A friend once told me, half in jest, that being gay is a young man's game. We laughed, because there was enough truth in it to make it sting. Youth has long been prized in gay male culture, sometimes to the point of becoming its false god. Many LGBTQI+ people have also lived with the unspoken fear that the passing of youth means the passing of visibility, desirability, and even belonging.

Trump waived sanctions against Russia just two days before they were set to go into effect under federal law. Braying that the US had done “a lot” for Ukraine while Ukraine had done nothing for the US — holding NATO’s nemesis at bay with no real help since 2024 is apparently “doing nothing” — Trump’s waiver came right after he announced another gift to Russia: that the US will now buy Russian diesel, effectuating a 180 degree reversal of years of US policy. After Trump announced an “energy ceasefire” he’d simply fabricated, Russia kept striking Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, earning no words of remonstrance from Trump.

Some people spend their lives searching for purpose. Others discover it through the challenges, experiences, and extraordinary opportunities that shape their journey.