It’s the DominiCAN, not the DominiCAN’T.

That’s what we told ourselves as we leapt off an 18-foot waterfall in the rainforest, with no waivers in sight. It capped off the craziest day of our Caribbean cruise — and frankly, our lives.

On this week’s episode, we’re recapping our day in the Dominican Republic, including an insane waterfall hike, and a colorful beach day with our biggest fan.

Thank you for reading, following, and listening!

With Pride,

Matt and Nathan

Thank you for following The Gay Lane. To support independent queer creators, please consider subscribing or making a donation. We take great Pride in authenticity and originality, and that means going the extra mile — or thousands of miles — to celebrate queer culture in unexpected places. This may sound simple, but it takes a great deal of intentional effort, time, and resources to bring this to life with the quality and care that we believe it deserves. Your support makes all the difference.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thegaylane.substack.com/subscribe

“We’ve been talking about butlers a lot lately, but it’s only because we’ve had them.”

Ahoy, listeners! This week, we’re setting sail on the MSC Grandiosa, cruising from Port Canaveral through the Caribbean. Buckle up, because it’s — quite literally — a bumpy ride.

Along the way, we attended LGBTQ+ get-togethers onboard, clung to the deck in gale-force winds, and wined and dined in Yacht Club, the upscale “cruise-within-a-cruise” portion of the ship. Was it a gay cruise? No, technically. But did we have a gay old time? Always.

Pop a Dramamine and tune in.

Thank you for reading, following, and listening!

With Pride,

Matt and Nathan

Thank you for following The Gay Lane. To support independent queer creators, please consider subscribing or making a donation. We take great Pride in authenticity and originality, and that means going the extra mile — or thousands of miles — to celebrate queer culture in unexpected places. This may sound simple, but it takes a great deal of intentional effort, time, and resources to bring this to life with the quality and care that we believe it deserves. Your support makes all the difference.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thegaylane.substack.com/subscribe

2026 marks the centennial of Route 66, and you better believe we’ll be celebrating ALL. YEAR. LONG.

Our first stop was a road trip through northern New Mexico, chasing neon lights and service stations from Tucumcari to Santa Fe and Albuquerque — with a Turquoise Trail detour in between. Along the way, we stayed in renovated motor courts, hung out at a gay bar on Route 66, hiked the Rio Grande, and listened to so much Bob Dylan.

Where we stayed: Roadrunner Lodge Motel, Piñon Court, ARRIVE Albuquerque

Where we ate/drank: Del’s Restaurant, La Reina, Nuckolls Brewing Co., Terra, Esquina, The Matador, Whoo’s Donuts, Mine Shaft Tavern, M’Tucci’s Bar Roma, Bow & Arrow Brewing Co., DWNTR Cocktail Bar & Lounge, Mac’s La Sierra, The Copper Lounge, Sidewinders Bar and Grill

Thank you for reading, following, and listening!

With Pride

Matt and Nathan

Thank you for following The Gay Lane. To support independent queer creators, please consider subscribing or making a donation. We take great Pride in authenticity and originality, and that means going the extra mile — or thousands of miles — to celebrate queer culture in unexpected places. This may sound simple, but it takes a great deal of intentional effort, time, and resources to bring this to life with the quality and care that we believe it deserves. Your support makes all the difference.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thegaylane.substack.com/subscribe

This week’s episode takes us south of the border, to the “Gay Capital of Mexico,” Puerto Vallarta.

We spent a few days at the gorgeous Hotel Mousai, where we floated in various bodies of infinity water, and paired our steaks with our Mexican wine, with the help of a Meat Sommelier, and we didn’t know what to do with our butler. Between the pools and the hot tub movies, we spent the day exploring Zona Romántica, the LGBTQ+ epicenter of the city, teeming with beachfront and bars — like The Banana Factory.

Also, Matt showed his butt.

Where we stayed: Hotel Mousai

Where we ate/drank: NOI, Bocados Steak House, Blanca Blue, The Banana Factory

Thank you for reading, following, and listening!

With Pride,

Matt and Nathan

Thank you for following The Gay Lane. To support independent queer creators, please consider subscribing or making a donation. We take great Pride in authenticity and originality, and that means going the extra mile — or thousands of miles — to celebrate queer culture in unexpected places. This may sound simple, but it takes a great deal of intentional effort, time, and resources to bring this to life with the quality and care that we believe it deserves. Your support makes all the difference.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thegaylane.substack.com/subscribe

Happy New Year!

