by Carlos M. Gonzalez

When I was growing up in Puerto Rico, I knew I was different. Very young I would shyly look at the guys and admire their looks, their bodies, the way they dressed. It’s funny, w...

by Timothy Boice

I grew up in the Sacramento area of California for most of my life. I grew up in a staunch Mormon household where we were taught morality from an early age. I was like most other ...

by Antonio

I came out at the age of 15. I never thought I would’ve come out at that particular time. However, shortly before my freshman year ended, my whole world became a lot more real. ...

by William Reddish

I grew up in a very large Southern Baptist Church community. It was a “mega-church” in the south with very wealthy members. My parents taught Sunday school every week, which o...

by Dan

Fifteen years ago, I was sitting in the living room with my dad. On the TV screen in front of us, PBS was airing a documentary on the Civil War. I watched, entranced as hordes of ...

by Michael Stratmoen

My story isn’t one where I faced friends or family over my sexual orientation. It isn’t about discrimination or gay bashing. It’s about something far scarier and insidious. ...

by Aaron Akins

FEATURED ARTIST – Brian Ness STORY by Aaron Akins 1980. I was born at Stouder Memorial Hospital in Troy, Ohio, on April 24, 1980. My parents were 24 and 26 years old, I believeSoaking up the beauty of a late summer morning at Sprague Lake was more than enough compensation. Discovering the stash of hundreds of old Playboy magazines in our cabin was a sho...

by John

I was raised on a 600-acre farm with a strongly religious family (my father and grandfather were both preachers). Despite being from such a rigidly traditionalist background, I wa...

by Anthony

I returned to Crosbyton from Dallas with my family when I was seven years old. Crosbyton is the typical West Texas town: Southern Baptist, football, and casserole ruled. In second...