

Same Old Lang Syne by Dan Fogelberg
Best LGBTQ Commercials of 2021
Celebrity Coming-Out Stories That Moved Us In 2021

Bruce Springsteen: Auld Lang Syne

LGBTQ Adult Population in United States Reaches 20 Million

Landmark Year for US Cities in Advancing LGBTQ Equality

Rod Stewart: Auld Lang Syne

Big Year for Celebrities Coming Out

U2: New Year's Day

- Ariel Nicholson is first transgender model on cover of Vogue magazine

- Quinn, from Canada, becomes first transgender athlete to win Olympic gold medal

- Colorado Gov Jared Polis marries partner in first same-sex wedding for sitting governor

- Switzerland legalizes same-sex marriage

- Rachel Levine, nation’s highest-ranking openly transgender official, sworn in as four-star admiral

- First same-sex kiss at Country Music Awards event when TJ Osbourne (Brothers Osbourne) receives award

- Deadliest year on record with 50 transgender victims of lethal violence

- Stephen Sondheim, legendary gay musical theatre composer, dies at 91

- Canada bans conversion therapy

- Queer black feminist writer Bell Hooks dies at 69

- Chile legalizes same-sex marriage

- According to HRC and US Census, the population of LGBTQ people in the US tops 20 million (8 to 10%)

- The Washington Blade, LGBTQ newspaper, becomes first LGBTQ publication to be assigned designated seat in White House briefing room

- Human rights activist Desmond Tutu dies at 90

- Betty White, TV actor and LGBTQ ally, dies at 99

Ian Axel: This is Your New Year

Most Popular LGBTQ News Stories of 2021

What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?

LGBTQ Adult Population in United States Reaches 20 Million

Pentatonix: New Year's Day

Landmark Year for US Cities in Advancing LGBTQ Equality

HRC: 2021 Slated to Become Worst Year for LGBTQ State Legislative Attacks

Katy Perry: You're a Firework

Most Notable LGBTQ Books of 2021

Rod Stewart: Auld Lang Syne

Celebrity Coming-Out Stories That Moved Us In 2021
Best Wedding Photos Of 2021

Seasons of Love: Idina Menzel and Original Broadway Cast of Rent

USA Today: Biggest Moments for the LGBTQ Community in 2021
Lea Michele: Auld Lang Syne

Billboard: 25 Best Pride Songs of 2021
IndieWire: Best Queer Films of 2021

Rob Thomas: Someday

Most Notable LGBTQ Films and TV Shows of 2021

ABBA: Happy New Year

Best LGBTQ Commercials of 2021
What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?

People Who Came Out in 2021

Transformative New Year

“I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes. Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You're doing things you've never done
before, and more importantly, you're doing something. So that's my wish for you, and all of us, and my wish for myself. Make new mistakes. Make glorious, amazing mistakes. Make mistakes nobody's ever made before. Don't freeze, don't stop, don't worry that it isn't good enough, or it isn't perfect, whatever it is: art or love or work or family or life. Whatever it is you're scared of doing, do it. Make your mistakes, next year and forever.”
-Neil Gaiman

“New Year's Day. A fresh start. A new chapter in life waiting to be written. New questions to be asked, embraced, and loved. Answers to be discovered and then lived in this transformative year of delight and self-discovery. Today carve out a quiet interlude for yourself in which to dream. Take a leap of faith and begin this wondrous new year by believing. Believe in yourself. And believe in your dreams. Only dreams give birth to change.”
-Sarah Ban Breathnach

"I hope there are days when your coffee tastes like magic, your playlist makes you dance, strangers make you smile, and the night sky touches your soul. I hope you fall in love with being alive again."

-Social Media Meme

“You live you learn. You love you learn. You cry you learn. You lose you learn. You bleed you learn. You scream you learn. You grieve you learn. You choke you learn. You laugh you learn. You choose you learn. You pray you learn. You ask you learn.”
-Alanis Morrissette

Bruce Springsteen: Auld Lang Syne

Best LGBTQ Commercials of 2021

Business & Marketing: Top LGBTQ Allies in 2021
HRC: Corporate Equality Index 2021

Ingrid Michaelson: I Just Want to Be OK

Most Popular LGBTQ News Stories of 2021

Kasey Musgraves: What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?