Before the ball drops (ahem), we’re taking a stroll down memory lane, sharing our highlights of the year. We each picked five things that stood out to us, from special stops on our west coast road trip to treasured inns and parks.

This was also the year that we launched The Gay Lane, and we want to thank you all for your support — for listening, subscribing, following. It’s been such a joy sharing our stories with you, and we look forward to many more in the years to come.

We’ll see you in the new year, and see you down The Gay Lane.

With Pride,

Matt and Nathan

Thank you for following The Gay Lane. To support independent queer creators, please consider subscribing or making a donation. We take great Pride in authenticity and originality, and that means going the extra mile — or thousands of miles — to celebrate queer culture in unexpected places. This may sound simple, but it takes a great deal of intentional effort, time, and resources to bring this to life with the quality and care that we believe it deserves. Your support makes all the difference.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thegaylane.substack.com/subscribe

Happy holigays!

We’re halfway through December and chest-deep in Christmas movies. So let’s talk about some of our favorites! This week, we each picked three Christmas movies to discuss, from the idyllic holiday house in The Family Stone, to a very merry lesbian holiday in Carol. Some of these are comforting hate-watches, while others bring sincere joy. Along the way, I steal my brother’s girlfriend and we eat at the same Cincinnati steakhouse where Cate Blanchett chain-smoked.

Bundle up, pour yourself a mug of coffee, and settle in for some scorching-hot takes on our holiday essentials.

Thank you for reading, following, and listening!

With Pride,

Matt and Nathan

Thank you for following The Gay Lane. To support independent queer creators, please consider subscribing or making a donation. We take great Pride in authenticity and originality, and that means going the extra mile — or thousands of miles — to celebrate queer culture in unexpected places. This may sound simple, but it takes a great deal of intentional effort, time, and resources to bring this to life with the quality and care that we believe it deserves. Your support makes all the difference.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thegaylane.substack.com/subscribe

We’re getting a little spicy on the podcast this week!

On the heels of Matt’s zesty op-ed, The End of a Gayborhood Era, we wanted to delve a little deeper and talk more about why we’ve started to feel uncomfortable in traditional gay spaces, like gay bars, nightclubs, and gayborhoods. This is a big part of The Gay Lane ethos, and why we prefer to celebrate queer culture in unexpected places, so we want to articulate just what that means to us — and the kinds of alternative spaces we prefer instead.

Lately, huge Pride festivals and stereotypical gay bars have felt foreign. While important sanctuaries for many, including ourselves once, too often they feel complacent, exclusionary, and closed-minded. Worst, they feel like echo chambers devoid of diversity. So this week, we’re sharing our thoughts on the subject, and highlighting some queer-owned and allies spaces we love.

Places we love: Rainbow Cattle Company (Guerneville, California), The Study (Oklahoma City), The R&J Supper Club (Oklahoma City), Tiny Bubbles (Oklahoma City), Quicksand Bar à Vin (Orlando), Juice Wine Bar (Jacksonville), The Little Gay Pub (D.C. and Philadelphia), IBT’s (Tucson), Kweer (Zurich, Switzerland).

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thegaylane.substack.com/subscribe

After last week’s Disney World episode, we wanted to dedicate space for our time in Orlando proper. One of the more underrated — and frankly, misunderstood — cities in the U.S., Orlando is a beautiful, metropolitan, and immensely queer-friendly place, no matter how many rainbow crosswalks Ron DeSantis tries to erase.

This week, we’re recapping our time in Orlando for Pride last month, which was a HUGE spectacle. Maybe too huge? Lol. We detail our time at the downtown festival, where the parade and the crowds rivaled some of the bigger Prides we’ve been to.

Later, we escaped the hordes at the dreamiest wine bar (Quicksand), followed by the dreamiest bottle shop (Golden Hour), which so happens to be owned by the same creative force. Between sips of natural wine, and bites of jambon beurre, we lined up for brunch at LGBTQ+-owned Se7en Bites, which became a resounding voice of protest against the Pulse Memorial’s rainbow crosswalk erasure, and we had a home-cooked meal by some of our dearest friends anywhere.

