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SGL Contents

4 Editor’s Letter

6 Ask Nathan

7 Lucky Day with Patrick

11 Masculinity in the Gay World and Why Fems are Considered Less of a

Man

13 Movies

14 Music

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Editor’s Letter

You Pulled Me Through

This week was a very trying week for me, because someone was stringing me along for his benefit and

personal gain. I will go deeper in the next issue about this, but so many of you that follow me on face-book left so many beautiful messages. It really filled my heart. Thank you. Just received the biggest blow

of my life and my heart is forever broken. People stop leading people on that is how people end up dead. at 9:12pm

Author D. Fostalove Oh my! Wed at 9:13pm ·

Nathan James I'm sorry to hear that. But you will persevere and make it through this, to find better days (and better people) ahead. Hang in there, hard though it may be. Wed at 9:19pm ·

Jill Merin Cleavester, whomever broke your heart is a jerk. Your heart will heal. The world knows about your shining light, you know. And many wonderful things are attracted to that lil light. Just you wait. ♥ Wed at 9:22pm ·

Tiffany La'cha' Blackwell their loss my love Wed at 10:10pm ·

Alan Sharpe Co-sign w/Tiffany, Cleavester...They'll never know what they missed. Thu at 1:45am ·

Reenie Martinez Hey my buddy. B happy u didn't blow your time on some1 who clearly doesn't deserve u! Better things will cum your way just b patient. Miss ya! Thu at 5:20am

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L. Michael Gipson Just breathe, allow yourself a moment to grieve the loss of expectations, brush off your shoulders after a time and reclaim joy! Thu at 7:35am ·

Cleavester Brooks Thank you'll for all of the uplifting messages it really warmed my heart and this too shall pass.

Hey ya'll, we are back with an exciting new issue this week with first time Author Patrick

Brandt. I had the opportunity to sit down and interview him about his new book Best Luck Day

and what is going on in his life. Our life coach Nathan 7 Scott is back with his wonderful advice

about cheating and when to end it. We also have a wonderful talent in the community Lester

Greene exploring about Masculinity in the Gay World and Why Fems are Considered less of a

Man. Go to www.sglliving.ning.com to read and Please let us know what you think about the

issue sglweeklymag@gmail.com.

Cordially,

Cleavester

Editor In Chief

www.twitter.com/cleavester

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Ask Nathan

I'm cheating with a women who has a family. I know her woman is about to find out about

us. I want to break up with her, but I'm emotionally attached and see her every day. How

do I end this? –Tina

Tina -

You have to ask yourself how you would feel if you had someone and there was another woman

out there stealing time away from your relationship. If this woman isn't open to leaving her fam-

ily so that the 2 of you can be together, then there is your answer.

Create a "Sevenly" Day!

_____________________________________________

Nathan "Seven" Scott

Professional & Personal Life Coach

Committed to Entrepreneurs & Women's Empowerment

917-771-6611

Visit me online: www.nathansevenscott.com

www.twitter.com/nathansevenscot

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Lucky Day

with Patrick A Cleavester Brooks Interview

Cleavester: Hello Patrick, How are you doing?

I'm doing very well, thank you.

Cleavester: What is Best Luck Day about?

The quest of a gay man to find happiness and love regardless of difficult challenges thrown in his

path.

Cleavester: Where did the inspiration for this book come from?

Life experience.

Cleavester: The Lead character of the book is Levi Schwartz. What kind of person is he?

He is a strong willed, passionate soul with a gentle, sensitive heart. But, he has a taste of cor-

ruption on his lips.

Cleavester: Was this book semi-auto biographical?

Yes.

Cleavester: Will there be a follow up to this novel? Why or Why not?

I have not planned a follow up for the book. I'm working a new/completely different novel.

Cleavester: At the end of the book you wrote "A rainbow...raining while it is sunny...it's the best

luck day!" Where did that line come from?

The main character, Levi, as a young boy was in Wyoming one summer, and worked with an-

other boy who said that it is good luck while it is sunny. So, in the novel. The spectacle of the

two together formulated the a best luck day in Levi Schwartz's mind.

Cleavester: How long have you been interested in writing/publishing? Since I was a teenager. I

was taking a novels class in high school. I handed in a handwritten 13 page paper about a novel

I had read to my teacher. He looked at me, and said, "Why don't you just write a novel!"

I looked at him and said, "I will''. And, now I have.

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Cleavester: What is your writing background/prior experience? I've kept all my writing to my-

self until now. I have no professional writing experience. In the past I've enjoyed writing poetry.

