is enjoying NPR

misplaced his lift book and ipod. grrr.

spent the morning reading about hip articulation and passive and active insufficiency. Fascinating stuff, and yet I'm still so sleepy!

spent his early morning reading about Little Boots and pressure cookers and is now off to teach at the White House

Lets see whats most revealing? I am tickled that "Donnie Darko" and "Catcher in the Rye" as well as Reading got such high marks amongst my friends.

The Radiohead is not unexpected. I am surprised, however, that I have so many gemini friends. Thats my sign 🙂

"The deepest craving of human nature is the need to be appreciated." -- William James. "The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings."-- Eric Hoffer

wakes up and goes to bed reading about Yoga and CrossFit.

"A famous financier understood [life value] when he asked and answered his own rhetorical question: "When does a man have enough money? When he makes his next million." Time and time again, we find that the people who are truly satisfied and enriched in this life, the ones who have achieved what is indisputably happiness, are the ones who have sought to create value for others. -Charles S. Sanford, Jr

Feels bad for Border's, but is thankful for his new books.

"It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade." - Charles Dickens, Great Expectations (Courtesy Erica Martinson)

reading and relaxing on a grey sunday.

creating and indentation on my couch whilst reading. And avoiding the urge to dance about sing "en benito a Miami" loudly.

Books tomorrow!

My morning practice has been stalled by evening practice. A bad habit, but more time for yoga reading. Anusara Exodus (not surprised), Yogasam (its real! ish), and 48 Questions with 3 Gurus... good reading!

In my quest to stream Richard Freeman lectures and videos, I discovered that the DC Public Library streams books and videos. How glad am I to be a member of the Library?!

"There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old's life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged. One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world. The other, of course, involves orcs."

Fascinating reading 'round the blogosphere about krounchasana.

Reading "Ganesh Goes to Lunch" and drinking hot cocoa.

Hear the Wild howlin',
"Time yet? Time yet?"

"Patience, patience,"
comes the Calm's reply.
"First the garden,
then the party."

With Radha,
Krishna danced.

aaaaaaaaand the coming home dreams have started. In this one: I left my copy of "Anatomy of Hatha Yoga" in India. Anyone think this is telling?

Is an invitation an act of cowardice? Compelling. #Kindle

reading queer dharma while Tara Brach downloads. This anger has got to go.

RT @ABQMysore Must-read on practice and beyond by Authorized teacher Angela Jamison #ashtanga

“@earth2LL: not what you eat, you're who you eat with@rawsungoddess Friends' Weight Influences Our Own: Study

RT @Yoga_Journal: It may be harder to make friends as an adult, but yoga has brought true friends into Neal Pollack's life. @nealpollack

India is the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend, and the great grand mother of tradition. -Mark Twain-- Happy Independence Day, Ma India!

RT @TheFix: David Maraniss on Bill Clinton. Just read it.

RT @padartha: Shock findings in new GMO study: Rats fed lifetime of GM corn grow horrifying tumors, 70% of females die early

RT @PranaPT: In Defense of Introverts via @thatpaleoguy - We're not antisocial, we just need quiet time to thrive & be creative

What I Learned at St. Philomena's: The King James Bible has a bunch of Dragons and Phoenixes.

When left to my own devices on a Sunday I will take naps & baths, eat cookies, and read about yoga.

"Caution: Especially those who want to start practicing the two yoganga’s “Asana” and “Pranayama” without following the aforementioned niyamas, following drawing charts and practicing on their own freewill will not receive benefits but may also be responsible for tarnishing the name and bringing disrepute. " http://grimmly2007.blogspot.com/2013/08/krishnamacharyas-house-recommendations.html?m=1

Nicole Kdman: "'In the second half of my life, I don't want to succumb to any complacency,' she said. 'I want to push myself and keep pushing myself to places of discomfort and discovery. I am still very curious."

Yoga Sutra 1.33-- In relationships, the mind becomes purified by cultivating feelings of friendliness towards those who are happy, compassion for those who are suffering, goodwill towards those who are virtuous, and indifference or neutrality towards those we perceive as wicked or evil.

