The Department of Home Affairs uses Qantas, Australia’s largest airline, to transport asylum seekers between detention centres and for involuntary deportations, often to countries where it is dangerous to be LGBT+.
Rilen Taylor matched with someone on a dating site, but the experience went sour when the match insisted Taylor identify as only one gender, either as a man or as a woman.
“If we were to date, I needed to be a girl,” recalled Taylor, who identifies as both male and female and responds to male pronouns. “I think he misunderstood and thought I was a tomboy.”
Rilen TaylorCourtesy Alexander August
This is just one of many uncomfortable experiences that Taylor — a freckle-faced, off-Broadway actor in New York — has faced as a nonbinary person trying to date in a binary world.
Taylor said most people who contacted him on dating platforms assumed he was a cisgender (non-transgender) woman, even though he described himself as “gender fluid” on his dating profile.
On the primary dating site Taylor used, he had to choose between identifying as either “male” or “female” — something that he said felt limiting and uncomfortable. Hovering over the two options, he ultimately clicked on “female,” the sex he was assigned at birth, but he made it a point to clearly disclose his nonbinary gender identity within his dating profile.
“Along with writing that I enjoy ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’ and that my favorite movie is ‘Scream,’ ‘Oh, by the way, here’s some trans 101 on what gender fluid is,’” he said.
Not having a nonbinary gender option on the drop-down menu “didn’t allow me to be upfront,” he said. “I was going to lose either way.”
Despite disclosing his gender identity within his profile, Taylor said “99.9 percent of the time, I was getting messages from men thinking I’m a cisgender woman. Occasionally, I got messages from women who thought I was a lesbian.”
These types of interactions were distressing, defeating and exhausting, Taylor said. One user asked if he had a vagina; another asked if he could have babies; and one, after realizing Taylor is nonbinary, simply wrote “sorry” and then blocked him on the dating site. Thinking back on his online-dating history, Taylor recalled how common it was for people he met online to lose interest as soon as they discovered he is not cisgender.
“If they had an option for me, then I could get it out of the way,” Taylor said.
In fact, a study published last month in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships found more than 87 percent of people would not consider dating a transgender person at all.
“I thought I was going to have to be alone for the rest of my life or settle for mediocrity.”
RILEN TAYLOR
Researchers at Towson University’s Gender and Sexuality Lab interviewed nearly 400 nonbinary people, who were either currently in a romantic relationship or had been in one within the past five years. All of the respondents reported being subjected to experiences within their relationship that attempted to invalidate their gender identity, with some reporting they were only viewed as their sex assigned at birth, as opposed to the gender with which they identify, by their romantic partner.
“By the time you’re in a relationship, you’re there to get a different type of support,” study author and psychologist M. Paz Galupo said. “When you’re used to not being seen as valid and facing discrimination outside of your relationships, relationships can hold so much power and have a potential for healing, because it’s one place where you are truly seen.”
Not being seen as “valid” by a romantic partner can lead to a host of negative effects, including increased symptoms of depression and anxiety, according to the study.
Nearly 15 percent of those surveyed reported their partners would attempt to block forms of social transition, like wearing clothing to express their gender identity, using a new name or getting gender-affirming health care, including hormone replacement therapy to more closely align their body with their gender.
“This is a romantic relationship, and this is where you go to build trust in others,” Galupo said. “If you feel like you can’t communicate or be fully yourself, then you might not feel like you can in your friendships — it’s harder to disclose or navigate outside that relationship.”
‘OUR IDENTITY IS A REAL THING’
The Towson study’s findings don’t come as a surprise to Ericka Hart, an award-winning sexuality educator in New York.
“The world doesn’t value nonbinary and trans folks, and that violence can rear its ugly heads in our relationships,” said Hart, a self-identified “black queer femme activist” who uses both female and gender-neutral pronouns.
Simply put, Hart said the lack of understanding in personal relationships mirrors society’s lack of empathy toward nonbinary individuals.
The extra work and worry can lead to depression and anxiety, she said.
“There are all these precautions they’d have to take to date people, so they can feel safe in their relationships,” she explained. “You can feel like you can’t date or that you’re undesirable.”
She said it’s not unusual for a nonbinary, agender or gender-nonconforming person to ask themselves, “Can I only date other trans people as a trans person?”
Blyss BryantCourtesy Blyss Bryant
Blyss Bryant, 28, a nonbinary resident of Springfield, Missouri, uses gender-neutral pronouns. Because of past experiences, Bryant said they now exclusively date other transgender people.
