I missed National Coming Out Day in the U.S. (SJR reminded me). Some way that everyone can enjoy the celebration is to expand their musical horizons a little.

I ran an LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) radio show for five years, and, in that time, I came to appreciate that music made by queer artists taps in to visceral gender dynamics that other artists don't seem to be aware of. These themes speak to me and they may speak to you.

Sacha Sacket. I ran in to this guy when he was touring the country, living out of his car. He made a stop in KC and I swung by the little mini-concert on a college campus. My favorite album is Shadowed; the first track, The Prodigal, gives me chills. Cruel Attempt, reminds me what it's like to be on the receiving end of objectification: to be the chicken to someone else's hawk. Hallowed from Lovers & Leaders reminds me of the approval and mentorship that is sometimes terrifyingly absent in our lives when we're vulnerable.

A recent addition to my favorites list is a recent entrant to the world stage: Antony and The Johnsons. Much critical acclaim has been made of her album, I Am a Bird Now, and I can't disagree. It's stunning. The track that gets a lot of attention is For Today I am A Boy and deservedly so. But there are other gems here: Spiralling, with Antony's haunting voice, is affecting. Bird Gerhl is full of pain and hope.

The post brought to you in the spirit of Harvey Milk.

In other news, I made it back home from GNOME Boston Summit 2009 and I will be activating LightsOff by default and the merging the Gnibbles rewrite tomorrow.