Trump supporters are no friends of mine

It's ironic that many Trump supporters call us snowflakes when we stand up against them for supporting Trump's racism, sexism, LGBTQ hate and more. They say we're being over-sensitive and that they're only using freedom of speech. Yet, when we choose to unfriend people supporting disgusting views, they whine about us being "bullies" for not respecting their opinions.

But is freedom of speech only for Trump supporters?

I'm old enough to decide who I'm friends with or not. That doesn't make me a bad person. I can work with people of different opinions, and be friends with some of them, but there is a limit for me. Especially, as a gay man, I take offence in people voting for someone who's made it so much worse for people like me.

Biden may not be perfect, but I can not be friends with people who vote for a man like Trump. He is a racist, sexist, bigot and his followers seem to believe all of his lies. But we're not allowed to tell them so or unfriend them for voting for hate, then we are mean people.

It's clear to me that Trump supporters are the snowflakes in this world.



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When anti-racists behave badly

It's so sad when people you've looked up to, who say that they are against racism and injustices, use words like "retard" and "gay" to make fun of people they dislike, like Donald Trump and his supporters for example.

Don't get me wrong. I think that Trump is awful. A clown and a bigot. And I'm not fond of his supporters either. But calling him a "retard" is just as bad as when Trump made fun of a reporter who was disabled. It sends out the wrong message and makes you look silly.

Sadly, when I called them out for it, saying they should know better, I got a condescending reply and the typical comment: "But you should be able to joke about everything."

Well, feel free to call me a "snowflake" all you want (like Trump supporters often do when they are criticised for being offensive), but I disagree. I think that gay and disabled people should have the interpretive precedence when it comes to these cases.

Like I said, I can't stand Trump and I think his supporters are selfish to ignore all his bigotry. But I wouldn't make jokes about them that put minorities down. It's much more intelligent to criticise people for their actions and stupid ideas instead of personal attacks that just spread more hate towards minorities.



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Mean gays

Some gays can be really mean, which is sad, because it would be so much better if we LGBTQ people supported each other instead. But I guess it's an insecurity, putting others down to cope with having been discriminated and bullied yourself. Spread love instead of bitchiness.

And to clarify: I'm not talking about all gay guys. I have many wonderful gay friends too. It's just sad that many gays, especially online, can be so mean to others in the community. Being bitchy is not cool in my eyes.



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A lot has happened

It's been a while since I wrote something more personal. A lot has happened in my life, so much that I can't write it all down. But one exciting thing is that I have stared a new job at a historical archive and I really like it there. But I miss my dear friends at the newspaper, of course. But we keep in touch and try to meet as often as possible. Here is a photo from a recent visit to the art gallery in Sandviken:



Last Saturday, I got a visit from my dear friends Henri and Solan from Stockholm. They spent the evening with me and my sister in Gävle. We showed them around town and then had dinner and drinks at an Italian restaurant. We laughed so much that we might have scared some of the other customers away. Later that evening we went to a pub near the train station where we had more drinks and Henri did his hilarious impersonation of Swedish icon Lill-Babs. We all agreed that Henri deserves his own YouTube show.

Check out the divas Diana, Henri and Solan in Gävle:



And finally it seems like spring has arrived in Sweden. I really love the fact that the days are getting brighter and sunnier. The snow is almost gone now. I am so tired of snow and darkness. I'm guessing you are too. Here is a photo of Gävle that I took about a week ago, on my way to work:



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Adventure in Hälsingland

On November 4, me and my wonderful friends Anne and Christina went on a roadtrip to Hälsingland where we visited our colleague Fredrik. He lives outside the town of Söderhamn where he runs "The world's smallest museum of fisherman paintings". It was really fun and interesting. Check out this photo of Anne and Christina inside the little museum:



We also got a tour of Fredrik's lovely house where we met his wonderful two Devon Rex cats. So adorable. Christina fell in love and tried to smuggle this cutie into her bag:



We couldn't go back home without checking out the town of Söderhamn, so we took a long walk through the center and had dinner at a coffee shop. Here is one of the beautiful buildings in Söderhamn:



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Hellströms in Furuvik

Me, mum and my sister Diana spent our Saturday in Furuviksparken, a big park and zoo near Gävle. We always used to go there as kids so it was quite nostalgic to be back there. It was like being a kid again. Here are some photos from the day.