“They understand that fear of not being accepted, feeling like you have to look a certain way to pass, and how scary it is to tell people about that part of you,” Bryant said.
Bryant said their previous cisgender partner of three months would constantly dismiss their chosen name and pronouns.
“I felt like he wanted to date a guy and not me. It’s invalidating,” they said. “It feels like they don’t see our identity as a real thing.”
‘WHO’S GOING TO LOVE ME?’
Constant rejection by others nearly made Taylor give up on finding a relationship on mainstream dating platforms.
“I felt like who’s going to love me for me with these binary dating sites? I thought I was going to have to be alone for the rest of my life or settle for mediocrity.”
Then, Taylor met his current partner online last year. Within weeks, the two hit it off and began a romantic relationship.
One day, as they sat in the living room of Taylor’s apartment, the two discussed the future of their relationship. Taylor recalled his partner, who is cisgender, turning to him and saying, “I don’t care if society believes we can’t be boyfriends.”
“My stomach dropped,” Taylor said. “It was an affirming and life-shattering moment. What I was to him was a guy, no big deal.”
“I never felt more seen in my life. I’m worthy to be who I am, and it shouldn’t be questioned,” he said. “For someone to affirm my male identity so freely is beautiful.”
A new campaign is condemning top technology companies, airlines and other major firms for donating to lawmakers with a poor record of supporting LGBT equality.
Sen. Ted Cruz, who has pushed legislation to protect businesses that refuse service to same-sex couples, is one of the top targets, along with other Texans in Congress.
The Zero for Zeros campaign launched ads Tuesday on social media aimed at pressuring Fort Worth-based American Airlines, Google and other companies whose PACs have donated to lawmakers the group deems “anti-gay.”
“These companies are some of the most well-known companies throughout the world and they support LGBT equality in many ways,” Lane Hudson, Zero for Zeros campaign manager, said in a statement. “Their political contributions to the most anti-gay members of Congress do not reflect the values they have expressed to their employees and the public.”
Cruz has received $18,500 from Google, $16,000 from American Airlines, $15,000 from Microsoft and $2,000 from Amazon since 2012, according to Federal Election Commission records. Corporations are allowed to make donations indirectly to federal candidates, through PACs.
All five of the companies received a score of 100 on the 2019 Human Rights Campaign Foundation Corporate Equality Index, which rates workplaces on LGBT equality. The Zero for Zeros campaign argues that given their high scores and apparent sensitivity to such issues, they should stop donating to lawmakers who don’t strongly support LGBT rights.
“American Airlines participates in the political and public policy process in a number of ways, including by making contributions from our political action committee. With respect to the contributions that we make, we don’t agree on every issue with the lawmakers to whom we make contributions, but we fundamentally believe that everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect — and equally under the law,” American Airlines spokeswoman Shannon Gilson said in a statement.
The U.S. Supreme Court struck down state-level bans on same-sex marriage in June 2015. During his 2016 presidential run, Cruz argued that states should regulate marriage, and he criticized the court’s majority for sweeping aside the bans.
He also showcased bakers and other business owners who faced legal trouble for trying to deny service to gay couples, arguing that their religious freedom had been violated. Following a Supreme Court ruling in favor of one such baker in June 2018, Cruz tweeted, “Today’s Supreme Court decision upholding a Colorado baker’s constitutional right to live according to his faith is a major victory for religious liberty.”ADVERTISING
Gay rights activists blasted Cruz and Sen. John Cornyn for recommending a lifetime federal judgeship for Matthew Kacsmaryk, who defended a bakery that turned away a same-sex couple and voiced opposition to Obergefell vs. Hodges, the landmark 2015 case that legalized same-sex marriage. The Senate confirmed him last month.
Despite his record on such controversies, Cruz also has used his platform to challenge foreign regimes that mistreat gays and lesbians. He has condemned a law in Brunei that punishes gay sex with death by stoning. “This is wrong. It is barbaric. America should condemn this immoral and inhumane law, and everyone should be united against it,” he tweeted in March.
Cruz’s office did not respond to request for comment about the Zero for Zeros campaign.
Other Texans the group is targeting include GOP Reps. Bill Flores, Pete Olson, Randy Weber, Brian Babin and Louie Gohmert. All have received donations from PACs for American, AT&T, Microsoft, Amazon or other major employers.
