What does it mean to support Good Queer News?
Later on this month, I’m going to send out a few reflections on how much we as a community have survived this year, and how proud I am of the resistance we’ve been capable of, but for today my reflections are a bit more personal.
Before we start that, a note: PROMO Missouri, one of my favorite organizations doing unbelievable deep canvassing work in conservative and rural MO, is only $7k away from their end-of-year match goal of $100,000 to build safety for trans people in Missouri. This November they’re coming up against the first ever ballot initiative to constitutionally ban gender affirming care for youth, and conservatives around the country are watching very closely to see if this is a good use of time and money. If we beat it in Missouri, we can beat it anywhere and encourage hatemongers to quit before they start!
As always, if you make a donation of ANY size to PROMO and message me afterwards, I’ll give you a free upgrade to the GQN paid tier!
Where we’ve been
At the start of this year, I had about 2,700 subscribers, and at the time that number felt unreal. Over the summer, I passed 10,179—the population of the town where I grew up. Now, I sit just past the threshold of 16,000 people here with me, and it feels unbelievable. At the same time, it feels perfectly believable. I’ve worked really, really hard (as have many of you!) to share this newsletter with as many new people as possible, and to build it into a voice worth reading.
I’ve had a few pieces that were particularly popular this year that I’m very proud of:
I also sent out a reader feeback survey, and I’m immensely grateful to the 72 of you who’ve responded so far. I’m using these results directly to write and plan out all my content research, and new projects for next year. If you have an opinion on that, I’d love to hear about it.
Tragically, only 57 people have checked the box to pet Oliver, the Chief Barketing Officer. That’s 79%, A C+.
One of the things that has come up already a number of times in the survey is that folks are very curious about where their subscription or donation actually goes. Why do you need to sign up for a paid subscription? What kind of difference does it really make? It is an incredibly valid question. Generally speaking, most people don’t like to send money into the void. So in an effort to be a little less void-like, here’s what I do with the subscription revenue from the 350 (!!!!) of you who so generously support the work that I do.
Go to therapy
My job is to make sure that 16,000 people plus their friends and loved ones don’t give up hope even on the darkest days. Of course I’m in therapy. I think of therapy in the same category as going to the gym. I’m mostly not going for acute issues. I’m building the muscles I need to be strong enough for each new challenge as it comes.
Family support
Families come to me frequently seeking guidance, care navigation, support, and mentorship for their younger trans loved ones. Because I’m reasonably financially secure, I don’t need to start making this into a business service. I can get on the phone with whoever needs me, for free, as often as I can.
Mentorship for new speakers and advocates.
As soon as I became decently well established as a public speaker, I started having people reach out to me asking how I do it, how I’ve managed to make a career out of what I love to do. Where I could choose to be cagey and competitive, I share my Google Drive folder called “everything I know about public speaking” and I let people spend as long as they want asking me whatever I want. I have no spirit of competition or secrecy, And my career goals are to work myself out of a job and spend all my time reading and writing fantasy and hosting themed dinner parties.
Give free presentations!
This year, I gave about 85 presentations. 40 of those were given for free or incredibly reduced cost (many of which I traveled to deliver!) Because I know that I’m making money from corporate speaking engagements and my work here on Substack, these free presentations don’t in any way feel like people are taking advantage of me. They feel like a gift that I am able to give back to my community.
No part of me ever intends to stop doing free presentations or writing free articles. All the brainstorming I’m doing to grow Good Queer News into a sustainable business is so that I can spend even more time doing free presentations. I want to spend more time with churches and synagogues and PFLAG chapters and grandparents support groups and queer summer camps and across kitchen tables and in tiny towns and everywhere I can get to learn about what other beautiful, joyful, hopeful things are happening and then bring them back here to share with you all. This is the goal I am in service of.
Make Donations!
In September, I ran a promotion that half of all new subscriber subscriber revenue being donated to one of my favorite organizations, PROMO Missouri. I’m over the moon that I was able to send $1,500 their way, which was doubled thanks to their generous match donor.
Live?
It would be dishonest of me to say that every dollar of my subscriber revenue has gone right back into the work. A huge proportion of it has, but I’m also a person! I’ve used the money to buy fancy ingredients to make nice dinners for my friends. I’ve used the money to save up for IVF so that my wife and I can afford to try to have a baby next year (How’s that for good news?) I’ve used the money to buy myself milkshakes as part of my post speech ritual and queer books from indie bookstores to research my next books on healthy masculinity and the power of joy. I’ve used the money to tip into mutual aid funds and to pay my own bills and to take my wife on a good date and to be a person.
Where does that leave you?
Now for the record, I’m not asking you to give me your last $5. Nothing I do is nearly so desperate and I’m going to keep doing all this stuff either way. You could give your money to a nonprofit or a friend in need or a local business, and all those will be just as, if not even more impactful. And, I promise the money you send here to me—whether through paid subscriptions or through my Ko-fi tip link or through helping me set up a speech in your home town—is getting put to good use.
And if you can’t afford to donate, I want you to know that almost all of my content will still always be accessible to you. Joy should never sit behind a paywall. I’m so glad that you are here, and I genuinely and truly do not want you to feel any guilt for a paid subscription not being possible right now. If I’m allowed to be a person, so are you!!!
Inspired (actually straight up thefted) from my brilliant friend Aidan Wharton and his amazing Substack Gay Buffet, here are a few sliding scale options for paid subscriptions. Nothing is ever expected or required, but everything is appreciated.
If there comes a moment where I am desperate, I’ll let you know. But for now, the words I have are grateful and energized. At the end of this week, I have a really cool interview coming out. So for now, I just want to wish you all a safe and beautiful New Year.
Warm Fuzzies
I love you all. Thank you truly for being here. There are so many of you who have sent this newsletter to literally hundreds of people, who send me good news whenever you see it, who multiply the joy I write about by sharing your own in the comments. So many of you who have just reached out to me with kindness to make sure I’m taking care of myself and to thank me or to let me know my website is broken or to offer help you with social media. Every one of you is a gift to me. I’m giddy looking out at what I’ve built over the last year. Thank you.
See y’all on the other side!