When you are unemployed, which is to say when you are underfed, harassed, bored, and miserable, you don't want to eat dull wholesome food. You want something a little bit 'tasty'. There is always some cheaply pleasant thing to tempt you. Let's have threepennorth of chips! Run out and buy us a twopenny ice-cream! Put the kettle on and we'll all have a nice cup of tea! That is how your mind works when you are at the P.A.C. level. White bread-and-marg and sugared tea don't nourish you to any extent, but they are nicer (at least most people think so) than brown bread-and-dripping and cold water. Unemployment is an endless misery that has got to be constantly palliated, and especially with tea, the Englishman's opium. A cup of tea or even an aspirin is much better as a temporary stimulant than a crust of brown bread.
- George Orwell, The Road to Wigan Pier

the tickle of joy that comes from purchasing books for the shala's library.

It's International Book Week. The rules: Grab the closest book to you, turn to page 52, post the 5th sentence as your status. Don't mention the title. Copy the rules as part of your status.

"You sick punk!"

It really irks me, tho I appreciate the outlier factor, when there is gender pricing parity. http://theincidentaleconomist.com/wordpress/two-sided-markets-part-i/

confession: I start every morning by reading uk music blog Popjustice's forum.
3 artists I've never seen live, but am dying to: Roison Murphy, Sophie Ellis Bextor, Britney Spears.
Honorable Mention: Cher

Upon review, I love an autoantonym. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_self-contradicting_words_in_English

“Hey, Tengo, do you know the difference between the English words ‘lunatic’ and ‘insane’?” she asked. “They’re both adjectives describing mental abnormality. I’m not quite sure how they differ.” “ ‘Insane’ probably means to have an innate mental problem, something that calls for professional treatment, while ‘lunatic’ means to have your sanity temporarily seized by the luna, which is ‘moon’ in Latin. In nineteenth-century England, if you were a certified lunatic and you committed a crime, the severity of the crime would be reduced a notch. The idea was that the crime was not so much the responsibility of the person himself as that he was led astray by the moonlight. Believe it or not, laws like that actually existed. In other words, the fact that the moon can drive people crazy was actually recognized in law.

-- 1Q84, Haruki Murakami

Make your sweat smell like maple syrup. http://examine.com/supplements/Fenugreek/

"I’ll try doing the same thing again—purely out of curiosity. I just want to know what will happen if I do the same thing in the same place wearing the same outfit. I’m not hoping this will save me. I’m not especially afraid to die. If it comes to that, I’ll do it without hesitation. I can die smiling. But Aomame did not want to die ignorant, failing to grasp how things worked. I want to push myself to my limits, and if things don’t work out, then I can give up. But I will do everything I can until the bitter end. That is how I live." --1Q84, Haruki Murikami

This. This x100. I just hope the end is not bitter.

Reading my journal from 2005. Holy cow. Maybe that yoga did some good after all.

"For better or worse, the areas that Fives explore do not depend on social validation; indeed, if others agree with their ideas too readily, Fives tend to fear that their ideas might be too conventional. History is full of famous Fives who overturned accepted ways of understanding or doing things (Darwin, Einstein, Nietzshce). Many more Fives, however, have become lost in the Byzantine complexities of their own thought processes, becoming merely eccentric and socially isolated."

"the siddhis are essential to achieving samadhi, which is the true power ... to deny them [the siddhis] is to deny your ultimate freedom. You can only step beyond these powers once you've acquired them. Renouncing them beforehand, as many practitioners of yoga do, mimics yet forestalls the true liberation... In addition, renouncing the siddhis, as some yoga teachers today advocate, keeps you powerless, and perpetuates your suffering as a victim." --Yoga, Power, and Spirit: Patanjali the Shaman, Alberto Villodo, Ph.D

Under the covers at 6pm--listening to Shakira and reading think pieces. Left handed tantra sounds good at 7 weeks in. Ready for deep bass & sweat in 8 more.

Can't sleep... Wondering if Ushikawa is really Ignacious Reily.

Well, "Gone Girl" was excellent. Truly a page turner.

NFL Remonstration #5:

"The news that former Missouri defensive end Michael Sam is gay holds significant social and cultural ramifications. But from a purely football perspective, his decision to come out prior to May's NFL draft will make his path to the league daunting, eight NFL executives and coaches told SI.com.

In blunt terms, they project a significant drop in Sam's draft stock, a publicity circus and an NFL locker room culture not prepared to deal with an openly gay player. Sam, the SEC Defensive Player of the Year, was projected as a mid- to late-round draft pick prior to his announcement.