Most Notable LGBTQ Films and TV Shows of 2021

James Taylor: Auld Lang Syne

Recalling Influential People Who Died in 2021

Norah Jones: What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?
LGBTQ Milestones We’re Thankful For This Year

Celebrities Who Came Out in 2021
Good Things That Happened to the LGBTQ Community This Year
Barry Manilow: It's Just Another New Year's Eve

Trans Americans Killed in 2021

Best Wedding Photos Of 2021

New Year Song by ABBA

Desiderata

New Year's Good Luck Traditions

--Hoppin' John | In the southern US, it's said that anyone who makes this dish of black-eyed peas, pork, collard greens, and cornbread on January 1 will experience luck, peace and mostly prosperity for the rest of the year. The collard greens resemble money. The cornbread represents gold. The black-eyed peas are coins. Some families boost the potential of their Hoppin’ John by placing a penny underneath the dishes to bring more luck.

--Wear White | Brazil makes it easier too choose your New Year's Eve outfit. Everyone wears white for good luck and peace. Plus, matching outfits make for good photos!

--Jump Seven Waves | Also in Brazil, if you head to the beach, you can increase your luck by heading to the water and jumping over seven waves. You get one wish for each wave.

--Smash a Plate | In Denmark, broken dishes are a good thing. People go around breaking dishware on the doorsteps of their friends and family. The more shards there are in front of your home the next day, the luckier and more well liked you are.

--Eat 12 Grapes | Yes, exactly 12, one at each stroke of midnight. That's what they do in Spain. Pop one grape for every month of the New Year. Eating one grape at each of midnight’s 12 clock chimes guarantees you a lucky year if and only if you simultaneously ruminate on their significance (Each grape represents an upcoming month.) If you fail to conscientiously finish your grapes by the time the clock stops chiming, you’ll face misfortune in the new year.

--Kiss a Loved One | You've heard of this one before. When the clock strikes midnight, you're supposed to kiss someone you love. And it's not just about stealing a smooch. This is borrowed from English and German folklore, which stated that it's the first person with whom a person came in contact that dictated the year’s destiny. Choose your partner wisely!

--Jump Into the New Year | Also, in Denmark, people stand on their chairs and "leap" into January at midnight to bring good luck and banish bad spirits.

--Grab a Suitcase | In Colombia, people take empty suitcases and run around the block as fast as they can. It's supposed to guarantee a year filled with travel.

--Smash the Peppermint Pig | In upstate New York, they sell special peppermint pigs all throughout the holiday season. Everyone gets to take a turn hitting it with a special candy-size hammer and eating a piece for good fortune in the coming year. The peppermint is very strong, so only take a small piece.

Rob Thomas: Someday

People Who Came Out in 2021

Bruce Springsteen: Auld Lang Syne

HRC: 2021 Slated to Become Worst Year for LGBTQ State Legislative Attacks
USA Today: Biggest Moments for the LGBTQ Community in 2021
ABBA: Happy New Year

Billboard: 25 Best Pride Songs of 2021

Ingrid Michaelson: I Just Want to Be OK

Big Year for Celebrities Coming Out

Kasey Musgraves: What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?

Most Notable LGBTQ Books of 2021

James Taylor: Auld Lang Syne

IndieWire: Best Queer Films of 2021
What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?

Business & Marketing: Top LGBTQ Allies in 2021
Celebrity Coming-Out Stories That Moved Us In 2021

Lea Michele: Auld Lang Syne

HRC: Corporate Equality Index 2021

You Will Be Found

--Open the Doors and Windows | It's a common superstition that opening the doors and windows will let the old year out, and the new year in unimpeded.

--Lucky Underwear | Certain countries, especially in Latin America, believe that the color of your underwear can bring good things to you in the next 12 months. Yellow is for luck. Red is for love. And white undies bring peace.

--Throw Water Out the Window | In Puerto Rico, they believe that dumping a bucket of water out the window drives away evil spirits. Puerto Ricans also sprinkle sugar outside their houses to invite the good luck in.

