Browsing Tag

gay

Not The End of Me: Musician Steve Grand Sheds Light on Life After Love

Posted on July 30, 2018
A photo of gay musician Steve Grand.

Steve Grand was riding the effervescent high of 2015’s All-American Boy when he realized that introspection would be the key to his follow-up. The country-pop aesthetic of his freshman album had him pegged by the media as America’s newest gay country icon, but Grand demurred. Though he considers himself a fan of country music, he doesn’t think of himself as a country artist. “Music is subjective,” Grand says. “That is part of the whole point. The lines of life are…

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‘Southernmost’ Review: Times Are a-Changin’ in ol’ Appalachia

Posted on May 24, 2018
A photo of Southernmost author Silas House.

In his newest novel, Southernmost, Silas House confronts a changing Appalachia where even Asher Sharp—a fundamentalist preacher in Tennessee—questions his rigid moral beliefs, years after his brother comes out as gay and flees to Key West. And while House has a canon of work that candidly depicts Appalachian people (including the New York Times’ best-selling Clay’s Quilt), this is his first novel to tackle openly gay characters.…

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A Queer Literary Pillar in Exile: Tennessee Williams in Retrospect

Posted on May 4, 2018
A photo of Tennessee Williams with Anna Magnani.

Within the canon of southern literature, it is rare to find queer authors who died within 200 miles of where they were born. It is even rarer is to find a queer author who did so and lived freely. Most made their exodus from the South and sought refuge in queer urban hubs, such as New York, San Francisco, or Los Angeles. One of the most famous amongst those who journeyed away from his roots, but whose plays kept his…

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Transouthern Youth: Meet Niko Gonzalez

Posted on April 16, 2018
A photo of transouthern youth Niko Gonzalez.

High school sophomore Niko Gonzalez is a one-man revolution. At age 16, this openly trans and gay teenager is sending ripples through his Catholic school and diocese, challenging restroom regulation, and simultaneously paving the way for future generations of queer students.…

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Finding Faith in the Democratic Party

Posted on February 28, 2018
A photo of James Lee, a gay man of faith.

For far too long, conservatives have claimed a monopoly on faith. And if the past few years are any indication, they aren’t letting up any time soon. Republican lawmakers are having a renewed romance with discrimination under the guise of religious freedom. From religious refusals in healthcare and discrimination in adoption procedures to the right to refuse service in business, there seems to be an unending assault on equality in the name of faith. I think it’s time Democrats push back…

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Spectrum South Snapshot #3: Shane Farmer

Posted on January 15, 2018
A photo of queer South Carolinian Shane Farmer

I think most people would look at me and believe that I am a plain boring boy next door. I identify as a white, gay, cisgender male. However, I find that my skin features sometimes throw a lot of people off—my darker complexion and other characteristics cause many people to mistake me for Hispanic/Latin (I’ve literally been asked if I’m “like white white”). I grew up in a working-class family where my mom dropped out of high school to take…

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I Won’t Be Home for Christmas: Making My Own Holiday Traditions

Posted on December 22, 2017
An illustration of Christmas trees for the holidays.

I have never celebrated Christmas on December 25. When I was younger, if you had asked me when Christmas was, I would have told you the 21st or 22nd, depending on the year. My sister and I never had the luxury of waking up to a relaxing Christmas morning, running downstairs to our awaiting gifts, and reveling in the rest of our Christmas breaks. Our Christmas was always a production—a whirlwind of bows, baking, and busting our asses to make…

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All This and Heaven Too: San Antonio Retrospective Celebrates Gay, HIV-Positive Artist Chuck Ramirez

Posted on December 14, 2017
A photo of gay artist Chuck Ramirez, whose retrospective, All This and Heaven Too, is at the McNay Art Museum.

Sometimes, less is more. That can certainly be said about the life and creations of openly gay artist Chuck Ramirez. His work has been described as a form of photographic minimalism created in the span of a relatively brief but productive period (1995-2010). Ramirez’s death following a cycling accident at age 48 shook the arts community, but seven years later, his artistic stock continues to rise as collectors and museums around the country become privy to his many accomplishments.…

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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…

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