Studio of Rick Chris, Positive Gay Images

A page of positive affirmation
I know the road of life can get rough and bumpy at times and the only magic I have to help you through the rough spots is through my art and my little web site. If you are having bumpy day, I'd like to share my Affirmations page with you. It's one of the oldest pages on rickchris.com and I've recently updated it. Maybe you can use that page to build a little magic, gather a little grace and get the strength to help you through your trials. "Where is the night luster? Past my trials." Click here.

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Spare Change For The Rick Chris Cookie Jar:
During these tough economic times, your donation would certainly help keep my little web site going. If you enjoy the various features on rickchris.com, please help support this web site through a donation. Any amount is helpful. Many thanks! - Rick Chris

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Putting the spotlight on those who add value to the gay community through their creativity, talent and achievement. The Shout Out column is open to any gay creative type, performer, writer, artist, etc. I know how challenging it can be for gay creative types, so this is my small way of trying to lend a helping hand by offering a little publicity. Just send an email (rickchris@rickchris.com) about yourself or someone you would like to be spotlighted. The cost? You only have to promise that you're going to try to be rich, famous and successful. I also accept news releases for shows, benefits and events.

Note: if you send in information about an event or individual I will be glad to list it for you free of charge - however, in your email, please state that you are requesting a listing under the Shout Out banner and I would also like to know who is making the request (the name of a contact person) so I know the information about the person or event is "authorized".

Why I Slept with My Therapist, How One Gay Man Tried to Go Straight

Just how far will a gay man go to be straight? For Brian Anthony Kraemer, that journey included thirteen years of celibacy, daily prayer, extensive reading, participation in an ex-gay ministry, and two exorcisms. He still hadn't reached his goal when he met a man he believed to be the therapist of his dreams - a married, Christian therapist with an innovative method of healing. Through what he called "spiritual adoption," the therapist began a reparenting experiment in which Brian's therapy included spending time with his therapist in his home and meeting his wife and biological children, as well as other "spiritually adopted" clients. Brian and his therapist shared a bed, showered together, and spent extensive amounts of time holding, cuddling, and caressing. In his memoir, Brian Anthony Kraemer shares the details of his developing relationship with a Christian male therapist in his attempt to change from homosexual to heterosexual. Though the goal was to go straight, this relationship ultimately led to Brian's acceptance of himself as a gay man - and the therapist's loss of his license.
"Just before Christmas of 1997, I flew from Southern California, where I worked in a Christian mission agency, to visit my parents five hundred miles north. I originally planned to stay for two weeks, from December 20 through January 3, but after a few days, I knew I could not stay that long. I felt anxious, nervous, and afraid. I had to get back to my own home, my gym, and my routine. I was addicted to my daily trips to swim at a local university pool, where I spent long periods of time in the men's locker room showering, hoping to see as many naked men as possible. I watched men come and go in this group shower setting and tried to avoid being too obvious in my sexual interests. My penis, however, often revealed my thoughts, and I had to direct my erection toward the shower wall and pretend nothing unusual was happening. Most men ignored it. Some engaged in friendly conversation without mentioning it. Others revealed interest with eye contact or by moving closer, to a shower head near mine. Still others gave a scowl of disapproval and left. With my eyes, I soaked in these masculine bodies in an eff ort to satiate my longing for any kind of connection with them. I had not had sex with a man since my conversion to Christianity thirteen years before, in May 1984, at age twenty. I wasn't about to break my record of celibacy.
Brian Anthony Kraemer holds bachelor's degrees in psychology, health science, and social science; he is currently working on a master's degree in psychology. He has taught in elementary schools and served as the president of Parents, Families & Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) in Pasadena and Chico, California. He currently lives in Chico, California, where he performs as a musician and engages in public speaking opportunities, mostly on gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender issues. This book can be ordered through amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and many other book retail outlets.	Brian Anthony Kraemer

The Hardbody Chronicles by Jake Smyth & Luca Barbieri

"We were there in the mid-1990s as both witnesses and instigators. It was a transformative moment in the evolution of the gay community, culminating with the celebration of Stonewall 25. The HardBody Chronicles is a roman á clef, a fictionalized retelling of actual events from those times." - Jake Smyth & Luca Barbieri

In a world where every desire can readily be fulfilled, life is a luxurious escapade of excess and indulgence. Follow the exploits of eight gay men, who become four infamous couples, as their lives humorously intersect and tragically intertwine against the backdrop of the international gay party scene.

New York: Rob is a driven social climber and dominant leather man. Erik is an all-American jock with an insatiable sexual appetite. They are the gay couple of New York and own the most popular gay bar in the city.

Beverly Hills: Ira is a Hollywood power player whose lust and greed are unquenchable. His trophy-boyfriend Beau is a star-struck beauty who becomes a gay icon. Naive, but hardly innocent, Beau gets swept up into the world of parties.
South Beach: Jake is an escort. Luca is a porn star. Together they host underground sex parties exclusively for the built and beautiful. In spite of their professions, love bonds them to one another.
Fort Lauderdale: Big Daddy is an overbearing Southern bully with more money than taste. His childlike boy-toy Bobby is a bodybuilder/drag queen. In an attempt to buy their way into the exciting world around them, they rent a villa on the island of Ibiza and invite an entourage of men to join them.
These four couples scheme, maneuver, and struggle their way through a star-studded world virtually unknown to those on the outside. The HardBody Chronicles captures the zeitgeist of that moment and unveils the glamour and absurdity that enveloped it. From Miami's stunning White Party to the inferno of naked flesh at the Black Party, from the 24-hour clubs of Ibiza to the joyous Morning Party on Fire Island, it was a time to celebrate life.