“It is indeed unfortunate that so many who say they are against hate have become so hateful and intolerant toward Christian beliefs. As a Christian, I believe the definition of marriage given by Moses and again verbatim by Jesus, while I also care about the individuals who believe otherwise,” Gohmert said in a statement.
Gohmert has received $10,500 from American Airlines, $32,000 from AT&T, $7,000 from Microsoft and $4,000 from UPS since 2005.
Nearly three dozen members of Congress sent a letter to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Thursday morning expressing their concern over the agency’s treatment of transgender detainees and demanding the agency take transgender migrants’ asylum claims more seriously.
The letter, sent by 34 lawmakers and spearheaded by Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., D-N.J., was signed by Reps. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., Joe Kennedy, D-Mass., Adam Schiff, D-Calif., Deb Haaland, D-N.M., and Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., among others and comes after the deaths of two transgender women who were held in detention.
In their message, the lawmakers said, “We urge ICE to seriously consider the asylum claims of transgender migrants who demonstrate a well-founded fear of persecution based on their ‘membership in a particular social group’ and adhere to its own policies regulating the treatment of transgender detainees.”
The letter stressed ICE should especially consider asylum claims coming from the “Northern Triangle” countries of El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala, where “violence against the transgender community occurs at alarming rates.” In one study conducted by the UN Refugee Agency, 88 percent of LGBTQ asylum seekers fleeing the Northern Triangle reported experiencing sexual and gender-based violence in their countries of origin.
The letter comes at the time when ICE’s treatment of transgender asylum seekers has come under continued and increased scrutiny.
In March, the American Civil Liberties Union, along with the Santa Fe Dreamers Project and other groups, alleged “rampant” abuse and “unconscionable conditions” for LGBTQ immigrants at a New Mexico ICE facility, and an NBC News investigation found that transgender migrants often are placed in solitary confinement and face mistreatment while in detention.
In their letter, lawmakers cited the violence and structural challenges transgender migrants seeking asylum face in their home countries.
“Transgender women have been murdered after they were deported once their asylum claims were denied,” the lawmakers wrote in their letter, highlighting the case of Camila Díaz Córdova, who died in a hospital in El Salvador after she was kidnapped and beaten. Díaz Córdova had sought asylum in the U.S., documenting years of constant death threats, but was nonetheless deported.
The lawmakers also brought up the treatment of Alejandra Barrera, a 44-year-old transgender woman from El Salvador who they say requested asylum in November 2017 and has been held in detention by ICE since. Barrera, the lawmakers wrote, has been denied humanitarian parole five times, despite the fact that she requires specialized medical care. The letter asks for Barrera’s request for humanitarian parole and asylum to be seriously considered.
ICE did not immediately respond to NBC News’ request for comment, but in previous statements noted that asylum seekers often enter the U.S. with “untreated” medical conditions. ICE has also touted its unit for transgender women in the Cibola County Correctional Center in New Mexico as an example of their fair treatment of transgender migrants, despite documented concernsabout the conditions there.
But lawmakers are not satisfied.
“We ask that you honor the longstanding reputation of the United States as a safe refuge for individuals who face persecution and violence,” the lawmakers said. “Specifically, we ask that you bring ICE into compliance with its stated policy for the treatment of transgender detainees.”
Pallone condemned the “inhumane” and “illegal” treatment of vulnerable immigrant communities in a statement to NBC News, saying the U.S. “is turning its back on those who desperately need our help and who should be protected under U.S. law.”
“For a long time, it’s been evident that ICE isn’t prepared to manage the health care needs of people seeking their right to asylum,” Haaland said in an interview with NBC News Tuesday morning, adding that “ICE’s record of mistreatment of trans individuals took Johana Medina’s life” and she is worried about other transgender migrants currently at-risk.
“As an indigenous woman, our history shows that we supported and accepted LGBTQ people into our communities for centuries and centuries,” the congresswoman said. “We want every human being to be valued. We need to stop this horrible treatment.”
Preparing to buy a house can be a major undertaking, especially if you have never done so before. While technology has helped reduce the amount of paperwork and stress involved in getting a mortgage, it still is not exactly a quick or simple process. It can be made even more frustrating if you begin the mortgage process only to find out that most lenders do not believe you are in a good position to take on this large amount of debt. There can be a number of reasons why lenders may decline your application, that’s why it is important to sit down and determine if you are ready to buy before you begin the actual loan application process. If it looks like you’re not ready, you can create a plan to address the reasons why a lender may deny your loan application.
