Wish Lawrence Winnerman a Happy Birthday!

Today is Lawrence Winnerman’s birthday!!

I wanted to celebrate him Substack-style so I asked a bunch of our pals here to write a note to him to wish him a happy birthday. Aidan Wharton and I are going to read them aloud to him on The Daily Whatever Show and if this works as planned, he’s going to weep happy tears.

So let’s jump in! And please feel free to chime in with more birthday greetings in the comments.

Let’s ensure Lawrence knows how much we love and value him.

Happy birthday, Lawrence—from all of us!

Happy Birthday Lawrence. I hope it is as blessed and as beautiful as is your heart and soul. Godspeed brother! Best regards - Qasim Rashid, Esq.

In a world where we so badly need it, every smile, every laugh, every note of hope matters. Happy birthday and thanks for being a bringer of all three! - Bree Fram

Lawrence, when I first approached the idea of meeting you, I was intimidated by the big burly-looking man that you are. But when I met you, you were actually one of the nicest people I've ever met. I'm happy to know you and have you as part of my community. Keep being the big cuddly person you turned out to be. We need more people in the world like you. Happy Birthday! - Arturo Dominguez

Dear Lawrence

You astonishing hunk of sexy, eye-smiling, raw power

And positive masculinity

The sun rises on your brilliance

The moon sets on your tranquility

You are the friend and protector of poets

And lovers

And mothers

And the marginalized

And the vulnerable

Fearless

Courageous

Unwavering

Undeterred

Fierce warrior of justice

Sweet angel of mercy

Let us all celebrate this anniversary of your creation

And lift our voices in fellowship and harmony

To chant your glory

May he rise and go forth

May he gain renown

May he emerge victorious for the betterment of all

Thank you sir, on behalf of all those whose lives you’ve touched

And improved

And sometimes saved

Wishing you long life

And everlasting glory! - Walter Rhein

Happy, happy birthday, Lawrence! One of the most wonderful things about Substack is meeting the best people and you are definitely at the very top of the list. Have a wonderful day and an even better year! - Julie Roginsky

Lawrence, you’re a constant inspiration and I hope your birthday brings you even half as much joy as you bring others every single day. Happy, happy birthday and may all your wishes come true! - Melissa Corrigan, she/her

Hello, my beautiful friend! My birthday wish for you is that you carry your great heart and your great mind and your resilient and brilliant spirit into a future that holds you Carries you cherishes you chooses you and wants only good for you! I cherish you, my friend! I love you so much. I’m so grateful we are earth side at the same time. ❤️ 🦋 ⭐️ - Char Sundust

Lawrence, Congratulations on surviving another year in a world that now requires you to ask your phone what a “delulu situationship” is. You’re Gen X. You came out before there was an app for it. You did the work with just a gay bar, a leather jacket, and sheer audacity. You’re not old. You’re vintage. Like vinyl. Like Levi’s. You’ve done the work for millennials and Gen-Z. You have the concert stubs and the questionable photos to prove it. Now go celebrate. Eat the cake. Drink the good stuff. Make someone half your age feel boring by comparison. You’ve been doing it effortlessly for years, you magnificent warlock! 🎂✨​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ - Shālah B Pookie (she/her)

Lawrence, no matter how this orb is burning, your face, your lens, and your observations always give me hope. You are an ally. A warrior. A man who understands that empathy is strength. Thank you for everything you do to build a better world. Happy Birthday. May this be your best year yet. - Andra Watkins 🩷

Happy Birthday LW! Love you. Mean it. - Mason/She/Her🩷💜💙

Happy Birthday Lawrence! Your passion and drive is an inspirtaton in a time when the entire system is being stress tested. I appreciate your intelligence in breaking down the issues. Thanks for all you do. There are two special things you have given me directly. First, all my appreciation for your technical assistance in getting my show in the air, from a guy who has actually said “You’ll pry my first generation iPod from my cold, dead hands. Secondly, for a guy who is tied to ther terrestrial rules of a radio staion, I do appreciate having your place to venting the occasional swear word. From the bottom of my heart, Happy F-ing birthday! - MattMcNeilShow

Happiest of Birthdays Lawrence! Please know how much I appreciate your voice and draw strength from your courage. I love the Not Straightforward project and the guests you’re featuring there. You and Dana are doing crucial work in these regressive times. Keep being bold and unrelenting! With warmth and solidarity, Dr. Amber Hull

Hark, the muse!

There is a splash of vibrant sea spray

Airborne salt stings the eyes

Is it Poseidon?

No! It’s Winnerman

Rising from the roiling seas

Trident held high

Laughing, vanquishing his enemies left and right

The sun shines

A throbbing rainbow illuminates the horizon

The enemies scurry, bleating into their dilapidated tunnels

Deep underground

Never to be seen or heard from again

Their hatred, bad hair, and incompetence... gone

As if it had never been

LIBERATION!