But, now, I prefer to write novel length fiction.

Cleavester: Who is Patrick Brandt?

A driven man with a sensitive heart and thoughtful mind.

Cleavester: Where were you born and what was life like growing up? Born in Montana. Win-

ters were long. In a nutshell, I can say that growing up was a bittersweet drama with a happy....I

guess, I should say beginning.

Cleavester: What did you want to be growing up?

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An artist, Astronaut, Singer, Musician, Dancer, Ice Skater, Scientist and Santa Claus.

Cleavester: If Best Luck Day was purchased to be a film. Who would play who and why?

LEVI-Aaron Eckhart-. DARRYL-Jimmy Smits. DAVID-Robert Downey Jr., STEVE-William

Hurt, Mom-Kathy Bates, EMT-Monique, JEAN-Julianne Moore, RICK-Danny DeVito. And, I'd

want the other roles to be filled with an open casting call to discover new talented actors. The

reason I chose the actors is that they are excellent actors andis that they foot the bill for the char-

acter they would portray. And, I'd like Gus Van Sant to direct, please.

Cleavester: What is your guilty pleasure? Why?

Sweets. I think because of the passion filled sugar rush I get.

Cleavester: What has been your wildest sexual fantasy?

To be a professor, dean or vice president at a college. And, have encounters with other faculty

members, building staff, and father's of students in my office.

Cleavester: What do you feel is your best feature?

My nose.

Cleavester: Tell me something about you that the readers may be surprised to know?

I am an artist.

Cleavester: What does the future hold for you?

I hope that Best Luck Day is made into a movie. Writing more novels. And, living in a that

beautiful lake house I have dreamt about.

Cleavester: How can people get in contact with you?

bestluckdaybypatrickbrandt@yahoo.com

Cleavester: Thank you Patrick, Do you have any final words?

Yes, Cleavester, I would like to thank you for this interview and to tell everyone who reads this

to persevere, keep a positive attitude, meditate in love, peace, healing and health for yourself and

all those around you.

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Masculinity in the Gay World and Why Fems are Considered Less of a Man By: Lester Greene

Sometimes less is more - more or less, but such is not the case for fems who fight an uphill battle

to thwart off extinction. “Fems definitely are a bigger target because people like to attack those

who are different from themselves,” says Rapper/Producer Andrew Singer. I remember when it

was cool to be different, to not follow the in-crowd. Now it seems like what is in is the way

things should be. Masculinity in the gay world seems to have taken on a pre-existing form, in

that it parallels the dynamics and mechanics of the straight world.

What does it mean to be straight, exactly? One can be straight-acting and yet still be gay, or one

could be effeminate and yet not be gay. I guess what I am trying to say is that society places

these conditional tags on people. That is to say that if you look like a duck and you quack like a

duck, then you are a duck. How silly it sounds and yet so very true. I, myself, have been guilty

of the aforementioned. Sometimes I even try to spot the “gay guy.” If I see that he is a snappy

dresser and he walks with a twitch, guess what? He is gay in my book. Wrong! Who am I to say

that someone is gay or not? Shoot, even God doesn’t judge us.

So what gives us the right to project onto others what we feel is or isn’t? If you ask me, there is

a certain level of insecurity that goes along with such behavior. Take for instance rappers Kanye

West and Curtis a.k.a. 50Cent Jackson. Clearly, 2 different kinds of rappers who represent to the

fullest, nonetheless. 50 Cent gives you grit and toughness, and West brings ingenuity and style,

which can sometimes be viewed as soft. Steve Harris, who is the founder of Gay Music Revolu-

tion, says “he (West) is often times considered weak to those who fear their own masculinity or

sexuality, plus when a non-threatening person becomes hugely successful, people always try to

look for something to knock them down.” West is often called gay because he dresses a certain

way or just because he is different. Reducing to name-calling only makes us less of a per-

son. Tags and stereotypes propagate and cultivate propaganda.

Take for example "tops” and “bottoms.” When you think of the word top, you think dominant,

correct? And you think of the total opposite when you hear the word bottom because bottom is

often associated with words like low or less. This, of course, is the standard by which people

operate. Frankly, I think that we tend to generalize things without seeing things on an individual,

case by case basis.

