Hello friends! I hope you're having a terrific second week of Pride month. I'm writing from Salt Lake City, where I have seen more pride flags flying in the past 24 hours than I have all year. They're flying from businesses and homes, big and small; it seems they're everywhere. I ran a little 5K this afternoon and counted 17! This is just one of the many reasons I love this little city, which is one of Utah's three blue counties and remarkably LGBTQ+ friendly. Also, a bit of housekeeping, I realized last week that I forgot to link to Oath. So, if you're interested, check them out here!
Florida: Federal judge Robert L. Hinkle sided with advocacy groups on Friday and declared the Florida law banning trans healthcare unconstitutional. The judge agreed with the three families involved, who had said that the law stripped them of the parent's rights to make medical decisions for their transgender children.
NYC Subway: A bill to rename the Christopher St/Sheridan Square Subway stop to the Cristopher Street/Stonewall National Monument station has unanimously passed the NY state legislature and is on its way to Governor Kathy Hochul's desk.
Sally Ride: Kristen Stewart is reported to play the iconic lesbian astronaut Sally Ride in an upcoming TV series about her called The Challengers. Ride was the first American woman in space in June 1983, and then again in 1984, spending more than 343 hours in space.
While Utah is a wildly conservative and religious state, Salt Lake City is a bastion for progressive politics. It has some of the best legal protections for its LGBTQ+ citizens and even elected its first openly gay mayor, Jackie Biskupsi, in 2016. Biskupsi was not only the first openly gay mayor but also only the second woman to hold the office. So, I wanted to give you a few more milestones in SLC's LGBTQ+ history.
1969: The Gay Liberation Front (GLF) establishes its first branch in Salt Lake City.
1991: The Utah Stonewall Center was founded to provide a safe space and resources for the LGBTQ+ community.
2002: Salt Lake City enacted a non-discrimination ordinance protecting city employees from discrimination based on sexual orientation.
2009: Salt Lake City adopts comprehensive non-discrimination ordinances protecting LGBTQ+ individuals in housing and employment.
2013: Federal Judge Robert J. Shelby strikes down Utah's same-sex marriage ban, leading to a brief period of legal same-sex marriages before a stay is issued.
2017: The Utah Supreme Court rules in favor of same-sex parental rights in a landmark case.
For this week's nonprofit, I wanted to find something that felt very Salt Lake and Affirmation: LGBTQ Mormons, Families & Friends fits the bill perfectly. Founded in 1977, Affirmation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting LGBTQ+ individuals within the LDS Church. The organization focuses on three main pillars: support, education, and advocacy by providing mental health resources, support groups, and community events that help LGBTQ+ Mormons reconcile their faith and identity. Additionally, it offers educational materials for families, friends, and church leaders to support LGBTQ+ individuals better, thereby promoting a more inclusive and compassionate environment within the LDS community.
Over the past 40 years, Affirmation has continued to revise its strategic plan to serve its community. This plan includes:
Creating diverse, supportive communities where members feel known and can access helpful resources and opportunities to contribute to Affirmation's mission.
Encouraging spiritual exploration, helping individuals recognize their self-worth and spiritual equality, and supporting diverse spiritual journeys.
Expanding reach and awareness within the LGBTQIA+ Latter-day Saint community, offering resources in various languages and formats.
Partnering with organizations serving LGBTQIA+ Latter-day Saints and the broader community, promoting dialogue with LDS Church leaders to foster understanding and acceptance.
Building relationships with financial supporters, ensuring transparency and accountability in resource use.
As always, if you'd like to donate, the links are below.
Giovanni's Room is on almost every influential gay novel list I know of. I've had it on my list for years, but it wasn't until reading Swimming in the Dark (in which it features heavily) that I decided it was time to read it. The book, written in 1956 by James Baldwin, follows the life of an American man living in Paris as he navigates his feelings about himself, his betrothed Hella, and Giovanni, an Italian bartender whom he meets at a Parisian gay bar.
The novel feels remarkably modern while simultaneously being a heart-wrenchingly honest time capsule of what life was like for non-straight men in 1950s Paris. To be completely honest, I was really surprised by how modern it was and how easy it was to read. Baldwin's prose is at once beautiful and brutal. And speaking of brutality, the book is not a happy one in the slightest. It's not the gutwrenching tragedy of some more modern gay classics, but I do think that it is a must-read for any gay man to know the realities of where we came from, especially as it is one of the few definitive works of gay art that existed pre-AIDS. Â
What does it take/when does a healthy habit turn into a lifestyle?
I have a friend who does intermittent fasting permanently. I am doing it currently, but I'd be lying if the looming presence of pride and a trip to PTown weren't factors in my decision. I meditate when I need it, but I have yet to do it with any regularity since college. I try to have a good sleep routine, but that's proving near impossible when I'm in a new hotel every week. All of this has made me curious about what it takes to turn healthy habits into sustainable, long-term lifestyle choices. When does the statement go from "I'm doing intermittent fasting" to "I intermittent fast?"
A cursory Google will tell you that it takes anywhere from 1-6 months for a habit to start sticking. But most healthy habits dissipate after 2-4 months, and most New Year's Resolutions don't even make it to the one-month mark. Because of our inability to stick with a habit, so many industries have sprung up to try and fill the void. There are structured diet plans, workout regimes, apps to hold you accountable, and endless articles about the best ways to build the healthiest lifestyle possible. Â
It honestly can be a bit overwhelming, but what I've found helpful are the following:
Start small: There's no need to make it harder for yourself. Don't say, "I want to run a marathon," but instead start with, "I want to walk five times a week." Then, adjust and change your plans as time goes on.
Give yourself more time: We all want to do things faster, but I think this has the possibility to be detrimental, too. Give yourself a deadline, and then add a little bit of realistic wiggle room (you'll be glad you did).
Stack: This one is new for me. It involves stacking habits you want to implement onto ones you already do. Say you want to walk more. Add going on a ten-minute walk after the healthy breakfast you eat or after you drink a glass of water. Of course, it doesn't have to be that, but stacking habits has been shown to encourage long-term efficacy.
Do you have any other tips and tricks that you use to turn habits into long-term lifestyle choices?
Well, that's all from me this week, folks. I hope you all find some restful peace this week and joy always.
All my love, Aidan
Great newsletter issue. Amazing about SLC. I knew it was blue, but didn't realize it was SO progressive. Nice to know they go all-out for Pride. I also didn't know that about the renaming of Christopher Street Station. Very cool. I used to go through there a lot as a teenager coming into NYC from the NJ suburbs to hang out in the W Village.
Re habits, have you read James Clear's book, Atomic Habits? Habit stacking is one of his many hacks for establishing new habits, which is why I ask. I'd be lying if I said I used all of Clear's habit hacks, but habit stacking is one I use a fair amount. Like you, I live nomadically, which makes it impossible to always do my routine in the same place, and this has a way of blowing habits to smithereens. Anyway, if you haven't read the book, you might enjoy it and find some other hacks that work with your life.