While none of the executives overtly condemned Sam's decision, their opinions illuminated an NFL culture in which an openly gay player -- from the draft room to the locker room -- faces long odds and a lonely path."

Retweeted The New York Times (@nytimes):

You can't understand sexual violence in India without understanding the caste system via @nytopinion

"The irony is that a personality disposition normally seen as antisocial — disagreeableness — may actually be linked to 'pro-social' behavior,'" writes Psychology Today's Kenneth Worthy.

Retweeted Bearded Brothers (@beardedbros):

Want to get more raw living foods into your diet? Check out this new book by @choosingraw

Retweeted DC Public Library (@dcpl):

in honor of the new #Murakami, play a round on Murakami Bingo, courtesy of @grantdraws:

Retweeted BuzzFeed (@BuzzFeed):

How “Empire Records” Became The Unlikely Film Of A Generation #longreads

“@EricMorath: Charting historical jobs recoveries: This time is different @stiles @WSJecon

What do you read at 3:30am? #ashtangadispatch ~ get a copy at

Retweeted Dear Mr. Watterson (@DearMrWatterson):

Bill Watterson has drawn a new 15-panel comic strip for The Angouleme Int'l Comics Festival!

Retweeted Shanti Yogini (@Shanticapetown):

Mysore Conference Notes 15 November 2014 ~ The Benefits of Ashtanga Yoga:

Retweeted Yoga International (@YI_Mag):

"The Yoga of Driving" by Shell Fischer

Retweeted Mental Floss (@mental_floss):

16 Hilarious Questions Posed to the New York Public Library Pre-Google —

Why I Still Love "Rent" - BuzzFeed News

Retweeted City Paper (@wcp):

Red pandas, queer Jews, drones, and gentrification: Hear readings from our Fiction Issue at Kramerbooks on Sunday!

Retweeted City Paper (@wcp):

Red pandas, queer Jews, drones, and gentrification: Hear readings from our Fiction Issue at Kramerbooks on Sunday!

Retweeted Maria Popova (@brainpicker):

The science of stress, orgasm, and creativity—essential reading for all women and, especially, the men who love them

Retweeted Psychology Today (@PsychToday):

Do you fritter away your time by dreaming and not doing? Some tips for crossing the gap:

Retweeted Emma Seppälä, Ph.D. (@emmaseppala):

Great article on how #meditation changes the brain and tips on how to live more beautifully

Retweeted Emma Seppälä, Ph.D. (@emmaseppala):

"I slept & I dreamed that life is all joy. I woke & I saw that life is all service. I served & I saw that #service is #joy." -Kahlil Gibran

Retweeted Christina Cauterucci (@portmantina):

The most popular books sold at each @busboysandpoets outpost:

beautiful caption. powerful ashtangadispatch's photo

Retweeted Ashtanga Dispatch (@AshtangaDaily):

Insightful article on stopping points in practice. #Ashtanga #mysore #yoga

Retweeted Popjustice (@Popjustice):

I met GIORGIO BLOODY MORODER at the end of last week. Here’s the interview:

Retweeted Penny Crook (@PennyCrook):

On 6 Feb in #NY @bbcwbc talks The Catcher in the Rye w writers D Gilbert & J Rakoff - Twt @bbcwbc to attend recording or ask qs about #book

If— by Rudyard Kipling : The Poetry Foundation @BarManMichael

Retweeted DC Public Library (@dcpl):

#brownbagdc Tweet, or walk in and meet us at 901 G St and get a free book and tote bag.

Retweeted Jen Peters (@jendpeters):

Trauma, Relationship, Guru - “The core experiences of psychological trauma are disempowerment and...

Adnan Syed Of “Serial” Wins Motion To Appeal Against His Murder Conviction

Retweeted April Armistead (@AprilNicoleArt):

10 Art Therapy Techniques To Get You Through That Lingering Winter Gloom via @HuffPostArts

Retweeted GAIL SIMONE (@GailSimone):

Dear comics shops...why not consider setting up a little display for #BlackComicsMonth featuring black characters and creators? Thank you!

