{"id":205753,"date":"2024-05-30T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-05-30T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lavendermagazine.com\/?p=205753"},"modified":"2024-05-30T08:43:34","modified_gmt":"2024-05-30T13:43:34","slug":"a-day-in-the-life-michael-lee","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lavendermagazine.com\/our-lives\/a-day-in-the-life-michael-lee\/","title":{"rendered":"A Day In The Life: Michael Lee"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Where did you grow up?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Michigan, but I\u2019ve lived in Minnesota for 20 years now. Does that make me local yet? (kidding)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where do you live?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I own a house in South Minneapolis, close to Powderhorn and the Midtown Global Market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who do you live with?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

My dog Bella, and Captain, my ginger tabby cat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is your occupation?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve spent most of the last decade researching and writing my first book, which will be coming out in 2024. I also teach part-time at Saint Mary\u2019s University of Minnesota and maintain a small professional grant writing business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When did you come out?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I was almost 18! Hard to believe that was nearly 30 years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How\u2019d that go?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the first time, I felt like I\u2019d found friends who really understood me. There were challenges, but overall, it was very empowering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When do you wake up?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Usually around 8 am.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Phone alarm or old school alarm?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Neither? My body wakes me up on a pretty regular schedule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s the first thing you do in the morning?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Make my pot of tea \u2013 Earl Grey, hot, with a squeeze of lemon juice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Breakfast?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It varies, but usually oatmeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coffee?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As an afternoon treat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cream or no?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fattest dairy you\u2019ve got, please.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How do you spend your commute?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I teach in the classroom, the commute is about 6 blocks. Otherwise, I go from the kitchen to my home office (cold weather) or our 3-season porch (warm weather).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What do you nerd out for (gaming, music, history, etc.)?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

History and politics (especially LGBTQ+), some sci fi (Star Trek, Star Wars, Doctor Who<\/em>), or just having good, personal conversations with people. I\u2019m fine with skipping the small talk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What music have you been digging lately?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m a nostalgia kind of guy. I like to stream old \u201cBest of American Top 40\u201d broadcasts with Casey Kasem. There was so much great music that\u2019s been forgotten!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is your work space tidy or a hot mess?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I think of it as a balancing act. Tidy with some chaos around the edges? If you open the cabinet under my desk, you\u2019ll be cleaning it up yourself!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s been your favorite job?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Author, without a doubt. Some people might remember me from working on the Minnesota AIDS Walk for several years. But I love research and writing, especially nonfiction\/biography.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Favorite weeknight meal: Go out, take out, or cook in?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I do love to cook, but going through the COVID lockdown made me appreciate delivery more \u2013 not to mention the people who make and bring our food. Always tip!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On a usual weeknight, you are doing what?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Either watching TV or enjoying the porch or backyard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bedtime?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Set the stopwatch around 10:30. By 11:30, I\u2019ve usually turned into a pumpkin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Favorite weekend activity?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Depends on time of year. Fall? I live and die with Michigan State athletics. Lately this has had its challenges, but I love my Alma Mater, the Green and White.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What are you most proud of, and why?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

My book, which will be the first mass-market biography of Randy Shilts, the pioneering gay journalist who wrote The Mayor of Castro Street,<\/em> And the Band Played On, <\/em>and Conduct Unbecoming.<\/em> I\u2019ve visited several interesting archives and interviewed many fascinating people who knew Randy. To have the experience of turning that raw material into a narrative feels really profound!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Words of wisdom to share:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keep healthy boundaries. Assume that everyone you encounter is struggling with something that others might not be perceiving. Remember to ask for what you need.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Where did you grow up? Michigan, but I\u2019ve lived in Minnesota for 20 years now. Does that make me local yet? (kidding) Where do you live? I own a house in South Minneapolis, close to Powderhorn and the Midtown Global Market. Who do you live with? My dog Bella, and Captain, my ginger tabby cat.…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":106,"featured_media":226324,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","wds_primary_category":278},"categories":[170,140],"tags":[17635],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lavendermagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/205753"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lavendermagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lavendermagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lavendermagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/106"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lavendermagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=205753"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/lavendermagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/205753\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":226066,"href":"https:\/\/lavendermagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/205753\/revisions\/226066"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lavendermagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/226324"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lavendermagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=205753"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lavendermagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=205753"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lavendermagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=205753"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}