The September Issue: Editor's Letter

I came out as a lesbian when I was 16 in the early 2000s and not a day goes by that I don’t thank the gay gods (Cher and Madonna?) that I was born this way. I know some people like to say their sexuality doesn’t define them, but I will happily admit that my queerness and the evolving meaning of it throughout my life has been the source of so much joy. I’ve made the best friends, had the most fun, felt the deepest kind of love, built a family and realised increasingly that the door to my life is open; change, possibility, evolution - these are the things that queerness continues to offer me as I hit midlife. Aren’t I lucky? Lucky to be here. Lucky to be queer. 

My queerness and the evolving meaning of it throughout my life has been the source of so much joy

That being said, for all the love and belonging I’ve found in the LGBTQIA+ community I’ve also felt fear, this year more than ever. I’m my daughter’s non-biological parent, as we’ve seen in Italy, a change in the law could threaten my rights. The chance of this happening is nothing compared to the reality of what my trans friends face on a daily basis though, as their most basic human rights are stripped away. And yes, apologies in advance to the parents and teachers at my daughter’s school because I will 100 per cent be spoiling the magic of Harry Potter for EVERYONE. 

The beauty and the pain and the joy and the mess and the fear and the strength swirling around our community at the moment is what inspired this month’s cover story WHAT NOW? We’ve spoken to a dazzling spectrum of LGBTQIA+ people about their greatest hopes and deepest anxieties about the future and worked with the amazing artist @krisandrewsmall to visualise the words they’ve shared. One of my favourite quotes in the whole piece comes from the artist Emma Fineman. When I asked her about queer utopia she quipped: “I’m curious about hell. It seems like a lot of sick bitches are there!” 

The beauty and the pain and the joy and the mess and the fear and the strength swirling around our community at the moment is what inspired this month’s cover

At Gay Times Magazine we’re not afraid to go there – and so this issue, join us on a fabulous journey into the hot queer underworld as we uncover the truth about tantric sex, explore the ethics of ‘cum dumping’, interrogate the gay shame of public urinals and get lost in the tangled unraveling of the gay male midlife crisis.

Elsewhere this month, we’ve got some more wholesome stories for you too - from the beauty of our bisexual queen Katie Baskerville’s queer straight wedding, to Mars Wright’s experience as the only trans guy on a men’s retreat and a round up of the most LGBTQIA+-welcoming adoption agencies for anyone thinking of starting a family. 

We uncover the truth about tantric sex, explore the ethics of ‘cum dumping’, interrogate the gay shame of public urinals and get lost in the tangled unraveling of the gay male midlife crisis.

This is what I love about queerness, we’re dark rooms and saunas and shadowy hookups as much as we are out here in the light, dancing, loving, parenting, and caring for our community. We blur the binaries, fuck with the boundaries… we are heaven and hell, anger and joy… we feel it all and even at our lowest, we can turn a look, dim the overhead lights, play Madonna and find the power to rise up.  

 Subscribe to Gay Times Magazine to be part of it. Read all these stories, plus the usual culture, wellness, beauty and celeb content you love. It costs less than a coffee a week to support the work we do. So what are you waiting for?

Lotte Jeffs, editorial lead, @lottejeffs