Coloring + Loving Outside The Lines

Celebrating "Love Is Love" Today + Everyday

Feb 14, 2025

Valentine’s Day is here, dear. And since some of us identify as queer, let’s cheer!

Whether you’re celebrating with a special someone, friends, or simply embracing the power of self-love, it's the perfect time to reflect on the many forms of love that make life so beautiful and colorful.

Here at Collide Press, I celebrate love in all shapes and sizes.
Today is all about honoring it in whatever way feels meaningful to you.

VALENTINE’S DAY = READER SUBMISSIONS

“It’s 1957, and these servicemen are on shore leave. The USS Essex CV-9 is in San Diego, and it’s a rite of passage for young men to carouse in the legendary bar The Hole in the Wall. That happy guy in the light suit, third from our left, is the finest man who ever drew breath….. He’s an Ordinance Officer on the Essex. Four years in his future, he’ll father me, and early in my adolescence, he’ll know I’m gay. And I can only wish that all gay men enjoyed the blessing of such absolutely loving and nonjudgmental parents as I had.”
Grant Tarredus

“Only love heals: Love everyone, everywhere, no exceptions.”
Keith Voos

“To my future Valentine husband...
I shall love you to Uranus and back again...
Together we shall conquer all hand in hand...
While the sands of time around us spin and spin...”
JR

To help set the mood, I found a curated playlist filled with love songs that capture a wide range of emotions. Whether you’re basking in romance or just in the mood for some sweet tunes, this playlist has something for everyone:

However you celebrate or remember love, don’t forget to smell the roses.

They’re lovely…just like you, boo!
Clint 🌈✌️

SPECIAL VALENTINE’S DAY LOVE + LIGHT
Douglas Thompson, Dr Ray Lightbown, Steven Wells, Nik, Clarke Fountain, Sam L. Archer, Mark Edward Randall, Anton, Dennis Dunnum, Fred Fahrquart, David P Bangtson, D. C. Wilkinson, Mr. Troy Ford, Dan Pal, Donald Auguston, allen, Robin Taylor (he/him), Ty (He/Him), Rogue Art Historian, PJ and Thomas, Allen Jackson, Nick Gardner, Aidan Wharton…and so many more!
Thank you all for being a friend!

ON THIS DAY = FEBRUARY 14

BIRTHDAYS

1818 = Frederick Douglass = American abolitionist, writer, and statesman
1921 = Hugh Downs = American journalist, game show host, and producer
1934 = Florence Henderson = American actor and singer
1944 = Carl Bernstein = American journalist and author
1957 = Ken Wahl = American actor
1959 = Renée Fleming = American soprano and actor
1962 = Kevyn Aucoin = American makeup artist and author 🌈
1970 = Simon Pegg = English actor, director, and producer
1972 = Rob Thomas = American singer-songwriter
1980 = Josh Senter = American screenwriter and producer 🌈
1992 = Freddie Highmore = English actor

EVENTS

1849 = James Knox Polk becomes the first POTUS to have his photograph taken.
1876 = Alexander Graham Bell applies for a patent for the telephone.
1924 = The Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company changes its name to International Business Machines Corporation (IBM).
1931 = Dracula, starring Bela Lugosi, is released in theaters.
1953 = British-American writer Christopher Isherwood, 48, meets portrait artist Don Bachardy, 18. Their relationship continues until Isherwood’s death in 1986.
1953 = Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon move in together. They cofound Daughters of Bilitis in 1955 and become the first same-sex couple to be legally married in the US in 2004.
1991 = San Francisco becomes first to register same-sex domestic partnerships.
1991 = The Silence of the Lambs is released in theaters.
2005 = YouTube was founded by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim.

HOLIDAYS + OBSERVANCES

PHOTO + QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Today I choose life. Every morning when I wake up I can choose joy, happiness, negativity, pain... To feel the freedom that comes from being able to continue to make mistakes and choices - today I choose to feel life, not to deny my humanity but embrace it.”
Kevyn Aucoin