Retweeted Rebecca Armendariz (@whoabecca):

Girls left us without much to hope for but isn't that how so many feel rn? (made me think of:

Retweeted Yoga Foster (@yogafoster):

How to do nothing with nobody: Ways to play without screens, tech or toys

Repost from rgryffo -- Walking while reading this morning. #thenewyorker #truth

But I'm okay with you reading it differently @MichaelCautillo and only @russelltovey can tell us if he's in the business of sissy-shaming

“There is nothing in this world that never takes a step outside a person’s heart,” Leader repeated softly. -- 1Q84, Murakami

Notebooks of basquiat.

Retweeted Mental Floss (@mental_floss):

Can Opera Singers Shatter Glass? —

17 tattooed senior citizens finally answer this question : “What will it look like when I’m older?”

Crying right now. 󾌺󾌴󾆷♥️Derby the dog: Running on 3D Printed Prosthetics

Retweeted Food52 (@Food52):

If your smoothies never come out right, we know why:

Repost from @larugayoga, Yes! 󾮖 #truth #liveyourtruth #wordsofwisdom

"5 Bad American Habits I Kicked living in Finland" 2 and 3 are fascinating. But, number 1 is life changing.

|Why White People Freak Out When They're Called Out About Race |

Two woman I love in one place-- "Mind your (Mysore) Manners," by Zoë Ward on #ashtangadispatch

Friend rec'd @LeeChildReacher series and wanted to start book 1. @dcpl had it waiting in Ebook form to start immediately! Love @dcpl !!!

Retweeted Annette (@cynyoga):

Spring Detox for a Vibrant life sign up is underway!

Retweeted Foreign Policy (@ForeignPolicy):

[FROM THE MAGAZINE] How a third-gender community is finding its place in Indian society.

Please read. In full. #arlington

The funniest thing I've read in a good while. Looking forward to teaching here soon!

Retweeted Whole9 (@whole9life):

What's wrong with what we eat? (A playlist of @TEDtalks) #food #nutrition #whole9life

Thank you for this raw and evocative prose.

It touches my heart.

Retweeted Vince Favilla (@vincefavilla):

9 Signs You Might Secretly Be an Ambivert:

Retweeted Angela Elder (@DCofficeyogi):

Should We All Be On The 4-Day Workweek? via @Inc Um, I'd love to be a test case for this.

Retweeted Karl Marxxx (@IAmKarlMarxxx):

Early Drag King enlisted in The Civil War!

Retweeted DC Public Library (@dcpl):

Reason No. 1 @goodhumor should visit @dcpl: Cookies and ice cream are great together, but books + ice cream is even better.

Retweeted Rayceen Pendarvis (@AskRayceen):

Mark your calendars 9/25/15 @reelaffirmation and @askrayceen 7PM @EstefanoStCroix @GoGayDC @DMVGayEvents @DCHomos

Is Obesity an Incurable Disease? Less than 98% beat it.

Read the whole thing. Grace Jones teaches lessons and remains inimitable. But this wisdom is applicable everywhere, yes?

Have you been mocking this (and I don't think Kitty was)? I don't think the most interesting thing going on here is the pic-snapping, but the open-air market of derision they're receiving for doing... what, exactly? Enjoying each other's company, snapping pics and chowing on food? As opposed to enjoying the bullshit escapade of cultural hypnosis that is professional sports leagues?

Life lessons from 60's game shows.

I apologize for my purposefully divisive comments on prayer, fundamentalism, and letter of the law religion. I recognize in them a lack of compassion.

As an individual who prays to a supreme (not Diana Ross) power, I see value in prayer. Due to the value I also see in the dissolution of labels and constructed beliefs, I let my interest in the dissonance that can bring destruction override equanimity in tone and presentation.

I cannot destroy your constructed beliefs nor force an experience of any kind-- I forgot that, as my passion got in the way.

Please understand: I am challenged in tonality by strong opinions on faiths that recommend slaughter or subjugation. Many do.

A better framing: does your faith pray to a God that would cast anyone to a hell for getting the name of God "wrong"? That would enslave a people? That kills? How does this make you feel in light of recent tragedies?

"From silly devotions and sour faced saints, good Lord, deliver us," the mantra of Saint Teresa of Ávila.

From Dattatteya's "Yoga Shastra" -- there will be success for the practitioner. [But] how can there be [success] for the nonpractitioner? (83)

Success is never gained through mere reading of books. (84)

Those who [merely] talk about Yoga and wear the apparel [of a yogin] but lack all application and live for their bellies and their dicks-- they cheat people. (92-93)

My friend wrote a book--
with cats! and girls that love girls.
Buy your copy now!

