Hi! Happy Friday to those who celebrate. (This is my long weekend to work, so I am typing this from my desk.)

With some recent answers in the poll (see previous post - it’s still live for voting), it appears as if y’all want a quarterly book club - to which I can make happen. I know we’re a month and a half into Q2, so I have chosen a small book in length but rich in history and importance:

Our inaugural Not A Phase Books Quarter 2 book club pick will be Merle Miller’s On Being Different: What It Means To Be A Homosexual; originally published in 1971 as an essay in The New York Times in defense of an article by Joseph Epstein condemning homosexuals written for Harper's Magazine.

In a time where being part of the LGBTQIA+ community is dangerous, I felt compelled to recall this book and how, in a period where The Stonewall Riots were happening on the cusp of The Civil Rights Movement, changes were happening, people were speaking out and speaking up, and fighting for our very rights that are being stripped away today that they fought so hard to receive.

I'd love for you to join me on Discord to discuss this book further. We will go in depth from the two articles that started it all, to what it means to be part of a growing queer community in 2026 and beyond.

I look forward to seeing you all over there.

With all my trans joy,

Sawyer Cole