Mum and Diana in front of the lemurs who were quite social. Behind them is an old building called Kyrkan (The Church) built in 1901:



We got really close to the animals and they were all so cute:



Diana and her new friend:



The Hellströms love a good coffee "fika" break:



The perfect end to a lovely day. Mum won a stuffed pineapple for Diana, just the one she was hoping for:



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Getting back to work, bitch

Returning to work after the summer holiday is always filled with mixed feelings. But it helps a lot if you have great co-workers, which I do. Laughing is the best medicine and the first day of work was luckily full of it. My summer was quite good in spite of the Swedish heatwave, but I have mainly focused on doing stuff that makes me happy.

One thing that made me very happy was attending Britney Spears' "Piece Of Me" concert at Göransson Arena in my home town Sandviken. It was a great show, as usual, and we met a lot of friends there, even making a couple of new ones. It was a magical evening.

Some people have been overly negative about the concert though. Some seem surprised to learn that Britney usually don't sing live, mainly due to the dance routines. This isn't news. Have these guys been living under a rock the past twenty years? Well, each to their own, I guess. I, for one, loved the show.

Here is a rare live video by Britney, for those who think she can't really sing:



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My name day

Today is my name day. This isn't such a big deal these days. When I was a kid, me, mum and my sister Diana used to go to my grandmother and grandfather's summer house and have a big celebration with cake and gifts, since many of us had the same name days around this time.

Nowadays, I don't really celebrate it. But someone remembered it. My sweet grandmother Sylvia came home from the store today with a beautiful bouquet of flowers and a cake, saying "happy name day". Isn't she the sweetest?



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Hello in the heat

I know, it's been ages since I wrote something personal in my blog so it's about time. I've had quite a good summer so far, even though the heat has done my head in. As you know, it's been hot as hell in Europe and Sweden is no exception. As much as I love sunshine and good weather, I usually feel sick when it gets "too hot".

I totally respect people who are enjoying this heatwave, but for me personally, it gets a bit much. However, it seems like it's getting a bit cooler now. I just got back from a long walk where it started raining like hell. It felt great to get cooled down by nature's shower.

What have I been up to lately? I have mainly relaxed and enjoyed my holiday, met a few friends, seen loads of movies and listened to a lot of music. Next weekend, Britney Spears is coming to my town Sandviken with her Las Vegas show and I'm going with my sister. I've been a fan since 1998, so I'm very excited.

Have a wonderful summer!

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New year, new music

So we have finally said goodbye to 2016. To be honest, I'm kind of glad the year is over. It has been quite a tragic year filled with hate and violence all over the world. I really hope that 2017 will be much better, with more peace, tolerance and love for everyone. It might sound naive, but I'm not ready to give up on humanity just yet.

My 2017 started off great. Yesterday, I spent the day with Larry in the studio in Gävle recording three new songs for our upcoming EP "Conquer The Universe". The new tracks are called "When Did Your Heart Grow Cold?", "I'll Be Your Satellite" and "If You Were A War". They are, of course, retro synthpop and Hi-NRG, inspired by the eighties sound.

I really love working with Larry because he makes me feel safe in the studio. He encourages me and brings out the best of me while recording. I love it every time Larry says: "The song got much better now when your vocals have been added to the mix." It warms my heart.

Happy new year and have a fabulous 2017!

Christmas 2016

Dear friends, I just wanted to wish you all a merry Christmas and a happy new year! I hope you have had a good and relaxing weekend. I sure have. I celebrated Christmas with my family, as usual, with too much food, candy and laughter.

From the right: Mum, Diana, Mattias and grandma:



And it wouldn't be Christmas without a photo of the world's best grandmother:



And this is what our Christmas tree looked like this year:

Welcome, December

We have finally left the dark and gloomy month of November behind and welcomed December. The sun has been shining the past few days so we're off to a good start. And I've finished all Christmas shopping so I hope I'll be able to relax and enjoy the rest of the month.

Last Thursday, I visited my sister at a Christmas market in Gävle where she sold her own jewellery. You can order her stuff from Diana Design on Facebook. Here she is, my darling sister:



Last Sunday, I went to Sandviken's local Christmas market. Sadly, it seems to be getting smaller and smaller each passing year. But at least I enjoyed it with my family. As usual, the flower shop had the best looking decorations:



After the market was over, my dear friend Louise came over for coffee and cake. It was a lovely afternoon. Here is a photo of the world's best grandmother at the market:

If they knew, I think they would be impressed

I used to worry that people who didn't know me well – like classmates and co-workers – would find me weird or asocial because I sometimes have the need to keep to myself, to recharge my batteries. But now I just say to myself: "Let people think whatever they like. They don't know what I go through on a daily basis just to get to work. If they did, I think they would be impressed."

