by Bryan Hogan

Before moving to New York, I taught 10th grade English in a small central Illinois town. For three years I pushed Shakespeare and Harper Lee on classes of mostly disinterested 15 ...

by Ethan Blustein

I came out at the age of 12 as gay. Even now I’m not sure where I got that word from or how I knew to say it or what it even meant for that matter. I also wasn’t completely su...

by Ryan Branom

On that fateful day, I stepped into my guidance counselor’s office and asked, “Is he here yet?” She shook her head. “What made you decide this?” “I’m not sure.” An...

by Jesus Reyes

I was raised in a strict Catholic home. My mother is an ex-Catholic nun. Growing up I knew I was different. I was raised with Bibles, rosaries, religious statues, the works. Growi...

by Michael Wense

In the morning gridlock, next to me, a young man in his early twenties sat in a shiny new SUV. I couldn’t help but watch him sit there, head bobbing slightly to the beat of some...

by Ryan Reed

I was kind of shunned when I was growing up. I was always the weird kid. Classmates would avoid me whenever possible. Everybody would constantly ask me if I were gay, and I would ...

by Tom Q.

The biggest thing for me in high school was to take my boyfriend to a school dance, which was unheard of in my conservative school. We are known as the gay school cause of my best...

by Lily G.

My first kiss was at age 11, under the bleachers at summer day camp with a girl named April. We were playing truth or dare. Everyone laughed and so did I. “You guys should make ...

by Jimmy Doyle

“Well it’s by the hush me boys/And that’s to mind your noise/And listen to poor Paddy’s sad narration/ I was by hunger stressed/ and in poverty distressed/ So I took a...