OUTspoken’s Top Blog Posts for 2019

The end of the year means another list somewhere, and this blog is no exception. Since this blog is a mix of LGBT, Politics and Arts, the top 5 posts for 2019 according to page views are listed by category below. In addition, I returned to my roots with sports commentary and posted articles during the Washington Nationals’ historic championship run in October.   You may click on the title of each to access the full post.

LGBTQ

1.     Gay Christian Delivers Heavenly Performance on ‘Idol’ (March) -  Son of Christian pastor comes out as gay to national audience during audition for American Idol. Not only was this post the most viewed in the category but it was also the most viewed post of the year.

2.     A Prideful First for Howard County (April) - The first ever Pride celebration in Howard County is set to go.

3.     Straight Pride: Another Way to Mock LGBTQ Folks (June) -  Anti-LGBTQ people think they deserve to hold a “straight pride” event. Why this is wrong.

4.     Howard County H.S.Students to Hold First Rainbow Conference (July) -  First student-led LGBTQ conference in Howard County to be held in May 2020.

5.     Jumel Howard:Leading Howard County to Pride (May) - A profile on the man who started with a vision and helped bring LGBTQ Pride to Howard County for the first time.

Politics

1.     The Resume Myth (December)

Pete Buttigieg has been criticized for his lack of experience but recent elections show that the resume will not necessarily win an election.

2.      Trump’s Shutdown: Another Losing Bet (January) – https://stevecharing.blogspot.com/2019/01/trumps-shutdown-another-losing-bet.html

As had been the case throughout Trump’s career, the government shutdown he brought on his own, is destined to fail politically.

3.     Going on the Offense (May) - https://stevecharing.blogspot.com/2019/05/going-on-offense.html

For Dems to succeed, they must take it to Trump.

 

4.     Trump is Not as ‘Sharpie’ as He Thinks (September) - https://stevecharing.blogspot.com/2019/09/trump-is-not-as-sharpie-as-he-thinks.html

Trump’s use of a sharpie to falsify a hurricane warning demonstrates his profound degree of dishonesty brought attention to his other exaggerations and lies.

5.     Why Not, For Pete’s Sake (April) – https://stevecharing.blogspot.com/2019/04/why-not-for-petes-sake.html A case made for the candidacy for president of Mayor Pete Buttigieg right after he formally announced and his contrasts with President Trump.

Theatre

1.     Curtain Up! Light the Lights! Gypsy Comes Up Roses at Toby’s (February)- “Cathy Mundy’s ... acting is top-notch; full of passion and conviction and portrays the loud, single-minded stage mother to the hilt.”

2.     With Cabaret at Olney, Even the Orchestra is Beautiful (September) - “…An intricately staged, brilliantly costumed spectacle…”

3.     A First Class ‘Pygmalion’ on Display at Spotlighters  (February) - “In a superb presentation at the Spotlighters Theatre, Shaw’s views through Pygmalion come to life with a potent drama laced with razor-sharp wit and humor.”

4.     Hitting the Right Notes More Than ‘Once’ at Olney (February) - “Once is a different type of musical from what we’re accustomed and… features a tender romantic story of looking back at what has been, how to bounce back from despair and to try anew while beautiful songs fill the theater.”

5.     ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame' at Toby’s is a Bell Ringer (April) - “... An extraordinary production that captures your imagination from centuries past while serving as a reminder that many of the same human issues exist today.”

Sports

1.     The Pressure is More on the Dodgers in Game 5 (October 8) -  Facing elimination once again, the LA Dodgers were feeling more pressure than the Nationals.

2.     In Defense of Kershaw (October 10) -  Dodger fans blamed the Game 5 loss on Clayton Kershaw for blowing a lead, but there was plenty of blame to go around.

 

3.     How Sweep It Is (October 16)- The Nats exorcised past demons from the 2012 series with the St. Louis Cardinals to sweep their old nemesis in the 2019 NLCS.

4.     Kings of the Road (October 31) –  The Houston Astros and Washington Nationals set a Major League Record for winning all the away games in a 7-game World Series. Fortunately for the Nats they played one more of those games than the Astros.

5.     Nationals ‘Managed’ Historic Win in Wild Card (October 2) -  Nats manager Davey Martinez pulled all the right strings as the Nats won their first postseason series—the National League one-game Wild Card match over the Milwaukee Brewers.

Blasts from the Past

Besides those popular posts from 2019 (above), below are several posts from previous years still garnering many views in 2019 (in no particular order):

‘Boys Will be Boys’ on Sizzling Atlantis Cruise (February 2009) 

Baltimore LGBT Ally Surprised at‘Ellen Show’ (October 2017) 

‘Everwood’s’ Coming Out Scene Hits the Mark (April 2006) 

From Bally’s to Ballyhoo (July 2009) 

Sadness, Resignation Linger One Year After Hippo’s Closing (October 2016) 

Why Trump’s Purple Heart Comment is the Most Disqualifying(August 2016)