--Buy a New Lucky Charm | In Germany and Austria, there are a few different lucky symbols that you'd gift to friends and family to bring them good fortune. These include pigs, mushrooms, clovers and chimney sweeps. You can buy little tokens of these lucky charms at a Christmas market. Or get edible ones in fun combinations made out of marzipan.

--Save a Wish | Write down a resolution, goal, wish or note to your future self. Put it in a jar and save it for the year. On the next New Year's Eve, you can retrieve the jar and read the notes to see how far you have progressed.

[Source: Marisa Lascala, Good Housekeeping, Dec 2020]

Ian Axel: This is Your New Year

What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?

IndieWire: Best Queer Films of 2021
New Year Song by ABBA

Recalling Influential People Who Died in 2021

Business & Marketing: Top LGBTQ Allies in 2021
Pentatonix: 12 Days Of Christmas

HRC: Corporate Equality Index 2021

Baby There's COVID Outside

Most Popular LGBTQ News Stories of 2021

Barry Manilow: It's Just Another New Year's Eve

Celebrity Coming-Out Stories That Moved Us In 2021
Best Wedding Photos Of 2021

Katy Perry: You're a Firework

Most Notable LGBTQ Films and TV Shows of 2021

Norah Jones: What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?
HRC: 2021 Slated to Become Worst Year for LGBTQ State Legislative Attacks
New Year Countdown 2022

USA Today: Biggest Moments for the LGBTQ Community in 2021
Post Modern Jukebox: What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?

Billboard: 25 Best Pride Songs of 2021

You Will Be Found

Desiderata

Looking Forward

“Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.”

-Harriet Tubman

“We all get the exact same 365 days. The only difference is what we do with them.”

-Hillary DePiano

“With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts.”

-Eleanor Roosevelt

"What the new year brings to you will depend a great deal on what you bring to the new year."

-Vern McLellanmn

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, concerned citizens can change the world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has.”

-Margaret Mead

“New beginnings are in order, and you are bound to feel some level of excitement as new chances come your way.”

-Auliq Ice

“Resolve to keep happy, and your joy and you shall form an invincible host against difficulties.”

-Helen Keller

“You’ve always had the power, my dear, you just had to learn it for yourself.”

-The Wizard of Oz

Rod Stewart: Auld Lang Syne

People Who Came Out in 2021

Bruce Springsteen: Auld Lang Syne

Kasey Musgraves: What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?

Best LGBTQ Commercials of 2021
Rob Thomas: Someday

Trans Americans Killed in 2021

Pentatonix: Auld Lang Syne

LGBTQ Adult Population in United States Reaches 20 Million

Lea Michele: Auld Lang Syne

Landmark Year for US Cities in Advancing LGBTQ Equality

Ingrid Michaelson: I Just Want to Be OK

Most Notable LGBTQ Books of 2021

James Taylor: Auld Lang Syne

LGBTQ Milestones We’re Thankful For This Year

ABBA: Happy New Year

Recalling Influential People Who Died in 2021

Celebrities Who Came Out in 2021
What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?

Good Things That Happened to the LGBTQ Community This Year

New Year's Resolutions

The New Year is the time most folks reflect on the past year and make promises to do better in the year to come. As another calendar year begins, it makes perfect sense that people might examine themselves, question the direction of their lives, seek to improve themselves, and make vows, plans and promises. Making New Year resolutions has become a real tradition.

For the queer community (or for anybody), it’s time to ask those questions all over again. What do I remember from last year? What mistakes did I make? What regrets do I have? What have I learned? What did I accomplish? In what ways did I succeed or fail? What decisions (good and bad) have I made?

Perhaps we should go a little easy on ourselves. Being LGBTQ in this current environment can sometimes be challenging. Perhaps we should put an end to the "New Year, New Me" mentality and just relax a little bit. After all, being proud of who you are without apology or compromise is the most critical goal. And if you are trying to improve yourself, remember that people don't change overnight and old habits can be tough to break.

