No Pride

One of the most difficult things about writing for, "No Pride", is the amount of bullying, harassment, and discrimination I have to revisit. First, there's the direct. Second, there's the indirect. Third, there is all the internal aftershock like pings I feel when talking about my experience with being openly gay. I've never been afforded a "safe space". I've lived my entire life in areas largely known to be openly and proudly homophobic. As far as direct effects, I'd have to count all the times I've been called a homophobic slur. All the times I've been told to move or get out of town. All the times I've been threatened with physical violence. All the times I've been made to feel uncomfortable in the workplace, with sexual comments, innuendoes, or jokes made at my expense. I've come to understand, I'll always be the odd man out. It doesn't make things better, though. Being pointed out for being gay

This post features nude photos. ***NSFW*** _________________________________________________________________________________  What gay man doesn't love bulging biceps, firm forearms, sculpted shoulders, plentiful pecs, a spicy six-pack, thick thighs, colossal calves, and a bubble butt, all found upon a marble statue of a man? *raises hand* Me. I'll take the "regular" man, any day. ... *drool* Woof. Don't get me wrong, guys with great physiques are attractive. My preference for regular men is one I've had for a long time, discovered by weighing the pros and cons of each and every body type. At the top of the "Physique Pyramid", are Gym Rats. Described at the very beginning. Men who go to the gym 4 or more times, spend at least 8 hours on workouts and additional personal care per week. You see Gym Rats all the time. They're modeling clothes or nothing at all and they are commonly found in porn. Sean Cody models come to mi

Recently, a local news article about an apartment maintenance superintendent's alleged sexual assault was posted and shared throughout the local community on Facebook. The article itself is borderline fear mongering and overly detailed because it involves a man sexually assaulting boys. The article itself isn't the only issue. The amount of incredibly hate-filled and violent responses posted in the comment section are too many to count. The comments below are unedited. Some comments include detailed descriptions of graphic violence, inhumane treatment, and torture. ***Trigger Warning*** - Headline should read " Local Child Predator Found Dead In Ditch". End of story. - They need to take him out in the woods! Strip him, nail his nutsack to a stump & pour syrup around them& watch the ants come running! - Somebody that does something like this there is no cure for them they are sick in the head might as well take him around back and s

I really try to put things into perspective the best way I can without trying to be negative all the time, but in discussing the LGBTQ community, especially from my perspective, there aren't a lot of positive things for me to say. It's not difficult to explain, it's just very time consuming because it's multi-faceted and complex in ways, a lot of people can't, don't, or purposely choose not to understand. In looking at the list of topics I want to write about and hopefully, one day given a chance to discuss publicly, it showcases how talking about anything LGBTQ related is extremely difficult for those who don't have a platform or a group to talk with on a regular basis.  I have a notepad document with all the things I plan to write about. It's my, "List of Writing Ideas". It has notes about every blog and writing project I'm currently working on and ones I plan to work on at some point in the future. For, "No Pride", the lis