Keep Building Utopia This comes from our series of videos from earlier this year called “ Surviving Anti-LGBTQ Politics ”. The 10-part series hits on a variety of strategies to weather the storm we find ourselves in. The final installment after talking about how to get through all the doom was called “Keep Building Utopia”. And to expand on the notion, let me take us back right now to Episode 10 and let my 10-month younger self do the talking.......... “During the darkest days of the AIDS crisis, we buried our friends in the morning, we protested in the afternoon, and we danced all night. The dance kept us in the fight because it was the dance we were fighting for. It didn’t look like we were going to win then and we did. It doesn’t feel like we’re going to win now but we could. Keep fighting, keep dancing. -Dan Savage Keep Moving Forward For many of us there has always been a fight. For most of us there will be a fight ahead. We must have something worth fighting for, a win in our days worth the blood, sweat and tears. In the fight we must never forget to keep building our lives as we have always wanted them to be. We must not lose ourselves in the fight. Continue reaching for your dreams, knowing these trying times will cement them deep in your foundations of life. Take new opportunities to educate yourself, learn new skills, try new things – build your better self. Come out on the other side of these times with a stronger passion, skill set, purpose and direction. Keep building community. Build new alliances and friendships with the people we meet in the battles, share your passions and your energies with them. Join in the celebrations, the fights, and the communion of your brothers and sisters. Welcome new friends into these circles and give them the support they need too. We all need each other now more than ever. Never stop creating beauty and celebrating our culture. We are beautiful people who express our color and vibrancy in ways many on this earth wish they could. It’s our superpower, and the one many of those who oppose us are most afraid of. Art, culture, color and celebration of life is why we are who we are. Full speed ahead. Be who you are without shame or apology. Our beauty and our capacity to love is the thing that makes us special. We need to be visible, vibrant, colorful and joyous. Our example of a good life is the one we must never hide, edit down, discount or put in the closet. Be seen, be heard, you are good. We deserve our place on this earth and in the fabric of society. We are worthy of equality, love, respect, freedom, and our place at the table of life. In this fight, keep your eyes on the main goal of your life and never top building toward your utopia. You can catch the entire series on the Surviving Anti-LGBTQ Politics playlist found on our GrowingOlderGay YouTubeChannel which is linked in the information section as well as on screen at the end of this video. Eagle Cathedral City – eaglebarcc.com One of the long beloved homes of the LGBTQ leather community in the Palm Springs area had been the iconic Barracks Bar in Cathedral City. Opening in 1992, it survived some 34 years and served as the most favored gay night spot and gathering place in the region until it closed suddenly in August of 2024 under a number of challenges. While Dicks On Arenas still remains as a leather bar as well as the popular Tool Shed in Palm Springs, the community suddenly found themselves with a huge hole in their night life. Locals Phillip and Jeremy Nalwalker missed it so much, they wanted to bring it back. With a groundswell of enthusiasm from the local community, the couple invested their life savings in addition to over $700,000 in crowdfunding to secure and transform the old Barracks location into a world-class gay space – bigger, better and more encompassing than before. Starting with a complete down to the studs remodel and expansion, it will become the Eagle Cathedral City, pay homage to the other 30+ Eagle leather bars in the world. In my visit to the Eagle Bar open house over Leather Pride weekend, I saw that the old Barracks Bar interior and exterior has been stripped bare and ready to move onto the construction phase of a completely re-imagined space. An expanded patio area, around twice the size of the old one with an additional 800 square feet. Well shaded, there will be an additional outdoor bar for faster service on busy nights. A bank of lockers and bench will be provided for a wardrobe changes - woof. There are also going to be cooling misters and heating elements both to knock the edges off of weather extremes Inside, a larger and more navigable dance space will feature modern state-of-the-art lighting, and an incredible new sound system that promises to make the Eagle the areas premier dance club and a favorite for DJs. Additional bathroom space is being added with some 14 stalls and 6 urinals. While the building and facilities will be entirely new from top to bottom, a new ener