Look at Your Credit Score
When a lender pulls your credit report, they are going to look at both your credit score and your credit history. Your credit score is one of the key factors used to determine whether or not you are credit-worthy. It also plays a part in determining your mortgage’s interest rate as well. The higher your credit score, the more likely you will get the current prime rate because lenders will be feel more confident that you will not default on your mortgage. Those with lower credit scores are seen as more of a risk, so lenders charge a higher interest rate as a way of mitigating what they see as potential losses.
For most conventional mortgages, lenders are looking for a credit score of over 700, though generally lenders accept applications from those with scores in the high 600s. For couples or joint applicants, one applicant’s high score can sometimes help to balance out the other applicant’s lower score. For those applying for mortgages through the VA, FHA, or other lending programs, you may find that it is easier to get approved with a lower credit score.
Request a Free Credit Report
Federal law allows an individual to request a free copy of their credit report once per calendar year, plus many credit card companies and credit reporting agencies provide a limited version of this report for free. By looking at your credit report, you can learn your current debt-to-income (DTI) ratio, what accounts have reported late or show missed payments, and other important information. This is also a helpful tool in determining whether or not something has been reported incorrectly or if your identity has been stolen. Should you find any discrepancies in your credit report, it is paramount that you address these issues immediately. The sooner these discrepancies are corrected, the easier it will be to secure a mortgage.
Consider Your Current and Future Debts
If your credit score is within the desired range and your credit history is clean, the next factor to evaluate is your debt. First, look at your current DTI. Ideally, your DTI will be 36% or less. This means your total regular monthly debts are less than 36% of your monthly income. There are a few things to note when calculating your DTI. First, lenders generally look at your gross monthly income rather than your net income after taxes and other deductions. Second, DTI only looks at credit debt, such as auto loans, credit cards, student loans, and other types of tangible debt. It does not include monthly expenses such as utility bills or food costs.
While 36% is a fairly standard number for a conventional mortgage, other types of mortgages may allow for a higher DTI. It’s also important to look at both front-end and back-end DTI. Front-end DTI is the cost of your potential mortgage payment, insurance, property taxes, and any other fee (HOA, etc.) associated with buying a new home. Ideally, this DTI will be 28% or less. The back-end DTI is as described above—the ratio of all of your credit card debt and other loans to your income. Having low front-end and back-end DTI is ideal before you apply for a mortgage.
Are You Ready to Buy?
Now that you are armed with your credit score, credit history, and financial information, you can determine if you are in a position to buy a house now. If your credit score is under 650, if you have blemishes on your credit history, or if your DTI is high, you may want to put off buying property for a year or so. During that time, you can work to improve your credit score and DTI. You can also work with creditors and credit reporting companies to remove negative entries on your credit report, especially if you do not recognize the debt.
Real estate professionals may not be lenders or financial experts, but many have learned about the process and can recognize those who are in a good position to get a mortgage. If you have started looking at properties and are concerned you may not be in a position to purchase one at this time, you can discuss your budget with your agent. Often, they will be able to help you get a general idea of what you can afford before you sit down with a lender. They may also be able to suggest ways you can improve your viability for a mortgage or help you find a great finance officer to work with through their network of professionals.
If you are a part of the LGBTQ community, you may want to work with a full-time professional gay or lesbian real estate agent. These experts understand any unique needs you may have as an LGBTQ individual or couple and can help make the entire process much more enjoyable. Feel free to reach out to any of the agents here at www.GayRealEstate.com, where we have been helping the LGBTQ community with home buying and selling since 1991.
A LinkedIn survey released this month has revealed that LGBTI people are paid 16% less than their cis-gendered, heterosexual peers.
This is almost double the UK pay gap between men and women (9.6%).
These results are hard to swallow, but more devastating after Pride month and the Pride corporate promotion.
It’s great to see so much support from businesses and corporations but we are past the days where changing an app icon to the rainbow design or launching a new collection of Pride accessories is enough to show your solidarity to the LGBTI community.
Internal conversations and policy are more much more important than running external marketing campaigns. And diversity and inclusion must always be at the forefront when strategizing your business.
These 10 actions, which can be implemented in all internal communications for both small and large scale businesses, can help businesses support their LGBTI employees:
1. Take LGBTI employees into consideration
Ensure all communications and policies are inclusive of LGBTI employees, and take into consideration all of your LGBTI employees needs.
For example trans men may still get periods, or may need to have different health insurance.
2. One size does not fit all
Gay men, lesbians, bisexuals, trans, and intersex all have different needs, face different struggles and require different support.
