I am a 37-year-old gay man from Alabama. I was raised in a predominately white upper middle-class neighborhood just "over the mountain" from Birmingham, and now own a home in city proper. I live with my partner of over 13 years. We have two cats, Uly and Sergeant, and our pit-mutt, Khaleesi. I am a veteran of The United States Marine Corps, serving eight years during “Don't Ask Don't Tell” from 2000 until 2008. During my career in the Marines,…
gay
A Closer Walk with Aj: Southern Born Actor Chats Gay Exorcism Film
Posted on October 27, 2017As a group of young, white evangelicals move into a predominantly Latino neighborhood to preach the gospel, one of the missionaries, Jordan, develops sexual feelings for the leader, Eli. But once Jordan is caught touching himself by the bathroom door while Eli showers, the group tries to exorcise his gay demons in a kind of conversion therapy. Thus is the premise of director John C. Clark’s new film A Closer Walk with Thee, starring Houston-raised out actor Aj Knight as…
We Are All The Same: Mississippi Artist Uses Paint to Unite Queerness and Faith
Posted on October 20, 2017Mississippi is known for its soul food, singing the blues, and deep southern culture. But Oxford painter Jonathan Kent Adams dreams of putting the Magnolia State on the map for something more—queer art. Adams grew up in a small town outside of Yazoo City, building forts in the woods, wading in the creek, and running through pastures to his grandparents’ house. He dabbled in singing, which taught him passion, and learned self-discipline by playing basketball.…
‘Welcome to the Jungle’: A Mother and Son Trip to Vietnam and Cambodia
Posted on October 6, 2017Our last mother and son venture—to New York City in 2014—was shattered of all joy when I came out to her as gay at the airport before we departed Houston. But hey, she coaxed me. That, and since my dad and I had hiked Mt. Fuji in Japan, my mom hungered for a trip with me. And I wanted her to go, especially amid the busyness of her new position at work. She longs to see the world, and we…
Queer Colombia: Uncovering Gay Culture in Centuries of Tradition
Posted on August 23, 2017Traveling as a queer individual is always stressful, but when you and your partner decide to travel to one of the most traditionally Catholic countries in the world, nerves are on edge—especially when you don’t speak the native language! But with South America calling our name, my partner and I traveled to Colombia earlier this month to experience culture in every sense of the word.…
Identity, Family, Belief: Novelist Silas House Chats Writing about Appalachia
Posted on July 31, 2017Arguably the most prolific gay novelist in Appalachia, Silas House was born and raised in nearby Laurel County. Educated at Eastern Kentucky University and then Spalding University for a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing, he now teaches at Berea College, the first desegregated and coeducational college in the South.…
Personal Truth: Overcoming Fear to Find Self-Love
Posted on June 22, 2017I graduated high school at 17, and by the time I was 18, the fear of what was to come was overwhelming. I craved assurance that I was going lead a fulfilling life, and it became obvious that to do so, I had to stand up for myself.…
An Ode to Southern Fringes: Navigating Identity as a Queer Texan and Latino
Posted on June 12, 2017A third of my heart is buried in the Kentucky hills, a land of rich, black soil that nurtured my mother’s childhood. My father’s parents immigrated to the United States from Austria and Mexico, but my mother’s family has lived in eastern Kentucky for generations—far back enough that we don’t know where many of them originated before Appalachia.…