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Lesbian Farmer’s emu Emmanuel goes viral

Very quickly, “Emmanuel, don’t do it” became a popular catchphrase.

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Taylor Blake often posts pictures and videos of her rebellious emu on Instagram (Knuckle Bump Farms/ Instagram)

“God I love this lesbian and her bird son.” The tweet by comedian Danielle Radford got about 6,800 likes.

Hobby farmer Taylor Blake and her emu Emmanuel were first known in TikTok through Knuckle Bump Farm’s account but recently went viral. Over the week, the two adorable partners cracked up the web.

Blake started producing content online in 2013. Initially she simply showed her farm life and introduced some farm animals to the TikTok audience, until Emmanuel first, and slightly offensively, ran into the camera frame in early July.

@knucklebumpfarms Not a day goes by that Emanuel doesn’t try my life #emu #emusoftiktok #farmlife ♬ original sound – Knuckle Bump Farms

Sometimes, camera hater Emmanuel still chose to peck the camera down to the ground, despite Black urging not to “do it.”

@knucklebumpfarms Reply to @pdtheog is this what you wanted? Bc I have cow shit stuck in my phone speaker now😩 #emu #emmanuel #emusoftiktok #farmlife ♬ original sound – Knuckle Bump Farms

“Emmanuel, don’t do it” quickly became a popular catchphrase.

As Blake, a lesbian, told Washington Post, she grew up near her grandparents’ farm, and moved to help with their Knuckle Bump Farm with her girlfriend. 

Emmanuel came to the farm in 2015. As Blake introduced him, he is a “down-to-earth guy.”

“I don’t really think he cares [about being famous],” Blake said to the Post, “I have talked to him about it a few times, but he hasn’t really had much of a reaction. I think he’s just … adapting to this new life of fame.”

However, Blake admitted that she felt “overwhelmed” and “shocked” by the tremendous online response. She attributed her success to the fact that people needed an emotional vent from heavy, depressing news stories, such as the war in Ukraine. 

Blake depicted her video content as “fun, lighthearted,” where the audience “are not having to worry about politics, you’re not having to worry about all the terrible things that are going on in the world right now.”

Blake also clarified that Emmanuel’s appearances were not staged. Rather, he genuinely had an “obsession with the camera” — and “obsession with me. … No matter where I am … he always has to be right next to me,” Blake said.

@knucklebumpfarms People let me tell you bout my best friend 🤠 #emmanuel #emmanueldontdoit #emmanueltheemu #bestfriend ♬ Best friend by Harry Nilsson – PeterVigilante
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Books

A boy-meets-boy, family-mess story with heat

New book offers a stunning, satisfying love story

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(Book cover image courtesy of Random House)

‘When the Harvest Comes’
By Denne Michele Norris
c.2025, Random House
$28/304 pages

Happy is the bride the sun shines on.

Of all the clichés that exist about weddings, that’s the one that seems to make you smile the most. Just invoking good weather and bright sunshine feels like a cosmic blessing on the newlyweds and their future. It’s a happy omen for bride and groom or, as in the new book “When the Harvest Comes” by Denne Michele Norris, for groom and groom.

Davis Freeman never thought he could love or be loved like this.

He was wildly, wholeheartedly, mind-and-soul smitten with Everett Caldwell, and life was everything that Davis ever wanted. He was a successful symphony musician in New York. They had an apartment they enjoyed and friends they cherished. Now it was their wedding day, a day Davis had planned with the man he adored, the details almost down to the stitches in their attire. He’d even purchased a gorgeous wedding gown that he’d never risk wearing.

He knew that Everett’s family loved him a lot, but Davis didn’t dare tickle the fates with a white dress on their big day. Everett’s dad, just like Davis’s own father, had considerable reservations about his son marrying another man – although Everett’s father seemed to have come to terms with his son’s bisexuality. Davis’s father, whom Davis called the Reverend, never would. Years ago, father and son had a falling-out that destroyed any chance of peace between Davis and his dad; in fact, the door slammed shut to any reconciliation.

But Davis tried not to think about that. Not on his wedding day. Not, unbeknownst to him, as the Reverend was rushing toward the wedding venue, uninvited but not unrepentant. Not when there was an accident and the Reverend was killed, miles away and during the nuptials.

Davis didn’t know that, of course, as he was marrying the love of his life. Neither did Everett, who had familial problems of his own, including homophobic family members who tried (but failed) to pretend otherwise.

Happy is the groom the sun shines on. But when the storm comes, it can be impossible to remain sunny.

What can be said about “When the Harvest Comes?” It’s a romance with a bit of ghost-pepper-like heat that’s not there for the mere sake of titillation. It’s filled with drama, intrigue, hate, characters you want to just slap, and some in bad need of a hug.

In short, this book is quite stunning.

Author Denne Michele Norris offers a love story that’s everything you want in this genre, including partners you genuinely want to get to know, in situations that are real. This is done by putting readers inside the characters’ minds, letting Davis and Everett themselves explain why they acted as they did, mistakes and all. Don’t be surprised if you have to read the last few pages twice to best enjoy how things end. You won’t be sorry.

If you want a complicated, boy-meets-boy, family-mess kind of book with occasional heat, “When the Harvest Comes” is your book. Truly, this novel shines.

The Blade may receive commissions from qualifying purchases made via this post.

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Photos

PHOTOS: Victory Fund National Champagne Brunch

LGBTQ politicians gather for annual event

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Rep. Sarah McBride (D-Del.) speaks at the 2025 Victory Fund National Champagne Brunch. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

The Victory Fund held its National Champagne Brunch at the Ritz-Carlton on Sunday, April 27. Speakers included Tim Gunn, Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Gov. Wes Moore (D-Md.), Rep. Sarah McBride (D-Del.), Rep. Chris Pappas (D-N.H.) and Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.).

(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)

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Music & Concerts

Tom Goss returns with ‘Bear Friends Furever Tour’

Out singer/songwriter to perform at Red Bear Brewing Co.

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Singer Tom Goss is back. (Photo by Dusti Cunningham)

Singer Tom Goss will bring his “Bear Friends Furever Tour” to D.C. on Sunday, June 8 at 8 p.m. at Red Bear Brewing Co. 

Among the songs he will perform will be “Bear Soup,” the fourth installment in his beloved bear song anthology series. Following fan favorites like “Bears,” “Round in All the Right Places,” and “Nerdy Bear,” this high-energy, bass-thumping banger celebrates body positivity, joyful indulgence, and the vibrant spirit of the bear subculture.

For more details, visit Tom Goss’s website.

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