Gay-ly Forward
Newsletter + Video
Since yesterday’s email, there’s been a big (to me) shift here on Substack.
After posting the video above on YouTube, I felt a bit uneasy. Even though I expressed it loudly, I hadn't proudly and calmly announced that I've decided to make Substack my creative “home.”
I hoped a few folks from YouTube would see it and subscribe. Asking people to adopt a new platform is a big ask, so I didn’t expect many would.
So far, 12 hours after its premiere, 100+ new subscribers have signed up for Substack, and more than a few have chosen to become paid members/patrons.
I went to bed overwhelmed with (happy) tears and woke up to so many words of encouragement and support that my day started off on the right foot.
It may sound strange that getting new subscribers makes me emotional, but I think anyone who’s tried to reason with a global corporation will understand:
Bots and bureaucrats aren’t reasonable…or even human. They’re infuriating.
Seeing so many familiar names (from YouTube comments) joining feels like a redemption song of sorts.
WHY SUBSTACK?
CREATIVE FREEDOM Substack provides a platform where I can share my work without fear of censorship. It’s a place where my creativity can play without having to worry about ads or bots.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT Substack fosters a more intimate and engaged community. It allows for deeper connections and more meaningful interactions.
SIMPLICITY + FOCUS The platform’s simplicity lets me focus on what truly matters—creating and sharing work I love for a community of like-minded folks. It cuts through all the noise and distractions, offering a direct line between creator and audience.
WTF IS COLLIDE PRESS?
I founded Collide Press in 2022 with some artist-designer friends. We started as a collaborative collection of LGBTQ+ creators, producing original art and design, focusing on LGBTQ+ heroes and pride.
Over time, as my friends moved on to other projects and my YouTube channel took off, Collide Press has evolved into a one-man band, with me playing all the parts.
My original collaborators and I are still friends, and we’re all doing work we love.
The evolution has allowed me to focus on creating and curating on my own.
Through the Shop, Substack, YouTube, and various social media platforms, I share whatever catches my eye and/or imagination. I do my best to express myself in a positive, reasonable manner. But I don’t always succeed. Human.
Like everybody else, I’m a work-in-progress…far from perfect.
GAY-LY FORWARD
For me, this shift is not just about changing platforms; it’s about embracing a new way of connecting and creating.
Substack has already helped me produce content that is more authentic, more engaging, and more reflective of our shared values than YouTube will allow. Not obscene or pornographic (at least to me), but human and sometimes erotic.
“THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PORNOGRAPHY AND EROTICA IS LIGHTING.”
Gloria Leonard
I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude to each and every one of you who has supported me through this change of focus. Your generosity, kindness, and thoughtfulness mean the world to me, and I’m excited to continue this journey together.
Thank you for believing in me and my work, and for being a part of this incredible community of LGBTQ+ adults celebrating beauty and history.
I commit to moving gay-ly (and queerly) forward, creating and celebrating art that speaks to my heart and soul.
Thanks for reading!
Clint
P.S. I’m still “playing” with the format and cadence of the newsletters. Constructive criticisms, questions, recommendations, and/or suggestions are welcome.
VINTAGE PHOTOS
MORE FROM COLLIDE PRESS
Ko-Fi + Linktree + Shop + Storefront + YouTube
Clint, I have appreciated your YT videos displaying affection and love between men. For me love is love, whether sexual or not. Many men today avoid physical displays of such affection because they don't want to be labeled as gay (not that there is anything wrong with being gay or bisexual)
I came to your substack because I dislike the weird US attitude about nudity (why do people focus on nipple, buttock cracks, pubic hair and flaccid cocks?). In the days when men were showering in the nude, swimming in the nude, we gays were being censored and called porny for producing athletic, body-building, photos which had to use cock socks or something (which in fact drew extra attention to the crotch). Nudity (male or female) for me has always been common in art for centuries. It can be erotic but is rarely pornographic. I dislike censorship, in this case on YT. I can see that we should not expose porn to children but this prudity, much more common in the US - unlike Europe - unnecessary and outdated, in my opinion. If I want erotic stimulation, porn is readily accessible for free. I am not seeking it in the artistic and tender images of your video complilations of photos. Yes, uncensored images including cocks are nice, too, but for me it is the absence of censorship that is the greater attraction. Much love.
Clint, You are not being overfamiliar. My doctorate and professorial title are irrelevant to who I am and where I am as a retired person in Thailand, having left the UK 22 years ago. In any case, unless a student was newly arrived and was trying to be polite and official,no one called me anything but Ray (unless I had reason to discipline them perhaps).
You are being a great friend and supporter, so I thank you.
I find the the video from Substack too verbose. In any case, I wrote a lengthy introduction already. I wanted it to be published but it was classed as a draft as far as I can tell. The page is unresponsive and although I am requested to click "Wait"several times it remains unopened for very many minutes - I tried opening it on 8 different occasions with the same non-response.
I will keep trying. I send my love.
I have begun to re-write it but it too has been relegated to the unresponsive page status.