For more information and to purchase, go to: www.TheHardBodyChronicles.com

Music

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PEOPLE CARE ABOUT YOU!

National Suicide Hotline
1-800-suicide (784-2433)

**Rick Chris says: "Take care of yourself. You've got to, because you're the only one of you we've got. They just ain't making anymore just like you."**

The Trevor Helpline
An around-the-clock (24/7) crisis and suicide prevention helpline for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth.
1-866-488-7386

Youth suicide with a focus on gay male youth.

In memory of GLBT suicide victim

Do we have a gay saint watching out for us? If you have an issue, it wouldn't hurt to send a prayer his way and see what happens. Click here.

"The great thing about suicide is that it's not one of those things you have to do now or you lose your chance. I mean, you can always do it later." - Harvey Fierstein

"Never place a period where God has placed a comma." - Gracie Allen

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News

Courage Campaign

Pink News United Kingdom

Gay.com

GayPatriot
GayPatriot is the internet home for American gay conservatives and hailed as "the most reliably conservative gay blog on the Internet."

Gay Russia
Gay Russia - News on Russia and Human Rights.

The Huffington Post

Queerty
Free of an agenda. Except that gay one. The gay blog.

Robert Reich
Informative commentary about politics and the economy by Robert Reich, Professor of Public Policy at the University of California at Berkeley, Served in three national administrations and as Secretary Of Labor.

Truthout
An alternative to big media news.

Truth Wins Out
Fighting Right Wing Lies and the Ex-Gay Fraud.

Unicorn Booty
Gay Is Good

Arcigay
The Italian Gay Association

Easy Boy Friend
Home of the future ex-boyfriend of the week.

Gay Gamer
For boys who like boys who like joysticks.

HomoRodeo
Interested in gay cowboys and gay rodeo events? This site's for you, a matrix of information for gay rodeo fans.

Miracomovan
En Español. Hombres para Hombres. Dibujos y Pinturas de hombres de todas las épocas del arte. Site contains images of nude and homoerotic art.

Savage Love Advice Column by Dan Savage

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PEOPLE CARE ABOUT YOU!

National Suicide Hotline 1-800-suicide (784-2433)

Rick Chris says: "Take care of yourself. You've got to, because you're the only one of you we've got. They just ain't making anymore just like you."

The Trevor Helpline An around-the-clock (24/7) crisis and suicide prevention helpline for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth. 1-866-488-7386

Youth suicide with a focus on gay male youth.

In memory of GLBT suicide victim

Do we have a gay saint watching out for us? If you have an issue, it wouldn't hurt to send a prayer his way and see what happens. Click here.

"The great thing about suicide is that it's not one of those things you have to do now or you lose your chance. I mean, you can always do it later." - Harvey Fierstein

"Never place a period where God has placed a comma." - Gracie Allen

******

News

Courage Campaign

Pink News United Kingdom

Gay.com

GayPatriot GayPatriot is the internet home for American gay conservatives and hailed as "the most reliably conservative gay blog on the Internet."

Gay Russia Gay Russia - News on Russia and Human Rights.

The Huffington Post

Queerty Free of an agenda. Except that gay one. The gay blog.

Robert Reich Informative commentary about politics and the economy by Robert Reich, Professor of Public Policy at the University of California at Berkeley, Served in three national administrations and as Secretary Of Labor. Truthout An alternative to big media news.

Truth Wins Out Fighting Right Wing Lies and the Ex-Gay Fraud.

Unicorn Booty Gay Is Good

Arcigay The Italian Gay Association

Easy Boy Friend Home of the future ex-boyfriend of the week.

Gay Gamer For boys who like boys who like joysticks.

HomoRodeo Interested in gay cowboys and gay rodeo events? This site's for you, a matrix of information for gay rodeo fans.

Miracomovan En Español. Hombres para Hombres. Dibujos y Pinturas de hombres de todas las épocas del arte. Site contains images of nude and homoerotic art.

Savage Love Advice Column by Dan Savage

National Suicide Hotline
1-800-suicide (784-2433)

**Rick Chris says: "Take care of yourself. You've got to, because you're the only one of you we've got. They just ain't making anymore just like you."**

The Trevor Helpline
An around-the-clock (24/7) crisis and suicide prevention helpline for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth.
1-866-488-7386

GayPatriot
GayPatriot is the internet home for American gay conservatives and hailed as "the most reliably conservative gay blog on the Internet."

Gay Russia
Gay Russia - News on Russia and Human Rights.

Queerty
Free of an agenda. Except that gay one. The gay blog.

Robert Reich
Informative commentary about politics and the economy by Robert Reich, Professor of Public Policy at the University of California at Berkeley, Served in three national administrations and as Secretary Of Labor.

Truthout
An alternative to big media news.

Truth Wins Out
Fighting Right Wing Lies and the Ex-Gay Fraud.

Unicorn Booty
Gay Is Good

Arcigay
The Italian Gay Association

Easy Boy Friend
Home of the future ex-boyfriend of the week.

Gay Gamer
For boys who like boys who like joysticks.

HomoRodeo
Interested in gay cowboys and gay rodeo events? This site's for you, a matrix of information for gay rodeo fans.

Miracomovan
En Español. Hombres para Hombres. Dibujos y Pinturas de hombres de todas las épocas del arte. Site contains images of nude and homoerotic art.