Why can’t peoples’ decisions be viewed as a preference as opposed to a paradigm. Often times,

I catch myself watching these jail programs on television. In fact, just recently, I watched a sce-

nario unfold between 2 men in jail. The giver was recorded saying that he is not gay even

though he likes to screw other men. Now hold up! Excuse me? What do you call that then? He

went on to say that it’s the receiver (the bottom guy) who is gay, not the pitcher (the top). Now

that just sounds like pure madness to me or at least in my world. What we fail to realize is that

life in jail is not the same as life in the real world. Sure we all live in the same world, but I really

believe that we all have a “sub-world.” It almost works like a family tree. At the very top, you

have the main source and then below that you have the branches that represent each and every

individual.

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What I don’t get is why people project their own ideas onto others. See, I believe that we all

live in a different world. I mean, I know that we all live here on the same planet but what makes

us all different is our make-up, our struggles and pains, our beliefs and convictions, etc. A lot of

the times I find myself saying, “I’m in my own world.” Think about that for a minute. What

does that phrase mean? You can take it literally, or you can take it like most of us take it and say

that it means you are just tops above the competition. Either way, the phrase gives you some-

thing to think about.

In any case, I think that we as gays are contributing to our own demise. We need to start think-

ing more as separate individuals. We need to stop looking over our shoulder at the other world

(the straight world), and focus on what’s going on in our neck of the woods. C.E.O. of Big Milo

Records & Owner/Operator of OutHipHop.com Camilo Arenivar sums it up well by saying,

“There really is just the world (the straight world), and we kind of make a gay version of it where

everything is gay.” Essentially, Arenivar is saying that gays are just settling for less by trying to

mimic our counterparts. If I could used an analogy to paint a clearer picture it would have to be

that of television show “Dennis the Menace.” Do you remember Mr. Wilson always snooping

around and being a nosey neighbor? Well, I think we need to quit being so god damn nosey. We

always measure our success based on the straight world’s accomplishments and ideals This

whole idea that it’s cool to follow the leader is ridiculous. It’s time to become trail blazers. We

need to claim dominance in our world; however big that may be.

If you remember in 2007 50 Cent issued a challenge to Kanye West promising the world that he

would outsell him. It was like David meets Goliath. Rocky versus Apollo. Clay Aiken versus

American Idol. Two extremes coming from different parts of the world, clashing for world

dominance. You get the picture! Anyway, in retrospect, admittedly so, I was rooting for Kanye

West. I wanted him to win because he was the underdog, because he was different. Kanye West

represented change. America loves a hero, but what they love more than a hero is this concept of

hope. After West went on to outsell 50Cent, I felt like history was made. The musical landscape

as we knew it, was over. It was out with the old in 50Cent, and in with the new with Mr.

West. Style had beaten out arrogance and it was a new day.

The future looks bright with stars like Lady Gaga, Adam Lambert, and Ashor Roth fast-blazing a

trail. I just hope that people will pay “more” attention to how different they are, and less atten-

tion on how strong they come across. Big things come in little packages so try not to judge the

“rapper" on face value. 2010 looks like it’s going to be a big year as “the little people” top the

charts and make history.

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Movies

The Butch Factor

From the Castro culture of the 1970s to today's Bears and gym rats, this fascinating investigation

of gay men and sexuality blows the lid off old stereotypes and showcases a battalion of inter-

viewees including muscle men, rodeo riders, rugby players and cops. The men speak candidly on

topics from homophobia to metrosexuality to embracing effeminacy as they reveal what it means

to be a gay man in America today.

Mr. Right

With snappy repartee and a cast of handsome men and cute boys, this romantic comedy, set in

London, playfully bounces around its romances, dramas and lusts.

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Music

The Sea

Corinne Bailey Rae's new album, The Sea was co-produced by Bailey Rae with Steve Brown,

and Steve Chrisanthou, who produced many of the songs on her debut album, which has sold

four million copies worldwide. Bringing together a new band of musicians, Bailey Rae recorded

the album mainly in Leeds and Manchester, England. Her voice, always an expressive and soul-

ful instrument, resonates with a poignant and newfound depth on The Sea. Loss and grief are re-

curring themes yet a sense of beauty and wonder ultimately radiates from the album's dark cor-

ners.

Rebirth

EXPLICIT. 2010 release, a crossover Rock album from the self-proclaimed 'greatest rapper

of all time'. Lil Wayne's previous full-length, the Grammy Award-winning The Carter III has

been certified triple platinum with over one million sold in it's first week of release! Rebirth,

his long rumored Rock album, is still Rap heavy and features guest appearances from

Eminem, Shanell (AKA SNL), Kevin Rudolf, Nicki Minaj and others. Includes the first single

'Prom Queen'.

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