Work with your employees and wider team to help understand this, and identify what your employees need.
This will ensure a healthier, more productive workplace and make employees feel more visible.
3. Use D&I technology to understand how diverse your company is
How exactly does your company respond to minority groups?
For example, use blind recruitment. Focusing only on hiring people based on their skills and experience rather than personal information to remove bias from the recruitment process.
4. Offer an open door policy
In the workplace, an open door policy means that a manager leaves their office door ‘open’ to encourage transparency and openness within the company. Staff can come see their supervisor anytime if they have any issues.
Facing discrimination, not being out at work, or not feeling included can lead to severe mental health issues.
It is company responsibility to manage this.
Having an open door policy, and creating a safe environment for employees to share their concerns, questions or ideas will make them feel secure, understood and protected.
5. Businesses need to consider transition periods and younger employees.
Businesses need to work with education establishments, and recruitment companies to help ease the transition between education, or unemployment into work.
Making this transition easier will help new employees feel welcome and supported, and help them to settle quicker.
6. Bring in your wider team, and non-LGBTI employees
Having line managers and senior team members on side for LGBTI employees can be incredibly beneficial and can make a huge difference to their work lives. Bringing in allies can further the support of LGBTI in the workplace.
7. Networks and alliances in the workplace are major resources in encouraging diversity and inclusion
Pairing non-LGBTI and LGBTI employees in mentorships can produce and offer wider education opportunities.
Or implement a LGBTI taskforce, designed to help your business to understand what is working, what extra support is needed and how to achieve it.
8. Run marketing campaigns led by LGBTI employees
Not only that, but include them in your marketing material.
This will help you promote externally your LGBTI D&I policies, and also make your employees feel visible and represented.
Doing this will also help your business connect both internally and externally.
9. Consider language and pronouns in your communications
She/Her and He/His is traditional, but no longer relevant to everyone.
10. Don’t do it half-heartedly, and it’s ok to start small
Diversity and inclusion isn’t about ticking a box. It should be weaved into a company ethos.
Policies such as this tend to scare business owners, as they think it will be expensive or require new hires.
This isn’t the case. Changing internal communications to make them LGBTI friendly, or having an open door policy can be a great start. But whatever your business does, make sure it’s ongoing and effective.
Meena Chander is the Owner of Events Together, and is an event consultant and manager.
A gay guidance counselor is suing the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Indianapolis for discrimination, alleging it fired her from a job at a high school because she’s in a same-sex marriage.
Lynn Starkey, one of two gay guidance counselors who have accused the archdiocese of discrimination, names the church and Roncalli High School — the Catholic school where she worked for nearly 40 years until she was fired in May — in the lawsuit filed Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana.
Lynn StarkeyDelaney & Delaney LLC
Starkey alleges that the archdiocese and school discriminated against her on the basis of her sexual orientation, subjected her to a hostile work environment and retaliated against her after she filed complaints of discrimination with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
She alleges that the environment at the school was also hostile toward homosexual students, faculty and staff.
“Starkey has suffered damages as a result of Defendants’ retaliatory actions, including but not limited to lost back pay, lost front pay, loss of future earning capacity, lost employer provided benefits, and emotional distress damages,” the lawsuit states.
The archdiocese told NBC News in a statement Monday that it has “a constitutional right to hire leaders who support the schools’ religious mission.”
“Catholic schools exist to communicate the Catholic faith to the next generation,” the statement said. “To accomplish their mission, Catholic schools ask all teachers, administrators, and guidance counselors to uphold the Catholic faith by word and action, both inside and outside the classroom.”
According to the archdiocese, Starkey “knowingly violated” her contract by entering into a same-sex marriage, “making clear that she disagrees with the Church’s teaching on marriage and will not be able to uphold and model it for her students.”
Starkey is the second Roncalli High School guidance counselor to raise discrimination complaints against the school and archdiocese.
Shelly Fitzgerald was placed on administrative leave from her job at the high school in 2018 after administrators became aware of her same-sex marriage.
Fitzgerald said the school gave her an ultimatum: resign or “dissolve” her marriage.
Both women filed charges of discrimination with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and requested the right to sue, according to the Indianapolis Star.
Starkey was issued a Notice of Right to Sue earlier this month, her lawsuit states.
A Minnesota woman who sued her trans daughter for emancipating herself and transitioning is now taking her case to the Supreme Court.
The case has been dragging on now for almost three years since Annmarie Calgaro first sued her daughter, who cannot be named for legal reasons.