Winnerman turns to you and smiles

His glistening, naked chest muscles ripple like a robustly played accordion

Sweet music in the distance erupts from the clouds

He reaches out his astonishingly soft hands and immaculately manicured nails

“Come with me, if you want to thrive,” his echoing voice intones

“Come to my luxury yacht, we have finger sandwiches, karaoke and cocktails!”

“We’ll do nothing but sail my seas from now until eternity!”

“We’ll laugh, we’ll dance, we’ll play!”

“We’ll serenade the heavens with A-ha and A Flock of Seagulls until creation begins anew!”

“We’ll live forever on our mutual intoxication!”

“This was the world we were promised!”

We all shout, “HOORAY!”

Winnerman with his captain’s hat, laughing and steering

There’s a team of whales pulling us along

They sometimes leap out of the water and smile

The yacht’s a-rollin’ and a-rockin’

The seabirds collect to cast a soothing shadow

And whistle their joyous praise

“Take, me on...”

This was indeed the world we were promised

Let it be so!

Let it be so! - Walter Rhein

Lawrence, you are one with a kind heart that is obvious just minutes into meeting you. I can’t help but remember being invited to your program, “The Daily Whatever Show” and how comfortable you made me feel. Happy Birthday, my friend. Enjoy your day and have maximal fun. - Egberto Willies

Lawrence, happy birthday! May this next trip around the sun be your best one yet!!! Thanks for all that you do at BAM and for being the awesome person that you are. Best wishes, David Shuster

Lawrence Winnerman is a kind and thoughtful man. What makes someone truly good is the willingness to look inward, to sit with discomfort, and to recognize that vulnerability can open the door to learning about ourselves, the world, and our place within it. Lawrence lives that spirit. He is generous with his time, generous with his knowledge, and generous in how he lifts up and amplifies the ideas and voices of others. Happy Birthday, Lawrence. I hope this year brings you joy, good surprises, and the deep satisfaction that comes from a life lived with care. - Rachel @ This Woman Votes

Birthday boy Lawrence Winnerman has the liberal politics America wants, and the manly beard American needs. - Dash from The Halfway Cafe

Happy Birthday, Lawrence! Thank you for being the steady, behind-the-scenes force who helps build a place where a lot of us get to do our strange little writerly thing. Wishing you a fantastic day, good health, and many more years of building a community of supportive writers. - Carlyn Beccia

Dear Lawrence, Happy birthday! Hope this one's full of good conversations, great sci-fi, and—fingers crossed—someone special to wash your sugar bowl. I love that we grew up just 35 miles apart in Florida and somehow found each other through your Substack show years later. Your compassion and the way you create space for real dialogue makes tuning in feel less like consuming content and more like catching up with a friend. Here's to you, my friend—may your birthday be as genuine and thoughtful as you are. And may all your sugar bowls be sparkling clean. - Jason Odell

Dear Lawrence, I’m so glad to have met you this year. You are an amazing soul! Every time I feel the world is going down, I read one of your posts, and I feel hopeful again. I like how you fight for those that don’t have visibility or a voice. Wishing there were more people like you. Have a very happy birthday dear friend☺️ - Zuri Stevens

You amaze me, Lawrence - from your forthright honesty about all things queer to your unflinching calls to action against the new Age of Fascism, you're doing such good work and deserve all the good things that come to you. Happy Birthday, Mr. Sister. - Mr. Troy Ford

Lawrence! A little birdie told me it’s your birthday! One of the things I love about you, besides how smart and eloquent you are, is your bitchin’ sense of humor. I’m wishing you much joy and laughter today. I’ll be playing a little Duran Duran in your honor. Happy Birthday! xo - KiKi Walter

Happy Birthday my friend. It’s been a pleasure to see you flourish this past year. May this next year see even more. Keep making good trouble. - Frederic Poag

The very happiest birthday to a new friend and probably one of the most hardworking people I know. You make me less self-conscious about what I know, and what I don't, and how to be on camera when I have spent most of my life being behind the scenes. Watching you own yourself and your truth reminds me every day that mine is good enough and doggone it, I'm going to be okay. You are my inspiration and I always worry I'm sending too much work for you to do. And your friendship with Dana is something to be so proud of, so cultivated and beautiful, and I know she appreciates you a thousand times over. Thanks for being you, always being so kind and hardworking, but I hope today you get to be spoiled and rest. Happy, happy, happy birthday Lawrence. - Ellie Leonard

Lawrence, You are funny, kind, imaginative and intelligent. I have enjoyed getting to know you and working together on Substack lives! Thank you for the good times, and fun moments! Happy birthday! - K.R. Byers

Happy Birthday dear sweet Lawrence. Thank you for lighting up the world every single day with your brilliant mind, huge heart, infectious laugh and kind soul. I hope today and every day of your life is filled with all the love and joy that you richly deserve. Huge Hugs, - Karen Marie Shelton

Lawrence Winnerman awoke before dawn

He put his glittery tennis shoes on

He took a hat from the fantastic gallery

And he skipped on down the hall!