That being said, me suffering from periodic depression and anxiety doesn't mean that I'm always sad or that I'm made of glass. I'm just a bit fragile at times. But then again, aren't we all?

Vlog: Snow chaos in Sweden

I've made a little video to show you what winter looks like, right now outside my window. I live in the town of Sandviken, near Gävle, in Gästrikland in Sweden.

One thousand Twitter followers

The other day I received a notification from Twitter telling me I had reached one thousand followers on Twitter. It really cheered me up! I started tweeting back in 2009 and have written close to twenty-eight thousand tweets about everything from music, movies and TV series I like, to LGBT rights and updates about mine and Larry Forsberg's synthpop project Eurotix.

It may not be a lot compared to famous people on Twitter, but to me it's huge. So I would like to thank all of you who are following me on Twitter. It means a lot to me.

One year since Charlotta left us

I can't believe it's been a year and a day since my dear friend Charlotta Cederlöf passed away. I can't find the words to explain how much I miss her, she's on my mind every day. I recently found this postcard she sent me for Christmas back in 2013. It shows her own embroidery art of a character from "Game Of Thrones":



The Eurotix track "Let's Die Young" was a tribute to CC and the way she felt back in the eighties. Considering how she died, I can't listen to the song without tearing up:

Homophobe, time to man up

I came across the following comment on a forum about a TV series:

"Gay kissing. I mean, really, does the general viewing public want to see this? Call me a homophobe. I don't want to see it. Turned me off to an otherwise watchable show."

I just had to write a reply:

"I'm gay and I don't want to see negative, stupid comments like yours. So I guess we're even. Yes, you might be a homophobe, but more than that, you're a coward and an insensitive person. I'm not offended by all the straight kissing that dominate TV in general. So I wish you would just cut the crap, man up and realise that people are different.

Gay love shouldn't be hidden away just because it's not your 'cup of tea'. Gay people exist. That's life. Just accept it and your life will be a lot better, trust me. It will save you a lot of anger and pain. It might even help you gain some new, interesting friends."

Christmas 2015

I hope you've all had a wonderful Christmas! In Sweden we celebrate on the 24th, so I spent Christmas Eve together with mother, grandmother and my uncle Toni. We had too much food and sweets, of course. On Christmas Day, my sister Diana and her boyfriend stopped by, so we got to celebrate twice this year. We ended the evening watching the horror classic "Black Christmas".

Here are some of my Christmas gifts:



I love the Bananarama and Stock Aitken Waterman singles box sets. Sixty-four CD's of pure disco-pop heaven:



My favourite girls, mum and grandma:



My sister and her boyfriend, opening gifts:



And finally a photo of our Christmas tree:

Me and Marilyn Monroe

Ever since I was a little boy, I have looked up to Marilyn Monroe. Not just because on her talent and icon status, but because I saw myself in her. I'm not talking about her looks, obviously, since I'm not even half as beautiful as she was. I'm talking about relating to her on a personal level.

Most people think of Marilyn Monroe as just a glamorous sex symbol, the "dumb blonde" who had an affair with the president. Personally, I'm much more interested in the woman behind the glamour and beauty. The sensitive and sometimes fragile woman who fought to be taken seriously and who went through so much pain in her life. The woman who tried her best to survive in a world where sensitivity is seen as a weakness.

I don't know who the real Marilyn was. No one does, at least not completely. But I have my own interpretation of who she was, and that's the Marilyn I relate to. I know it sounds silly, but sometimes it feels like I have a special connection with Marilyn, like I know her. I guess all fans feel that way, but still...

Reading about Marilyn, watching her movies, listening to her music and reading her poems really helps me cope when I'm feeling blue. It makes me feel less alone, like someone out there really understands me, even if it's just an illusion.

In loving memory of Marilyn Monroe (1926-1962)



Marilyn Monroe... and me.

I will never stop

People may think I'm "too political" in some of my posts on Facebook and Twitter. Well, honestly, I couldn't care less. For me, speaking up against homophobia, racism, sexism and bullying is essential and I will never stop doing the right thing.

I believe that if we want the world to change for the better, we need to speak up against injustices, even if some people are bothered by it.