My First Major Writing Project

How many of you feel like the world is just plain lost. Everywhere you look there's fighting, disagreement, terrible pain, inconceivable harm, and a trend towards apathy because of the overload of bad news. But, I don't think that's the only path forward for us. We are not lost!

Y'all. I told you I am a writer. And I'm doing it. I'm writing my first book. Let me tell you about my first major writing project: We Are Not Lost: How Queerness Is Saving Humanity.

It all started as a fiction series (I'm still working on that too). But what I unveiled in the imaginary story I'm writing is that there are a lot of real-life truths that I need to share with the world. When I came out, I was estranged from my family. I even started to hate them. I started to hate a lot of people, places, and things. Most horrendously, I hated myself. It wasn't until I turned inward that I found love, joy, and peace. Through a 20 year process, I learned to let go, get to know myself, center joy, and create meaningful connections.

I’m reconnected with my family (that’s us below) — and that’s just the start. I’ve reconnected with the world, with my community — and most importantly, with myself!

Over the last 20 years, here are the major lessons I've learned:

I have to prioritize peace so that I can do the work of finding myself and connecting to others.
Everything is outside of my control except for my reaction to this moment.
In order to connect to what's real in me, I have to ask myself how I'm feeling and what I need.
I get to center my joy in every moment of life (but I must also acknowledge my suffering).
The only way to live a life of love, joy, and peace is to stay deeply rooted in an aligned community.
The practice of authenticity is iterative, evolving as I do.
Queerness is the throughline that always points to pathways of shared humanity.

This, my first book, explores the powerful intersections of queerness and authenticity. While it's not a prescription for your life, it's a gentle guide for anyone looking to connect to what's real. Maybe it's a roadmap for anyone feeling lost in a world that often demands conformity.

Drawing from my personal experiences and the incredible stories I've heard from all over the world, We Are Not Lost dives deep into the transformative journey of embracing our true selves. And you know what I've observed? The more we embrace our authenticity, the more queer we seem to be.

Queerness is more than an identity; it’s a lens through which we can navigate life’s challenges and cultivate meaningful connections. It's not only about sexuality and gender. It's a state of being. It's a holistic embrace of openness and possibility. It's a rejection of the world's harsh demands. As we face societal pressures and personal struggles, the lessons in this book reveal how queerness can inspire radical self-love, compassion, and understanding.

We Are Not Lost: How Queerness Is Saving Humanity does something I don't think any other book has ever done. It shows us how inviting queerness into our lives is a solution to saving us from the pervasive division, turmoil, and trauma that we are all battling on a daily basis. In short, this book shows us how queerness is saving humanity. Ahhh!!!

I’ll share insights I've learned from thousands of queer people from all over the United States through my work at VideoOut. I'll share wisdom from luminaries like adrienne maree brown, Dylan Mulvaney, Brandon Kyle Goodman, Andrea Gibson, E. O. Wilson, Robin Wall Kimerer, Alok, Cliff Simon (my college professor and life mentor), and dozens of others. Through the kind of stories that force you to turn that page, to the practical suggestions on what to do in the middle of a shitstorm, my goal is to show how we can truly be ourselves and invite others to do the same. Can you imagine?

I really believe that this book, in the spirit of so many beautiful writings before it, proves that our differences are not a hindrance but a source of strength. That's queerness, y'all!

We Are Not Lost challenges us to confront the harsh demands of the world while celebrating the unique perspectives that queerness brings. I believe that by centering queerness in our discussions about authenticity, we can spark a movement that not only transforms individual lives but also helps heal our collective humanity.

Stay tuned for more! I can't wait to share more of the book as it takes shape. :)

Together, we can create a world where authenticity thrives, and in doing so, we’ll discover that we are truly not lost.