It [was] December 22nd…[in some places, anyway]…
I am at a loss, as to why this did not go out to the main blog, when I published it a couple of days ago…I’m going to re-post it now.
Today is the winter solstice…chosen day of commemoration, for International Boy Love Day.
May today be wonderful for all of you, and may you spend it with someone special.
In celebration, I am debuting my links page prior to the official opening. [Yes, a cheap plug. 😉 ]
Observation of International Boy Love Day began back in 1998. Having taken part in that first IBLD, it is quite something to look back and realize that next year will be a benchmark, as the tenth anniversary of the first IBLD.
In spite of a few small changes, a bit of community squabbling and the awkwardness of having two different observations (the summer solstice, for the Northern hemisphere, and the winter solstice for the Southern hemisphere), this day has not just survived, but it has thrived.
We have established our own bit of culture and heritage in IBLD, which is every bit as important as our reasons for observance…and it makes this day all the more monumental.
So, I hope you will join in on this special day…maybe light a blue candle…
…but enjoy this day, because it is our day…
I hope things went wonderfully for everyone, whether you had the observation or not.
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On a Seasonal note…5 comments on "It [was] December 22nd…[in some places, anyway]…"
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So what does one do on “International Boylove Day”?
A good question, Oliver.
I will let a couple of long established resources on IBLD explain this.
http://www.daretospeak.net/ibld/celebrate.htm
…and…
http://www.ibld.net/
The oldest custom is to light a blue candle…and some people have done this in public places.
The first IBLD, I left several blue candles (unlit) around town, with a small note directing people to a web page I’d created (my first web page, directly dealing with man/boy love).
Since then, there have been concerns arising, after the more anal people (who target us) started getting off on encouraging anyone who witnesses us doing this, to exploit technicalities in the law, and call the cops…because we supposedly “littered”, or “left an unattended fire”…or “were not licensed to have a fire in public”, etc, etc…
Now, granted, you should never leave an unattended fire…but, a few of the anti-IBLD sites out there would almost come off like dumb satire, if you did not know what the people behind these sites really are like. They are very serious, about being as anal as possible, for the sole purpose of harassing those who publicly observe IBLD.
Consequentially, it has evolved into more of a private affair, amongst Boylovers and those in their lives (including boys) who share in this struggle for freedom.
How you go about this, is personal to every individual and group which gets together.
There is no real rule…but, of those of us who recognise and commemorate the day, a blue candle is a common theme, which most of us seem to still adhere to.
For me, I now make a direct note of the day on my website (I’ve done this several times over)…and I will probably develop an actual page, dedicated to this day.
Many BLs spend the day with their YFs, and/or other BL’s and maybe their YFs (young friends…boys…for those unaware) too.
Personally, I do not have a YF nor am I in close proximity to other BLs…so, I use the opportunity to resurface in my old, online haunts…maybe go to Lifeline and intermingle live with the crowd there…find an old friend and catch up on things.
This day is good for various things…including bring people who rarely show themselves, back to the online community…even if only for a day…It is kind of like a bond…It is a bonding thing.
You can make donations to your favorite charity…do something nice for children, etc, etc, etc…
If I had to give an example to base off of…I would say, think of Earth Day in the sense that you are free to express your commemoration in the way you feel is best…but mix that idea with something like Hanukkah, in the sense that it is directed towards a specific type of group, and not the larger public…though the larger public are free to participate, and I would say that open minded members of the public should be encouraged to do so (once they know what IBLD is, what it means and decide that they want to take part).
Anyway…It should be noted that it is hard to get a lot of IBLD traditions established, since we are all so scattered, and apart from each other…a lot of people also lack the nerve to do much in the public eye.
But, IBLD is still relatively new…Those of us who were there in the beginning, and who continue to celebrate it, are “keepers of the flame”…so to speak. We keep this excellent idea alive…and bring it to the attention of other BLs…as well as the larger public.
I think, the first few years were just kind of the fun, relaxed and leisurely establishment, where we had a window of grace to do our thing without worry.
Then the bigots started in, and IBLD started gaining more and more attention…hence, now we are in more of a phase, where we are pushing this day into greater public awareness.
…That is the way I see it, anyway.
We’ve had to do some adapting because of hostile groups and hostile people, but…this kind of hostility, is not so much different from how NAMBLA has been bared from gay pride parades in more recent years.
It is a great concept, and it is a very real thing.
As a side note, Girl-Lovers constituted their own day, “Alice Day”, in more recent years. I don’t have much information about their customs, however.
I hope you had a happy I.B.L.D. Steve. Forward in liberation.
Steve, I like your links page, especially the clever strip background and subpages which make it easy to navigate.
“So what does one do on “International Boylove Day”?”
I would also add that a good way of celebrating the day is to make love to a beautiful boy (legal of course).
Thank you Viamund. It went well, and likewise, I hope the day was a good one for you, too.
Daniel, thank you.
I’m glad to get feedback. The design, like a lot of pages I’ve put together, was more a matter of trying out a lot of different things, and stumbling across something that looked cool.
I love the effect, too…actually, I had to alter that graphic a bit, in order to make it like it currently is…but, I love the 3D effect…It’s like a slab of stone.
…and the in page links, yes, those are really cool aren’t they? I discovered the utility of these things quite a few years ago, took down the information on how to do them, and told myself that eventually I would actually use this in some project I did online…
…about six or seven years later…well, better late than never. 🙂
I decided to use it in this instance, because I wanted something alphabetical and categorized, to help people easily find the different sections…but the way I originally built the list, is in a sequence (if you just start at the top, and scroll down) which I personally find to make most sense…The first section you come to, these are the places I would first chose to send a person, seeking information on man/boy love, and so forth.
I generally tried to put the informational, professional web resources before everything else. But, it feels like a jumble, if you just want to find a certain type of site. So, I made it easier to navigate.
Ditto on the beautiful boy. 🙂