Look at Everything You Helped Make Happen in 2019!

Hi friends!

Holy geez, what a year. And what an honor and a joy to be wrapping up 2019 with you! Thanks to your support here on Patreon, I've been able to produce dozens of episodes of The Sewers of Paris, nine new Culture Cruise videos, and tons of livestreams and Weekly Debriefs. I've sent out lots of books and stickers and bookmarks and postcards to backers all over the world, and even met a bunch of you in person when I traveled!

As we come to the end of 2019, I wanted to look back at all the stuff you made possible. Thank you SO MUCH for all of your support on Patreon -- none of this stuff would exist without you, and together we're all making the internet just a little bit queerer for everyone. 

Culture Cruise

This year you helped me create hours and hours of Culture Cruise videos, diving into entertainment history to uncover amazing queer milestones that changed the world. I even got to interview TV writer Jeff Duteil, who wrote groundbreaking episodes of shows like The Golden Girls, and the episode of In The House featuring RuPaul. Here are all of the Culture Cruise videos you made possible this year:

• When Frasier Dated Captain Picard: The Doctor is Out 
• Frasier & Sitcoms of the Gay '90s 
• Edith Bunker's Crisis of Faith 
• Archie Bunker, Drag Queens, & All in the Family 
• Maude's Gay Friend 
• RuPaul teaches LL Cool J about drag queens on the show In the House 
• Roc & TV's First Gay Wedding 
• Gay Marriage on Married with Children 
• Quantum Leap Tackles Gays in the Military 

The Sewers of Paris 

I published nearly 60 episodes of The Sewers of Paris this year, with an incredible range of folks who were generous enough to open up and share their stories, connecting queer people through our shared experiences and love of entertainment. Thanks to backers like you, the show is approaching its 300th episode, oh my goodness! You can check out the full archive at SewersOfParis.com, and check out just a few of this year's episodes:

• It Was a Battle (Ep. 211 - Leather, Kink, and Watchmaking)
• Permission to be Sexual (Ep. 213 - Cher & Prince)
• Science is Queer (Ep. 218 - ASAP Science's Mitch and Greg)
• We Were Young and Having Fun (Ep. 224 - Miami Beach in the 1970s)
• The Psychology of Harry Potter (Ep 232 - Harry Potter/Victoria Lee)
• A Machete in Her Hands at All Times (Ep. 237 - Roots/Michael Twitty)
• We Were a Phenomenon (Ep. 240 - Power Rangers' David Yost)
• The Family I Always Wanted (Ep. 248 - The Sims/Christopher Smith Bryant)
• Everywhere we Turned Was a Song (Ep 254 - Pippin/Cam Clarke)
• Heterophobic (Ep. 257 - Mary Poppins/Devlyn Camp)
• A Writer's Job (Ep. 263 - Wicked/Gregory Maguire)
• On My Own (Ep. 265 - Willy Wonka/Gus Lanza)

Livestreams

I can't even tell you how much I look forward to our regular livestreams -- when I get on camera and we all chat about the big queer books and movies and music and shows that are bringing us joy. I've seen so many wonderful people like you connecting with each other though those streams, and it's an absolute joy to chat with the people who join us every time and the newcomers who just popped in to make friends. You can check out some past livestreams here! And you can always see when the next one is happening (and sign up for alerts!) at the Sewers of Paris twitter feed.

Weekly Debrief

There is WAY too much news happening in the world to stay on top of everything, and that's why I make Weekly Debrief to be a quick, easy, digestible roundup of the week's most important LGBTQ+ headlines that can make a difference in your life and the lives of folks like you. With your support, I produced dozens of weekly roundups this year, with action items at the end of every single one. Thank you SO MUCH for supporting these videos, staying informed about news that truly matters, and helping to make the world a better place!!!

Cozy Pants

Okay I'm the first to admit that this is probably the silliest of my projects. Cozy Pants is a Patrons-only  podcast where I chat with my partner James about what we're watching & working on for you... and also discuss Tyra Banks' incredibly weird fantasy novel, Modelland. It's super fun to let my hair down (or at least, what hair I have) with an unscripted chat, to respond to your questions, and to share a little slice of our lives on Cozy Pants.

Care Packages

I really love sending these out to you! New backers at the $7 level get a bundle in the mail when they sign up, with a postcard and stickers and a bookmark and a little note from me. And at the $20 level you get a signed copy of my book! It's such a pleasure to drop these little care packs in the mail to welcome new members, and I can't wait to send even more in 2020!

Looking Ahead to 2020

Speaking of 2020, I've got some great big things planned for the next year. Keep an eye out for a survey coming in the next few weeks -- I'll be asking for your input about what you like and what you want more of. 

And as always, please don't hesitate to get in touch if you have thoughts about topics I ought to cover, events I should check out, or content you'd like to see me make. I love having a direct connection to backers like you, and I wake up every single day feeling grateful that there are folks who believe in the work I'm doing and want me to continue. 

This year you've motivated me, taught me, and inspired me. I can't wait to continue working with you & for you in 2020!

With great affection,

Matt