Ashtanga, reading, bikram, exploration, biking, Crossfit, singing lessons, meal prep, bike commute, tequila with friends, puppy play dates, drag queens & chill.

A collection of videos in which Dave Chapelle tells his story about walking away from 50 million in order to maintain contentment and clarity of self. Important stuff.

Good Job, Kim Rhodes!

Now...

"As the fact check site Snopes points out, her sixth medal was covered by many major U.S. news outlets, including USA Today, the New York Times, CBS Sports, SB Nation, NBC, WGN and the Chicago Tribune. Other outlets like Time, Forbes, Huffington Post and NPR covered Rhode’s bronze medal and mentioned her pro-Second Amendment values.

Both Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal wrote about the stigma attached to shooting sports but as Five Thirty Eight noted, Americans aren’t really excited about the event, and that more than anything is what is responsible for limited sponsorships.

Shooting sports are ranked among the least popular games at the 2016 Rio Olympics. It wasn’t even listed in an Adweek survey announcing the “11 Olympic Sports That Viewers Are Most Excited About Watching,” because it didn’t make it into the top 11 sports. If fans of the sport were more supportive of their event and encouraged a higher viewership, perhaps Rhode could score some sponsorships and the sport could get more attention."

Anywho, spend some time in the comments, but try not to respond. Avoid trolls, but don't create an echo-chamber for yourself.

I wish I had written this. Accurate.

I can not wait to read this review.

Am I actually gonna have to go to HillaryClinton.Com to fact check this 1000 years of energy from coal? Clean coal? Thats gotta be some made up shit, right? Brandon T. !

Never forget: We are alive within mysteries.

Laugh.
Laughter is immeasurable. Be joyful
though you have considered all the facts.

-- Wendell Berry

Eileen by Moshfegh - everyone's awful. Working @ a boys prison sounds rough. randy sounds hot. Eileen's a pill, but I get it: life's tuff.

Undermajordomo Minor by deWitt- full of lovable weirdos that lie, steal, cheat, and (above all else) love. Very funny, great words.

The Circle by Eggers-- black mirror in literary form. A near future that your fav 'net personalities are already embracing: horrifying.

I just bought a gay cop thriller for my kindle called "Cut & Run" -- I read the sample and was hooked. Uh oh.

I encourage y'all to read "Cut & Run" -- finally a page turner with queer characters, damaged and unapologetic.

I am LIVING this trashy romance novel life.

I liked "Sticks & Stones" (the second book in the cut & run series) even more than its predecessor. Taking the buddy cop/mystery/romance and shifting the setting made for compelling reading. Introducing a family that reminded me of mine added to the joy.

Finished book 5 (of 9) in the "Cut & Run" series, and now I'm starting to fear finishing... and not spending time with these characters anymore.

Finished the "Cut & Run" series. So thoroughly enjoyed all 9 books!

Best Podcasts of the last bit: Christopher Sommer on the Tim Ferriss Show; Adam Conover on What's The Tee with Rupaul and Michele Visage; Rupaul on Anna Farris.

It's been 17 years since David Brooks' "Bobos in Paradise" was published.

"...the bourgeois bohemians--"Bobos"--an unlikely blend of mainstream culture and 1960s-era counterculture that, according to David Brooks, represents both America's present and future."

Reading: American Gods

Maybe the cicada is my spirit animal? Some of y'all are monarchs, others painted ladies-- that's well and good.

"They have an exceptionally loud song. Most cicadas are cryptic, singing at night to avoid predators. The periodic cicadas spend most of their lives as underground nymphs, emerging only after 13 or 17 years, which may reduce losses by starving their predators and eventually emerging in huge numbers which overwhelm and satiate any remaining predators.

Cicadas have been featured in literature since the time of Homer's Iliad, and as motifs in art from the Chinese Shang dynasty. They have been used in myths and folklore to represent carefree living and immortality."

