Full circle. It’s a phrase that denotes a kind of personal completion that a person rarely achieves, but is a momentous occasion when they do. That’s how I felt after watching the newly released documentary, This is What Love in Action Looks Like. The film chronicles the story of Zach Stark, who was forced by his parents into Refuge, a live-in program that was centered around the concept of reparative therapy.
Zach’s story is one that spoke to me years ago when I first heard about it in the summer of 2005. At the time, we were in the process of forming a new PFLAG (Parents, Friends & Families of Lesbians and Gays) chapter, and it was a poignant reminder of just how much we need to support each other:
Everyone has their journey to self acceptance. Mine began years ago shortly after I reached the age of 30. By then, I was never truly confronted with my gay orientation. When I finally encountered a man who forever changed my life and the way I love, I not only faced my inner demons head-on, but vanquished them. I wrote this essay in late 2003 to help complete that process.
I would eventually explore each of these themes in detail, but this was my turning point — and it not only helped me to put my thoughts together, but I later learned that it helped others as well. My hope is that my story will continue to touch lives…
I don’t feel sorry for Sheriff Paul Babeu. Not even a little bit. Here’s a guy who tried to make his way through the American political scene by hiding the fact that he’s gay (as if it’s a bad thing) and then when his closet of lies and deception starts to crack, he goes ballistic, even threatening to have his ex-boyfriend deported.
When leaders announced that Alan Chambers would be in a panel at this weekend’s Gay Christian Network conference in Orlando this weekend, opinions flared. Chambers, president of the “ex-gay” group Exodus International, joined a panel that included three former Exodus ministry leaders, John Smid, Wendy VanderWal Gritter, and Jeremy Marks. If that weren’t wild [...]
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Why I hate drag shows
All right. The cat’s out of the bag. I’m a baaaad Southern fag. And you know, I think I’m pretty damned entitled to this particular gripe. Not that it was much of a secret. Back in 2005 and 2006 when we had our two Pride festivals here in Clarksville, rumors spread through the local gay community that “David Shelton doesn’t like drag shows.”