So, before parading into the New Year making resolutions that will get broken a week later, here are a few tips for your consideration that hopefully won't get lost in the sea of confetti, cheap champagne and regrets. And, of course, these suggestions are purely for self-reflection and not intended to impose any kind of strict moral code.

--Try dating without the dating apps and see how it goes. Interfacing is not the same as interacting. Who knows, you might find the love of your life at the bookstore or the neighborhood gay bar or a non-judgmental gym. And you might just enjoy honing your interpersonal skills and leading with your personal charm.

--Be a nicer person. You can choose your attitude and your behavior. Sometimes it's just easier to be a jerk. But, this year, what if you chose, instead, to be a more friendly, kind, compassionate, sensitive, empathetic, and patient person?

--Take a more active interest in politics. Equal rights for LGBTQ people are dependent on the vigilance of the LGBTQ community in demanding those rights and resisting oppression and injustice. Some LGBTQ folks, of course, have done a better job than others. Some have been protesting nonstop, signing petitions, and making calls for years. They've been active since day one and haven’t stopped. Consider getting more involved in the movement.

--Exercise for health, not just to show off a ripped bod. Fitness is important, of course. And taking care of our body is a good habit. But it is also important learn to love your body as it is and to be comfortable in your skin. Do you really have to starve yourself? Do you really have to look like a model? Understand that looks (and fashion) alone don't make the person. A pleasant personality and good manners do too.

--Take a trip to a gay mecca. Go to the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras in Australia or Carnival in Rio. Visit Provincetown on Cape Code or Fire Island in New York or the Castro District in San Francisco or Key West in Florida.

--Make more time for reading. Increase your literacy and vocabulary. Expand your sources of information. Be more informed. Broaden your mind. Read for knowledge and for enrichment. And audiobooks and podcasts count as reading.

--Be more adventurous. Do something that frightens you. Face your fears. Try something outside of your comfort zone. The list can include learning to tap dance, skydiving, eating alone at a restaurant, doing karaoke, going to a nude beach, exploring drag or crossdressing, visiting a foreign country, learning a new hobby, getting a little kinky in bed. Having unprotected sex with a complete stranger should not be on the list.

--Be more intentional about relationships. Don't be afraid to begin a new romance or to tell that special person how you really feel about them. But, also, don’t be afraid to end a relationship that’s not going anywhere. And remember that it is okay to be single.

Most Popular LGBTQ News Stories of 2021

LGBTQ Milestones We’re Thankful For This Year

Barry Manilow: It's Just Another New Year's Eve

Celebrities Who Came Out in 2021
Pentatonix: Auld Lang Syne

Good Things That Happened to the LGBTQ Community This Year

Ian Axel: This is Your New Year

Celebrity Coming-Out Stories That Moved Us In 2021

What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?

Trans Americans Killed in 2021

Norah Jones: What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?
LGBTQ Adult Population in United States Reaches 20 Million

Pentatonix: New Year's Day

Landmark Year for US Cities in Advancing LGBTQ Equality

Katy Perry: You're a Firework

Big Year for Celebrities Coming Out

Baby There's COVID Outside

Rod Stewart: Auld Lang Syne

HRC: 2021 Slated to Become Worst Year for LGBTQ State Legislative Attacks

Most Notable LGBTQ Films and TV Shows of 2021

Best LGBTQ Commercials of 2021

--Learn more about queer history and queer pioneers. What happened at Stonewall? Do you know? Do you know any famous LGBTQ people? Who is Oscar Wilde? Are you familiar with any LGBTQ authors and literature? What are the origins of certain LGBTQ terminology? What do the various queer flags mean? Who is Sappho? Where does voguing come from?

--Diversify your music taste. Try to expand your appreciation for a wider genre of music beyond the the pop divas and disco queens. Even among LGBTQ artists there is an amazing variety of sounds that you might enjoy discovering. Divas like longtime LGBTQ ally and icon Ariana Grande are great, but there’s a whole new world of music out there that is just waiting to be explored.

--Be better at safe sex. The AIDS epidemic taught us critical lessons about sexually transmitted infections. If you’re on PrEP that’s awesome, but you can still get other STIs. It’s always good to wear a condom. Get tested regularly and be honest about your sexual activities and risk with your partners.