He went to the room where his sister Dana lived

Then he went to the room where his buddy Walter lived

Then he grabbed his condiments holster

And he skipped on down the hall!

He sent out messages with pigeons

And he sent out messages with letters

And he sent out messages with smoke signals

He invited all the good people to the hall!

He fired up the grill

He pointed lasers at the disco ball

All the great people from Substack arrived!

There were burgers and mixed drinks

The ones that glowed with tiny little umbrellas

There were Jello-shots

And fancy ice cream samplers

For one and all!

It was a royal rumpus

The world shook with joy and laughter

It was a barbecue on mount Olympus

A worthy celebration fit for the morning talk show Gods! - Walter Rhein

Happy Birthday, Lawrence! So happy to have you in my Stacks and life!! - Wendy Parker

happy birthday papa bear—congrats on leveling up again! For this year’s boost—you’ve been awarded aches and pains, the silvering of a fox, and an increase in your already high charisma! It’s been an honor to get to know you through this year. You’re a true friend and a wonderful person—here’s to another year where we build joy! - Nick Paro

Lawrence — Happy Birthday, Brother! I just want to thank you for how generous you’ve been with your time and knowledge. Getting set up on StreamYard would’ve been a lot harder without your technical expertise, and you never hesitated to jump in and make the process easier for me. That kind of generosity says a ton about the kind of person you are. We need more like you. Wishing you a fantastic birthday and a great year ahead! — Marlon Weems

The roar of a valiant steed

Winnerman emerges on the battlefield

His silver armor blinding in its unvanquished luminescence

Lawrence looks down upon the pitiful sniveling men

Intent on acts of destruction and war

“What’s this?” he cries

“With all I’ve given you, why do you squander the precious gift of your lives,

On pain and destruction?”

And the gathering was ashamed

They lay down their arms and cried

But then Winnerman jumped down from his steed and bellowed

“Stop, stop, stop! None of that!”

Then he handed out markers to everybody

“Let’s have an art day, to wipe those tears away!”

The men and women gathered there

Threw themselves to the verdant fields

Like they would have when they were in kindergarten

And a hush fell

And they drew marvelous pictures

Winnerman walked among them saying things like

“That’s delightful Jane”

“Tell me more about that Alex”

“That one is beautiful too!”

Then the people laughed

And they ran home to hang up their creations on the fridge

Even though they were middle aged

All war had been halted

Thanks to Winnerman

His glistening armor

His wise and snarky horse Astromax (more about him some other time)

And the basic common sense that it’s better to create

And live in harmony

And enjoy every moment

Like Dana and Lawrence demonstrate

Every morning!

Happy birthday!

You are admired, needed, appreciated and loved!

Our Winnerman will make winners of us all! - Walter Rhein

Happy Birthday, young man! Soon we’re gonna have to start counting rings around your beard to get your age! Seriously, Happy B-Day, I’m sure not matter what, there are only good times ahead… - Cliff Schecter

Happy Birthday, Lawrence.

You came into this world with a big Pisces heart and the kind of soul that quietly takes care of people whether they notice or not. You feel deeply, love fiercely, and somehow always know when someone needs kindness, a laugh, or a little protection.

Of course the universe also gave you an Aries Moon, which means beneath that gentle ocean lives a tiny warrior who is absolutely ready to throw hands for the people he loves. Sweet… but not to be messed with.

Your Libra rising is the charm everyone sees first. You bring balance, warmth, and that easygoing energy that makes people feel safe around you.

Basically the stars built you as a healer, a protector, and a stubborn Taurus-powered force who refuses to give up on what matters.

The world is better with you in it. Truly.

Happy Birthday, my friend. I hope this year brings you joy, good food, great conversations, and at least one moment where the universe remembers how lucky it is that you showed up. PS. Just say the word and I will HEX a Pecker off for you. 👿 - 🧿Grey Galaxie🧿

And of course, a wish for the happiest birthday ever from me. I hope you know how lucky I feel that I get to walk through this life with you by my side. I’m so grateful for this community we’ve built together and can’t wait to see what our future holds. Onward to 56, my dearest Lorenzo! I LOVE YOU!!! MEAN IT!! - Dana DuBois ‘