Queer Cafe

GLAAD: Top LGBTQ Milestones of 2020

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

Billboard: Top LGBTQ Songs of 2020

Saying Goodbye to 2020: F-Bomb Warning

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]

Seasons of Love: Idina Menzel and Original Broadway Cast of Rent (2020)

2020 Out 100 List

Auld Lang Syne: Should 2020 Be Forgotten?

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

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

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

Glee: This is Your New Year

Billboard: Top LGBTQ Songs of 2020

U2: New Year's Day
New Year Song by ABBA

Auld Lang Syne by Mairi Campbell

Happy New Year Quotes

2020 LGBTQ Year in Review

- Katie Sowers (San Francisco 49ers) becomes first openly LGBTQ coach in Super Bowl

- Pete Buttigieg, first out gay presidential candidate, wins Iowa Caucus

- Northern Ireland and Costa Rica legalize same-sex marriage

- State Park in Brooklyn is renamed to honor Stonewall icon Marsha P Johnson

- Many conservative evangelical religious groups blame coronavirus pandemic on LGBTQ people

- Iconic lesbian activist Phyllis Lyon dies

- Gay rock n roll pioneer Little Richard dies

- Larry Kramer, gay author and AIDS activist, dies

- Methodist Church splits over question of LGBTQ inclusion

- Many Pride festivals cancelled due to coronavirus pandemic

- LGBTQ organizations join forces with Black Lives Matter to protest in the wake of George Floyd murder

- US Supreme Court rules in favor of LGBTQ employment rights (Applies Title VII of 1964 Civil Rights Act)

- Gay film director Joel Shumacher dies

- Transgender and non-binary characters featured in several television shows for the first time

- Valentina Sampaio becomes first openly transgender model to appear in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition

- Civil Rights Icon Congressman John Lewis dies

- US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg dies

- Pope Francis announces support of LGBTQ people, including same sex civil unions

- Sarah McBride becomes first transgender state senator

- Ritchie Torres and Mondaire Jones become first openly gay black members of Congress

- Film actor Ellen Page (dn) announces he is transgender, becomes Elliot Page

- Pete Buttigieg becomes first LGBTQ presidential cabinet member

- First Out Transgender Winner on Jeopardy Game Show

- Switzerland legalizes same-sex marriage

- Genderfluid British comic Eddie Izzard begins using she/her pronouns exclusively

- Hallmark and Lifetime TV networks present gay-themed Christmas movies

GLAAD: Top LGBTQ Milestones of 2020

Billboard: Top LGBTQ Songs of 2020

LGBTQ Nation: Victories for the LGBTQ Community in 2020

Saying Goodbye to 2020: F-Bomb Warning

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

“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

Auld Lang Syne: Should 2020 Be Forgotten?

Seasons of Love: Idina Menzel and Original Broadway Cast of Rent (2020)

2020 Out 100 List

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

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.

--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]

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

“The new year stands before us, like a chapter in a book, waiting to be written.”

-Melody Beattie

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

-The Wizard of Oz

Auld Lang Syne: Should 2020 Be Forgotten?

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

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.

--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]

Seasons of Love: Idina Menzel and Original Broadway Cast of Rent (2020)

2020 Out 100 List

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