Calgaro has already been ruled against by a district court and later by a three-judge panel of the 8th US Circuit Court of Appeals in March, according to CNBC.
Calgaro’s legal representative, conservative law firm the Thomas More Society, announced yesterday (July 24) that they were asking the Supreme Court to consider the case. They are arguing that Calgaro’s parental rights were violated when her daughter was emancipated and allowed to seek trans healthcare without her knowledge or permission.
The United States Supreme Court now has the opportunity to untangle this untenable scenario; so, nationwide fit parents can keep parenting without governmental interference.
The firm said in a statement yesterday that St Louis County authorities “ripped away” Calgaro’s right to supervise her child’s welfare.
“The United States Supreme Court now has the opportunity to untangle this untenable scenario; so, nationwide fit parents can keep parenting without governmental interference,” the firm said.
Calgaro’s daughter has since turned 18 and is now legally an adult. She moved out of the family home when she was 15-years-old in 2015.
Court documents released in 2017 point to a difficult upbringing
While the pair are estranged, Calgaro’s legal representatives said she has “unconditional love” for her daughter. However, court documents shared with NBC News in 2017 suggested that Calgaro’s daughter had a tumultuous upbringing.
In the court documents, Calgaro’s daughter – who is referred to as E.J.K. to protect her anonymity – said she grew up in an unstable environment and alleged that her parents struggled with substance abuse. She said she made her own meals and had to rely on other adults who supplied “some of the care and nurturing that her biological parents were unable to offer.”
E.J.K. also alleged that her parents became physically and verbally abusive towards her after she came out as gay when she was 13.
The Supreme Court will now decide whether or not it will hear the case.
Before AIDS, Airbnb and Grindr changed the face of gay life forever, there were limited ways of finding your people, especially if you were a lone, gay man venturing into the unfamiliar territory of the West Coast.- Advertisement –
In the 1960s, a gay man named Bob Damron starting seeing America through a different lens. Where were the places that were gay-friendly in Butte, Montana? What about in Austin, Texas? Where were the bathhouses, the sex clubs, the diners and dive bars that would welcome queer folks with open arms?
Damron was a bartender who’d explored the world of San Francisco in the 1960s before settling in L.A.
He’d paved the way for gay enclaves like Castro Street and Christopher Street. He helped young men and women find their people and avoid getting into dangerous situations in rough, small towns and conservative cities.
Today, his legacy lives on. In an article by journalist Kate Sosin for L.A. Magazine, Publisher Gina Gatta recalls the founder of Damron Company, a business she now owns.
“Like a Bible salesman, Bob would get on the road,” Gatta tells Sosin. “He would travel around, and he would find the gays, and he would find the bars and bathhouses.”
Competitor guide books developed along side of Damron’s book, but none of them survived the tumultuous period of the late ‘60s and ‘70s, when everything in American culture, from sex to movies to politics, was becoming redefined for a new audience. By the time the Internet came along, LGBTQ+ folks had their own printed travel guides and websites like Planet Out to help them find new destinations and stay safe on the road.
But Gatta has been upholding Damron’s legacy since buying the company in 1989. Damron himself died of HIV in the early nineties.
Gatta has been single-handedly keeping the book going year after year. But the problem of keeping the book in print is a problem all publishers face: how do you sell people on something they can get for free online?
Today, teens can learn about their sexuality online, by asking friends or joining forums, or even reading Wikipedia.
If they want to find the nearest gay bar, it’s not hard to do. Still, there’s something romantic about holding a physical guidebook in your hand.
For a generation that decided long ago it would have nothing more to do with the physical elements of travel, including maps and guidebooks, there’s something touching about the idea of a book that was built over the course of years.
That someone was brave enough to find every bar, every hookup spot, and every dive bar where everybody could, feasibly, someday, know your name.
A dying Tennessee man’s final wish will not be honored. A bereaved son in Sweetwater, Tennessee says his sexual orientation is standing in the way of his father’s funeral service.
Jessie Goodman is engaged to Brandon Smitty. Goodman’s father is very ill and dying. His final wish is that his services be held at the church he first attended. But when the church leadership found out the gay couple would be involved, Goodman says things got complicated.
“As long as I was going to take part in any way, he [Goodman’s father] could not have his service there,” said Goodman. We called Lee’s Chapel Baptist Church’s Pastor Jay Scruggs to see if this was true. Pastor Scruggs had no comment, but did say he would talk with us after Jessie’s father is in the grave.
