Michael Alvear was voted Most Loved Columnist for the last three years at his home-town newspaper. This upset him greatly until he was informed that he also won Most Hated Columnist. He rallied and went on to syndicate his column, “Slouching Through Gomorrah” to gay newspapers across the country.

Alvear’s culture critiques have also appeared in Newsweek, The New York Times, salon.com and other publications. He is also a frequent commentator for National Public Radio’s All Things Considered.

Alvear stunned many readers when he revealed that he writes the controversial sex advice column, Need Wood? Tips for Getting Timber. He has, and will continue to write it, under the pseudonym “Woody Miller.” Why did he hide it for so long? He had enough gay men mad at him for his politically incorrect op-ed columns. He just didn’t want to be the victim of a drive-by doiling or find his pets boiling in a delightful mint-fennel sauce.

Alvear is also the co-creator of www.familyacceptance.com, a resource for parents struggling to accept their gay children. He doubts he will ever work on anything more important.

Alvear is single because the people he dates don’t seem to know the difference between its and it’s. He lives happily with Zack, his gender-confused Vizsla and Zoey, his angry lesbian Labrador.