All Posts By

Russell Etherton

On Fatherhood, Identity, and Lost Connections: An Open Letter to My Dad on Father’s Day

Posted on June 16, 2023

A photo of the author with his dad on Father's Day.

June is a hard month for me. It’s a time when the world reminds me that I’m getting older, and the signs of adulthood become more apparent. Suddenly, being in my thirties means taking naps before nights out (also, why go out when you can be in bed by 9:30 p.m.?), turning down the radio in the car to focus, and realizing that “back day” is no longer just an intense workout at the gym but a day dedicated to…

Finding Relief: Calming Anxiety and Self-Doubt in the Time of COVID-19

Posted on April 2, 2020

What a crazy time we find ourselves in. March has ended (finally!) and, in just a single month, the world has changed in ways we won’t fully realize for years and decades to come. Lives have been forever altered, destroyed, or lost completely. And now the ways in which we interact with one another, the best practices in every sector, the systems that are supposed to be there when we needed a safety net, and the planet we live on…

Lambda NextGen Creates Space for Houston LGBTQ Young Professionals

Posted on October 24, 2018

For those who don’t know, October is LGBTQ History Month—a win for the Gay Agenda as we attempt to take over the year one month at a time. To honor this auspicious observance, which includes National Coming Out Day (October 11), Spectrum South is taking a moment to look at some of the organizations that help our community thrive.…

Kentucky Born, Texas Grown: A Personal Reflection on Finding My Gay Self in the South

Posted on September 21, 2018

I was born and raised in the great Commonwealth of Kentucky. More specifically, Louisville, a tiny beacon of liberal hope in a state that prides itself on its southern charm and conservative values. Home of the Kentucky Derby and the biggest of hats, strong bourbon and the best Mint Juleps you’ll ever taste, tobacco, and a college basketball culture unlike anywhere else in the United States. A city where faith and religious conviction dance with sin. Most definitely not the…

Living by Choice: My First HIV Test

Posted on November 27, 2017

A photo of Russell Etherton sharing his story about his first HIV test.

I try and live my life by choice. My first HIV test, however, was in reaction—reaction to a love story and a partner I thought I knew. Once upon a time, in a gay land far away… I vividly remember the day I met my ex-boyfriend. Like so many of my friends, Grindr was how I found “connection.” I opened the app and, in the endless scroll of faces and torsos, I’d find someone who would quench whatever thirst I had that…