Member-only story
What I’ve Learned Writing An Advice Column
Dear Queer ~ Gayly Giving Advice Straight from the Heart ~ Turns Two Years Old
If Dear Queer has uplifted, educated, or humored you, please celebrate birthday #2 by toasting me here
On a crisp March morning, three days officially into Spring, my favorite season of all, the final puzzle pieces magically snapped into place. After years of talking with friends about writing a book or starting a podcast, and trying out at least a half dozen different names (Dear Dyke and Dr. Patient, may you rest in peace) — lightning struck. An advice column titled Dear Queer. The idea appeared as unexpected as a rainbow. And the best part was, so did the perfect tagline: Gayly Giving Advice Straight from the Heart.
I had played with words for months, trying to find a catchy phrase that used the words gay and straight to signal potential readers that my work is indeed all-inclusive. It delighted me to no end that such a creative phrase femifested, seemingly out of nowhere, as though a big, sparkly, gay angel tapped me on the shoulder and whispered in my ear.
Even though I was clear on my offerings, the number one question I was proposed during my first year in publication was if I answered inquiries from straight folks. I was asked so many times and in so many…
