Bate Bros-we’ve heard about them--and that you might be one. What’s the draw and maybe some basics for a new bro?
The draw of a bro is a kind of brotherhood and focus on pleasure and bonding in a way that really appeals to me. A lot of people find it relieves the pressure of some more traditionally penetrative versions of sex. The removal of that pressure can make sex more relaxing and teasing, which can be a really good feeling. Though I will say, I don't really identify as a bro—so I'm adjacent. I have a lot of respect for the Bate Bros, but I would not claim the title myself. I'm more of like a vers side.
You have the cutest cat, have they ever interrupted your…uhmm… bro time?
My cat is the greatest, but he has no other life than that of witnessing gay sex. So as someone who had to suffer through decades of no gay sex, I really could not possibly imagine the lucky life of my cat. So, interrupted yes, but you can't blame him, there's nowhere else to go. So, we manage. :)
Made X Cruise is a queer owned and operated clothing brand. Do you think it’s important to support our communities own small businesses?
I love wearing clothes by queer brands, whether it's Made X Cruise or any number of small businesses that support causes I am passionate about. Like with Lockwood51 there are elements of activism and with Nasty Pig there's a real confident queerness that I respect. With Made X Cruise we have like literal gay art from Sedgwick Guth on these handkerchiefs, which is very cool. I think it's important that queer brands are somehow connected to our community and as long as that's the case, supporting them is much better than supporting anywhere else I could buy a jockstrap. So yeah, if I'm going to be consuming... I would rather consume a homosexual, but what else is new?
How do you feel when you find clothing that fits your identity?
I feel inspired when I find clothing that fits my identity, that process is very intuitive to me. I don't necessarily go shopping super often, though please don't tell that to my credit card last month. But normally I'm really only buying something when I feel a strong pull to it. When I see it and I'm like, ‘Whoa, this is for me.’ Also, selecting my clothes in the morning is the same process. I usually wake up with a very clear idea of exactly what I want to wear and it's always different. If I don't feel that way when I wake up, I can tell I'm off for the day honestly. So to me, it's a mirror of myself in a way and lets me see parts of myself that aren't really conscious to me, you know, sort of in thought. So I think that's really special, I do find my style to be an important part of my identity.