You’re a bunch of vultures!

Hello, beautiful people! As many of you know, I am an animal lover. I have a pack of six dogs, sized from a Chihuahua to a Chow, a giant tortoise named Ruby, a cat named Kitty and now a new pet I have named Cecil. Actually, I wouldn’t call Cecil my pet; he (or she) is my friend that has stopped by my house about once a month for the past 18 months.

Cecil is a big ol’ buzzard. Maybe he is a vulture, but whatever he is, he likes to perch himself on the telephone pole on the edge of my front yard.

There have been many occasions when I have gone outside and he is just hanging around. I think he may be attracted to a Dumpster across the street that belongs to the local elementary school. Whenever I see he has come for a visit, I feed him. I throw some hot dogs or leftover lunchmeat out into the field close by. He waits a few minutes, swoops down, eats and leaves. Now, before you people wanna start bitchin’ that I shouldn’t be feeding a wild animal, save it. I have bird feeders all over my yard and this is basically the same thing, just with meat!

Cecil is ugly, bless his heart, but he is fascinating, too. He is a necessary member of the local animal community that specializes in the cleanup and removal of road kill — gross, but necessary. I like to think Cecil appreciates our dinner dates. He’s kind of the perfect man: he eats your meat then leaves. Win-win!
Now let’s help some human animals.

Dear Cassie, This is kind of a weird one. I have a hot guy friend who I follow on social media. When we see each other out we always say hi, so we are somewhere between acquaintances and friends. Last week he goes live on Instagram and I click on it to see what’s up. He is naked and playing with his dick. I was like, OMG I have hit the jackpot.

Then I realize there is someone else there with him, and I don’t think he knew he was streaming live, because they were talking about him having huge veins, and the guy offscreen moves the camera. You can clearly see they are shooting up drugs. It broke my heart. The guy is so sweet and so beautiful. I thought he was smarter than that, but like I said, I don’t know him that well. I want to say something to him. Maybe send him a message that he shouldn’t do drugs or that he should get help. I don’t know what to do, but I can’t get it off my mind. Help! Signed, Just Say No!

Dear JSN, Unfortunately, sex and drugs run rampant in our community. I think you should send him a private message expressing your feelings. I’m not sure if it will do any good, but at least it may help relieve your mind. When someone is on drugs the last thing they want is someone preaching to them to stop doing drugs, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try. You never know what that other person is going through, and maybe your words will be the wakeup call he needs. Do you know any of his close friends or family? Are you willing to risk your “acquaintance/friendship” to speak out about his drug use? It is a tricky spot to be in, but if you saw it live, chances are other people did too.

When I was on drugs years ago, I was a stealthy mutherfucker. I was good at concealing that I was doing them. Who knows? If I had been caught or called out for doing drugs maybe I would have quit sooner. In this day of social media, public perception of someone is a powerful thing. Let him know what you saw and that you hope he gets the help he needs. Shame and fear of disappointing your peers is a strong motivator. Your message could be the thing that saves his life. Good luck to you and him. Cassie.

Dear Cassie, I am a gay man. I hate drag. I’ve been to shows because my friends want to go. I don’t get it.

Dearest Adam, First off, you didn’t sign your letter, but your name is in your email address. Thank you for taking the time out your day to express your opinion about my wonderfully fulfilling job. You sound like a great guy and a lover of life.

Look, I get that drag is not for everyone. I really do. When I first came out and even before, I hated that the media always focused on the drag queens, Dykes on Bikes or the leather guys wearing chaps with their asses showing. I was a young gay in the late ’80s and early ’90s and didn’t see any just normal looking gay guys ever on the news or in movies. At the time, I thought that all gays were either flaming queens or drag queens, and I feared I would never find happiness being gay.

Boy, was I wrong. Once I came out and my eyes were open to all of the different facets of our community, I realized there is a real rainbow of diversity when it came to our gay world. At first I didn’t get drag, not until I realized the creative outlet it can be for me. Drag is art! Art is subjective. You don’t have to get it. I now get why the media focused on the Dykes on Bikes and leather daddies and drag queens — they’re fabulous.

I don’t like wrestling but I’m not going to send an email just to dis it. There is something you should understand though: drag queens are the first people that get called when someone wants to raise money for something. Usually that something is to help our community, because you are part of that community. You are a gay man so you can thank drag queens for being the spark that is the flame of your gay rights. You don’t have to get it but you should respect it. Good day sir….I SAID GOOD DAY!
Remember to always love more, bitch less and be fabulous! XOXO, Cassie Nova.