Sep 29, 20191 min read

BAMMER and Me: Edward Field, Gay Life in 1950s' NYC, (Part 3)

PODCAST—EPISODE 7: Ninety-five-year-old renowned poet Edward Field shares stories about gay life in NYC amid the social change of the...

Sep 24, 20195 min read

Ralfie

STORY: Our hearts resemble houses constructed by our parents. When we’re young and something breaks they repair the damage. As we get...

Sep 12, 20191 min read

BAMMER and Me: Edward Field, Gay Life after WWll (Part 2)

PODCAST—EPISODE 6: Renowned poet and author Edward Field discusses with Mike, his colorful and bohemian life after WW2, including his...

Aug 21, 20191 min read

BAMMER and Me: Edward Field, Life of a Gay Soldier in WWll (Part 1)

PODCAST—EPISODE 5: Mike Balaban interviews renowned poet and author Edward Field. At 95 years old, Edward shares his experiences as a gay...

Aug 8, 20196 min read

Angels and Demons

STORY: We five were an unusual gang—“the famous five”—as we liked to call ourselves. It was comprised of me, my best friend Mark, his...

Aug 4, 20191 min read

BAMMER and Me: Caleb Holland, Coming Out (Part 2)

PODCAST—EPISODE 4: Our first episode is about cross-generational perspectives on LGBTQ issues and themes between Mike Balaban and 25 y.o....

Jul 9, 20191 min read

BAMMER and Me: Author David Nimmons Discusses Gay Community

PODCAST—EPISODE 3: Mike interviews Dave Nimmons on gay male bonding and how gay men can find meaningful ways to connect and create...

Jun 27, 20191 min read

BAMMER and ME: Eric Sawyer and the Queer Liberation March

PODCAST—EPISODE 2: Mike talks with LGBT Activist Eric Sawyer about the Queer Liberation March on Sunday, June 30, 2019, which ran three...

Jun 25, 20193 min read

Fifty Years Ago

STORY: Fifty years ago this week the Stonewall Riots took place. I do not recall hearing about these events at the time, as my mind was...

Jun 8, 20191 min read

BAMMER and Me: Caleb Holland, Self Discovery (Part 1)

PODCAST—EPISODE 1: Our first episode is about cross-generational perspectives on LGBTQ issues and themes between Mike Balaban and...

Jun 6, 20197 min read

Like a Virgin

STORY: Like most young men in America, I had gone my entire life believing I was meant to be with a woman. I had some satisfying sexual...

May 30, 20195 min read

Independence Day

STORY: “Catherine and I had been together for seven years. It had been a hard relationship since the second-parent adoption and I was...

May 4, 20193 min read

A Brief Encounter (Istanbul 2015)

STORY: A good friend once told me, “Never trust a married man. Just by being involved with you, lying is part of who he is.” Sexual...

Apr 28, 20194 min read

On Trial

STORY: It was like being naked and shot at by a firing squad. The year is 2010 and I am in court, battling for the custody of my...

Mar 21, 20194 min read

Ben, Minnie, and Ben’s Guardian Angel

STORY: Gananoque, Ontario (2015)—It was my last day in Canada before returning to the United States. Driving south on the Queen Elizabeth...

Mar 4, 20191 min read

Gay Life in Brooklyn in the 1800s – New Exhibition Opening

COMMENTARY: When someone says gay community in NYC we think of Greenwich Village in the 70s and Chelsea in the 90s, but Brooklyn in the...

Mar 3, 20194 min read

Holding Our Ground at Mardi Gras

COMMENTARY: Just a week before Mardi Gras in 2019, two of New Orleans' most popular gays bars were getting harassed. According to Bobby...

Feb 13, 20193 min read

Who Exactly is Our Tribe? The Evolution from Gay to LGBTQ

COMMENTARY: When I was coming out in the late ‘70s, I was part of a large community that included men of different ages, races,...

Feb 9, 20194 min read

Soothsayer

STORY: “Ya know, I can see it all. You and that girly little voice…You’re gonna’ grow up to be a faggot.” I was 12, on the verge of 13,...

Feb 8, 20191 min read

Barbra “Babs” Siperstein, R.I.P

COMMENTARY: Barbra “Babs” Siperstein, a founding member of Bammer.co‘s Advisory Board, passed away on February 3, 2019, due to cancer....