My day, everyday (give or take), by the numbers:
3-3 1/2 hours in the Mysore room teaching
1-3 Hours Asana Focused Meditation & Pranayama
1-2 hours lifting, physical therapeutics, and internal research
2-3 paid corporate or group fitness classes 1/hr + commute & post class convo
1 Hour Mentoring
1 Hour Skill Development (singing, reading, business, personal development/self-help)
1 Hour bullshitting on the phone with a close friend (we'll call this my lunch break, and should count)

I wish Roxanne Gay had spoken with me before including me in her book "Bad Feminist." Maybe sent me a copy. I dunno.

The overlap between being objectified by people of power and situations where assault of the sexual variety occurs runs the risk of allowing "me too" to be viewed from the cheap seats as a bit of a toothless tiger.

Sexual harassment occurs constantly. I have been sexualized and demeaned to some degree in every job I've had as an adult. I suspect almost every woman/gay men have, too. I know almost every gal in town has been catcalled, for sure.

On a hierarchical level we have given passes to strong men taking sex acts by force. The amount of people who voted for a man who literally propagated grabbing woman by their pussies and doing whatever he wants with them needs addressing. "They'll let me," he says.

At least 16 women have publicly accused Trump of forcibly attempting to kiss, grope and have sex with them. He is on the record saying he forcibly touches woman.

This is not sexual harassment-- this is sexual assault.

What kind of accountability do we reasonably expect men in power to have when we give them a "yes, but" along with a "me, too" So glad we're speaking up: remember this in 3 years, fam. The more voices we raise, the more potential we create.

Take that "Me, too" and talk to you husbands, wives, sisters, brothers, and kids.

Me, too.

A Chechniyan popstar was tortured and killed by his government for being gay. Too close to home for my tastes.

I forgot to mention I chatted with Rachel Lapidos earlier this year about the power of silence and meditation for Well + Good Magazine!

https://www.wellandgood.com/good-travel/silent-retreats-the-new-wellness-luxury/amp/

Reading Chelsea Handler’s “Uganda Be Kidding Me” and Carrie Fisher’s “Wishful Drinking” back to back was a great idea.

https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/14404-night-work/

‘Night Work’ is one of my favorite albums of all time by my favorite band of all time. This review is basically saying that music by gay people for gay people is not palatable to a straight audience and therefor not inclusive enough.

This is why I’ve been so fucking pissed for 2017 and will carry that fire into 2018. This is why Living Single isn’t on Hulu. Because I have participated in fucking straight people culture without complaint and have had to pull teeth to get straight people to even consider coming to a queer event (other than the pride parade-- but who doesn't love a parade? I digress ). This is to me self evident of the fact that straight folk (especially, but not limited to, white ones) think their activities are normal, and gay folks activities are not. No wonder gay folk dont want y'all in their safe spaces-- folks act like theyre on safari or doing something lurid. No gurl, it's a fucking Thursday and the drinks are cheap.

You know who does come to queer events when I ask? My non-white female friends. They also know how to treat the space (ie, putting away any urge to behave in an entitled manner). You know who came with me to see the Scissor Sisters tour Night Work? Wanna know who watches Living Single?

This article, and this situation, is garbage. If this made your asshole pucler, then maybe now you know why your gay friends low key think you’re the worst and if you’re white, your non-white friends low key think you’re even worse than that. But Facebook is an echo chamber, so if you made it this far, you’re probably not the problem.

Back to the pitchfork review:

“If the cover of Night Work did not clue you in, let's just state the obvious right now: This is a very, very gay album. Whereas the first two Scissor Sisters records found a way to translate specifically gay subject matter into big-tent camp that opened up their appeal to anyone with a taste for colorful dance music and 1970s radio pop, their third album isn't quite as inclusive. They are no less tuneful, but their aesthetic and lyrical themes are more firmly rooted in gay culture, to the point that many straight listeners may find themselves feeling like outsiders looking in. Instead of presenting a queer pop sensibility for the masses, they've gone deeper into their subcultural niche."

You must listen to this EP: https://open.spotify.com/album/0Ug1pPKsLMbdeBH3ij8SDl?si=O7YsfEkb

In the first 11 months of 2017, the Metropolitan Police Department reported 163 hate crimes in D.C. where individuals were targeted on the basis of race, religion, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender expression or political affiliation. Of these, the greatest share ― 51 hate crimes in all, or about 31 percent ― involved someone being targeted for their sexual orientation.

You must separate the artist from the art-- but also, be alert to media's narrative constructions.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sp45-dQvqPo