Lastly, and bizarrely, we discuss the hotel we stayed at, the Sonder Wellborn, which apparently just abruptly closed all of its nationwide properties, and literally kicked guests out?! Crossing our fingers that an independent operator takes over that historic property near downtown Orlando!

Where we stayed: Sonder Wellborn (womp womp)

Where we ate/drank: Quicksand Bar à Vin, Se7en Bites, Golden Hour Wine, The Jones Dinette, Beefy King

Where we explored: Come Out With Pride Orlando

Thank you for reading, following, and listening!

With Pride,

Matt and Nathan

Thank you for following The Gay Lane. To support independent queer creators, please consider subscribing or making a donation. We take great Pride in authenticity and originality, and that means going the extra mile — or thousands of miles — to celebrate queer culture in unexpected places. This may sound simple, but it takes a great deal of intentional effort, time, and resources to bring this to life with the quality and care that we believe it deserves. Your support makes all the difference.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thegaylane.substack.com/subscribe

This week’s episode has it ALL!

For part two of our South Dakota podcast series, we’ve got Macklemore (!), we’ve got the world’s tiniest dog (?!), we’ve got Steven Spielberg (!), and we’ve got jackalopes (!). Most importantly, we’re returning to one of Matt’s most-visited — and favorite — national parks, Badlands National Park.

While the government remains shut down, parks like Badlands are largely open, albeit with limited resources and facilities. Trails are open, and while being extra diligent about our experience, ensuring we leave this place better than we found it, we hit the 10-mile Castle Trail, soaking in the sights of this Martian sandcastle wonderland.

We also hit up Wall Drug, a kitschy roadside labyrinth of souvenir shops, donuts, dinosaurs, and yes, a jackalope. And we spent time in Rapid City, western South Dakota’s urban hub, where we caught up with a friend, visited the world’s only “Pawnseum,” discovered the dive bar of our dreams, and saw an impromptu Macklemore concert for Indigenous Peoples’ Day. As one does!

Lastly, we romped over the Wyoming border to hike around Devils Tower National Monument — truly an otherworldly sight to behold. Have we mentioned we love South Dakota?!

Where we stayed: Silverado-Franklin Hotel & Gaming Complex

Where we ate/drank: Wall Drug, Independent Ale House, Windsor Block Bar, Brass Rail Lounge

Where we explored: Badlands National Park, Presidential Pawn, Devils Tower National Monument

Thank you for reading, following, and listening!

With Pride,

Matt and Nathan

Thank you for following The Gay Lane. To support independent queer creators, please consider subscribing or making a donation. We take great Pride in authenticity and originality, and that means going the extra mile — or thousands of miles — to celebrate queer culture in unexpected places. This may sound simple, but it takes a great deal of intentional effort, time, and resources to bring this to life with the quality and care that we believe it deserves. Your support makes all the difference.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thegaylane.substack.com/subscribe

This week we’ve got a huge episode for you!

South Dakota has long been one of Matt’s favorite places in the world. Need proof? Read his recent article about it! And just last week, we had the pleasure of visiting together for the first time. And it was everything.

We stayed in Deadwood, the historic mining town-turned-vice city, home to historic saloons, brothels, gambling halls, and hotels, like the Silverado-Franklin, where we stayed. We also roved around Custer State Park, and Black Hills National Forest, home to chiseled icons like Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse, as well as the wildest — and narrowest — scenic drives you’ll see.

For part one of our South Dakota episodes, we’re digging into it all, from paranormal tours (!) and brothel tours (!), to classic steakhouses, the vitality of Indigenous Peoples’ Day, and more!

Where we stayed: Silverado-Franklin Hotel & Gaming Complex

Where we ate/drank: Legends Steakhouse, Deadwood Social Club, Jacob’s Brewhouse, Buglin Bull, Pump House

Where we explored: Mount Moriah Cemetery, The Brothel Deadwood, the Historic Adams House, Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Crazy Horse Memorial, Custer State Park

Thank you for reading, following, and listening!

With Pride,

Matt and Nathan

Thank you for following The Gay Lane. To support independent queer creators, please consider subscribing or making a donation. We take great Pride in authenticity and originality, and that means going the extra mile — or thousands of miles — to celebrate queer culture in unexpected places. This may sound simple, but it takes a great deal of intentional effort, time, and resources to bring this to life with the quality and care that we believe it deserves. Your support makes all the difference.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thegaylane.substack.com/subscribe