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 ...

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...

When I first created this blog project, I didn't really know how to go about promoting it. It has adult content, so I can't publicly post it on my Google+ profile and I don't like the idea of openly promoting through Twitter because that account is connected to Facebook and therefore, my family.  One of the main reasons I started this project, is I'm openly gay but, not in an expected manner. Living in Alabama with my conservative family poses threats. The threat of a very uncomfortable situation, unnecessary anger, disdain, the creation of a toxic environment, bullying, harassment, estrangement, and even violence. Yes, it is that bad in the area I live in. I'll get into that at some point, I'm sure.  In the end, it isn't really worth it to promote in that manner. I turned to the last avenue I could think of, Reddit. I have a very strange relationship with Reddit, as documented on my other blog, " @ntisocial ". However, the results of doin...

I have a strange "love/hate" relationship with Reddit, I talk about it often on, " @ntisocial " if you're interested.  I haven't been a Redditor long but, I find myself constantly unsure what to think of it all. However, today I have good reason to share some Reddit love. I started this blog not too long ago and I suddenly found myself not able to fully promote it. It contains adult material, so Google doesn't allow it to be posted on my public profile. I didn't want to promote this blog through Twitter, as it is connected to my Facebook account and therefore, my family, which, most of them are aware that I'm gay but, I could care less about sharing these kinds of stories with them as I'm sure it would only upset them and then be used as ammunition against me. That leaves me with very few options. A few Reddit moderation teams have been kind enough to allow me to promote, "No Pride" on their subreddits. I would like to thank all...