--Cut down on alcohol consumption. For your own long-term health, it might be good to have more nights on the town without getting drunk. We all know that alcohol loosens you up and makes you more sociable. But, if you find that the only way you can build up your courage is to get intoxicated, you might have a drinking problem.

[Source: Zachary Zane and Aniruddha Mahale; Edited]

New Year Song by ABBA

USA Today: Biggest Moments for the LGBTQ Community in 2021

Seasons of Love: Idina Menzel and Original Broadway Cast of Rent

Big Year for Celebrities Coming Out

Rob Thomas: Someday

Best Wedding Photos Of 2021
Lea Michele: Auld Lang Syne

People Who Came Out in 2021

Bruce Springsteen: Auld Lang Syne

New Year Countdown 2022

Billboard: 25 Best Pride Songs of 2021
What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?

IndieWire: Best Queer Films of 2021

Ingrid Michaelson: I Just Want to Be OK

Most Notable LGBTQ Books of 2021

Kasey Musgraves: What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?

Business & Marketing: Top LGBTQ Allies in 2021
HRC: Corporate Equality Index 2021

James Taylor: Auld Lang Syne

Recalling Influential People Who Died in 2021

Pentatonix: 12 Days Of Christmas

Wisdom for the New Year

"Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow."

-Albert Einstein

"Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself."

-George Bernard Shaw

"It’s never too late, never too late to start over, never too late to be happy."

-Jane Fonda

"Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every New Year find you a better person."

-Benjamin Franklin

"Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself."
-Rumi

"Life is a great big canvas, and you should throw all the paint on it you can."

-Danny Kaye

"Tomorrow is a new day. Begin it well and serenely, with too high a spirit to be cumbered with your old nonsense."

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

"And now we welcome the new year. Full of things that have never been."
-Rainer Maria Rilke

Landmark Year for US Cities in Advancing LGBTQ Equality

Barry Manilow: It's Just Another New Year's Eve

HRC: 2021 Slated to Become Worst Year for LGBTQ State Legislative Attacks

Baby There's COVID Outside

Best LGBTQ Commercials of 2021
What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?

Celebrity Coming-Out Stories That Moved Us In 2021
Best Wedding Photos Of 2021
People Who Came Out in 2021

Auld Lang Syne by Mairi Campbell

Happy New Year Quotes

Business & Marketing: Top LGBTQ Allies in 2021
Norah Jones: What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?
HRC: Corporate Equality Index 2021

LGBTQ Milestones We’re Thankful For This Year

Celebrities Who Came Out in 2021
Auld Lang Syne (Traditional)

Good Things That Happened to the LGBTQ Community This Year
Trans Americans Killed in 2021

You Will Be Found

Desiderata

New Year Blessing

May you be blessed with discomfort
At easy answers, half truths, and superficial relationships
So that you may live deep within your heart

May you be blessed with anger
At injustice, oppression and exploitation of people
So that you may work for justice, freedom and peace

May you be blessed with tears
To shed for those who suffer pain, rejection, hunger, poverty and war
So that you may reach our your hand to comfort them
To turn their pain into joy.

And may you be blessed with enough foolishness
To believe that you can make a difference in the world
So that you can do what others claim cannot be done

[Source: Sister Ruth Fox, Non-Traditional Benedictine Blessing, 1985]

Infamous Year: Remember 2020?

Happy New Year 2021

Rockin' New Years Eve: 2021 Ball Drop
2020: Queer Culture Moments That Brought Us Joy

GLAAD: Top LGBTQ Milestones of 2020

2020 The Musical: Fallon and Rannells

Auld Lang Syne: Should 2020 Be Forgotten?

2020 In Review: Biggest LGBTQ News Moments

Victories for the LGBTQ Community in 2020

2020 Out 100 List

Billboard: Top LGBTQ Songs of 2020

2020 In Review: Biggest LGBTQ News Moments

Saying Goodbye to 2020: F-Bomb Warning

HOME

QUEER CAFE │ LGBTQ Information Network │ Established 2017