“The rising tide lifts all the boats.”
John F. Kennedy
It’s one of those phrases that gets quoted a lot—often by those with political ambitions—but there’s something undeniably universal about its meaning. The idea that there is indeed enough pie to go around. That collaboration is so much more powerful—and fun—than competition. That when progress comes, it can come for everyone. That when one of us rises, we all rise.
In the creative, queer world I orbit—full of art and artists, Substacks and Substackers, and so much underground talent and tenacity—I have seen those words of wisdom in action. Love, lift us up….where we all belong…
One big difference I see with most LGBTQ creators is that we aren't just building our own brands and platforms. We're building lifelines. We're creating mirrors for people who've gone too long without seeing themselves or their stories in the headlines or the history books. Where there’s a bunch of wills, there’s a bunch of ways. So with an abundance of heart and on limited budgets, we share and show we are in our work. Together, we build communities and connections that wouldn’t have been possible even a few years ago.
Every follower, every like, every share, every purchase—it doesn’t just support one artist. It supports a whole fleet of fellow creatives and like-minded audiences.
INDEPENDENT BUT INTERCONNECTED
There’s a beautiful ecosystem of LGBTQ publications—blogs, newsletters, zines, and podcasts—that don’t just celebrate queer stories and voices, they amplify them. Each ripple in the surf feeding a wave.
Whether it’s a vintage photo archive, a self-published book, or a queer-centric Instagram or Tumblr, these are more than side projects. They’re survival projects. Identity projects. Legacy projects.
When one creator hits a milestone, wins a grant, or goes viral, it opens the door for countless others to spread their sails and brave the deep ocean waters.
I have seen a single shoutout lead to dozens of new subscribers. I have watched a single recommendation introduce audiences to new creators across genres and generations. And I have personally felt genuine joy when celebrating and spotlighting other points of view and voices—not out of obligation, but out of pride.
FROM COMPETITION TO COMMUNITY
Capitalism loves competition. But queerness—at its most radical—is collaborative.
Most LGBTQ creators aren’t just “in it to win it” for ourselves—we’re in it for each other. We show up to cheerlead, support, and amplify one another’s work, knowing that every voice adds to a larger tapestry of creativity, community, and history.
To me, that collaborative spirit is what sets LGBTQ creative spaces apart from mainstream content farms. Our success isn’t a competition—it’s a collective rising.
When you support a queer artist, you're doing more than keeping one boat afloat — you're helping an entire fleet sail faster and farther. You're fueling a community that honors our collective past and present while envisioning a future no algorithm could possibly manufacture.
LET’S KEEP LIFTING
If you’ve got a platform, use it for good by sharing what and who you like and love.
Individually, we may be limited. But together, we can defy gravity, boos!
So buy that t-shirt or zine. Recommend that podcast. Subscribe to that Substack. Don’t just consume queer culture—invest in it. Share it. Leave a comment. And if you want to add your story to the mix, launch your own boat and let your “freak flags” fly.
Because the more we create, the more we connect.
And the more we connect, the more we rise—together.
Keep calm and keep, keep it together!
Clint 🌈✌️
P.S. Special thanks to creators like Mr. Troy Ford, PJ and Thomas, Aidan Wharton, andRobin Taylor (he/him) for making Substack such a welcoming and supportive platform.
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Big thanks to all who’ve subscribed and/or supported!
FOR YOUR (SUBSTACK) CONSIDERATION
When Spain Lost Power, People Found Theirs Again (Undividing with Karl Dunn)
Celebrating Your Sexuality Isn’t Optional — It’s Your Birthright (Gay Sex Coaching)
Blair Fell's Delicious New Novel "Disco Witches Of Fire Island" Got Us Talking About EVERYTHING (The Caftan Chronicles )
My Fitness Instructor Chose Me In A Room Filled With A-List Gays (BOYSLUT)
ON THIS DAY = MAY 6
BIRTHDAYS
1856 = Sigmund Freud = Austrian neurologist and psychoanalyst
1857 = Mary Lowndes = British artist and suffragist 🌈
1880 = Ernst Ludwig Kirchner = German-Swiss painter
1895 = Rudolph Valentino = Italian actor 🌈
1915 = Orson Welles = American actor and filmmaker
1943 = James Turrell = American sculptor and illustrator
1945 = Bob Seger = American singer-songwriter
1947 = Jon Reed Sims = American choir conductor 🌈
1955 = Tom Bergeron = American television host
1961 = George Clooney = American actor and filmmaker
1983 = Gabourey Sidibe = American actor
1984 = Noah Galvin = American actor and singer 🌈
EVENTS
1889 = The Eiffel Tower is officially opened to the public at the Universal Exposition in Paris.
1933 = The Deutsche Studentenschaft attacked Magnus Hirschfeld's Institut für Sexualwissenschaft, later burning many of its books.
1940 = John Steinbeck wins a Pulitzer Prize for The Grapes of Wrath.
1959 = The Cooper Do-nuts Riot is the first documented LGBT uprising in the US. A group of drag queens and hustlers fought the police in the donut shop in downtown Los Angeles, furious that LAPD officers were arresting their friends for legally congregating in Cooper’s, a popular gay meeting place.
1968 = The term “homosexual” is written for the first time by Karl-Maria Kertbeny in a letter to Karl Heinrich Ulrichs. He derived it from the Greek homos (“the same”) and the Latin root sexualis. Kertbeny, a Hungarian-German doctor who is an early sympathizer of Ulrichs’, uses both “homosexual” and “heterosexual,” terms he has recently coined as part of his system for the classification of sexual types as replacements for the pejorative terms “sodomite” and “pederast” that were used in the German- and French-speaking world of his time.
1998 = Steve Jobs of Apple Inc. unveils the first iMac.
2004 = The final episode of the television sitcom Friends was aired.
HOLIDAYS + OBSERVANCES
PORTRAIT + QUOTES OF THE DAY
“I have been deeply touched by the many telegrams, cables and letters that have come to my bedside. It is wonderful to know that I have so many friends and well-wishers both among those it has been my privilege to meet and among the loyal unknown thousands who have seen me on the screen and whom I have never seen at all.”
Rudolph Valentino
“An American may speak love with his lips;
the Italian must say it with his eyes.”
Rudolph Valentino
My dear friend, you are so fantastic. Thank you for celebrating our beautiful community and for bringing us all together. I'm extremely grateful for you!
Your article is a wonderful sentiment on cooperation.