Celebrate Gay Pride!

Michael Shinafelt
Prop 8 Overturned!
Photo: Bob Drapeau

As many people know, and for those who don't, June is officially Gay Pride month.

There are a lot of people that feel it has lost it's meaning. I am not one of them. No matter how "commercial" or "mainstream" it becomes it is always a special celebration. Imagine being a young boy in a small town and never feeling like you fit in. "Yes" I am talking about myself. Only to grow older, more worldly and to find individuals like yourself, who made you feel accepted and loved.

I will always attend the Gay Pride Parade for me it gives me a sense of community & friendship. It reminds me of my struggles and how I overcame them and that I am not the only one. Mostly it is a chance to be free and enjoy my hard earned identity as a Gay Male who deserves to be happy, healthy and content with who he is.

Above is a photo taken of me celebrating the overturning of Prop 8 - the anti gay marriage law in the state of CA. When it happened I dashed immediately to the rally in West Hollywood, CA for the historic moment on June 26, 2013.

Today I will be attending the parade in Los Angeles, with my many friends and acquaintances  I have made through the years I have lived here to celebrate...Happy Pride all. Have a Super Sunday! 

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Pride! "You Are My Family"

Tis the season for Pride, and with that Joe Gauthreaux releases his latest production, “You Are My Family”, a song that celebrates the tightest of friendships and features vocals by the diva of dance, Inaya Day.  Of course it's a dance record, but it also has elements of pop, EDM, and gospel house. “It's a song I'm extremely proud of because it keeps changing as you go along and it has a really good payoff in the end with the gospel breakdown,” Mr. Gauthreaux says.  He cops to throwing out all of his conventional ways of producing dance music on “You Are My Family”. “I wanted this song to make a difference in people's lives beyond the nightclub. I didn’t want to sacrifice the emotional element for the sake of making it a dance record. I can always make a club mix later.” 

So I asked Joe to sock it to me, and tell me what his top five songs are for Gay Pride!

5.  Madonna - Living For Love - Her best single in a long time and the message is timely. Love is what it is all about!

4.  Taylor Swift - Welcome to New York - I just did a mash up to this and I featured the part where she says "... and you can want who you want, boys & boys, and girls & girls..." 

3.  Fleetwood Mac - Dreams (Joe Gauthreaux & David Marc 2014 Club Mix) - I love the line "thunder only happens when it's raining" - it's a metaphor for the gay community making things happen when we protest, and have our voices be heard as one.

2.  Aretha Franklin - Pride (A Deeper Love) - This one speaks for itself! A classic that never gets old.

1.  Joe Gauthreaux featuring Inaya Day - You Are My Family - Because without the ones we love surrounding us, being there for us through thick & thin, pride has no meaning.

Give "You Are My Family" a listen after the jump!

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