Gay Sailor’s Dream

In conservative S. America, a Chilean sailor found the strength to come out. It’s not something that happens often. He’s hoping that by coming out in this environment he will help break some of the myths about gays…in all respects and pave the way for others. I talk about this kind of thing all the time here, the way the mainstream public has some misguided impressions about all LGBTI people.

Ruiz was accompanied by gay activists for his announcement, which he said was not an easy step to take but one he felt was necessary.

“Personally, I hope that this is a contribution to non-discrimination in my society,” he said.

Men like this can only be applauded, because in doing this they help other gay men in similar positions feel freer to come out, which leads to less shame and less stigma…ultimately breaking the stereotypes.

You can read more about him here.

Real Life Gay For You

I find everything about this next article fascinating. In short, it’s about a straight guy who fell in love with his best friend…a man. And the way he fell in love with him is about as good as it gets in life. It happened slowly, while the straight guy was going through a serious illness the docs couldn’t seem to diagnose properly. His best friend stood by him, nurtured him, and even rubbed his back. Keep in mind, the best friend asked for nothing in return, not once. He did this purely out of love.

It’s a fairly long piece, and this is just a snippet of the kind of dialogue that will bring you to the edge:

“Garrett, I think I’m in love with you.”

His expression changed to that of confusion.

“Well, you’ve been so great and taken care of me, and I know it doesn’t make much sense. But, if I’ve ever felt love, this is it. And, well—I think I’m in love with you.”

He stopped and thought for a moment. It was a long moment. Then he opened his mouth again and asked, “Do you miss me when I’m away?”

I nodded my head slowly—uneasily.

“Do you get excited to see me?”

I nodded again, this time with a hint of uncertainty.

He looked back timidly. “Well, then I think I might love you too.”

I highly recommend reading the full story here. It talks about things I think we’d all like to see questioned more, and maybe even see more of this happen with other men or women. I have always said (and written in my books) the relationship between a straight man and a gay man should never be underestimated, and I don’t mean in a sexual way. There’s an interesting bond and when a straight guy and a gay guy find that bond it’s hard to break it apart.

It’s also an excellent web site. 

Daniel Ashley Pierce: Painful Coming Out Story

As wonderful as the previous piece was, I can’t say this next link is anything even remotely comparable. When a 20 year old came out to his family last October, everything seemed calm enough at first…but what happened afterward that was captured in a video, in part, will leave you wrecked.

“No, you can believe that if you want to,” a woman, presumably his grandmother, can be heard saying, “but I believe in the word of God, and God creates nobody that way. It’s a path that you have chosen to choose. … You go by all the scientific stuff you want to. I’m going by the word of God.” She goes on to say that since Pierce has “chosen that path” they will no longer support him and he needs to move out because she “will not let people believe that I condone what you do.”

Pierce asks his stepmother if he can stay in the house, but she refuses.
 
“You’re full of s**t,” she says. “You told me on the phone that you made that choice. You know you wasn’t born that way. You know damn good and well you made that choice. You know that [your father] has done everything he can to raise you. … He didn’t need to blame himself.”

And there you are. It happens all the time and it never ends well. It reminds me of a commentary I read about m/m romance books a month or so ago where three women on a romance book review web site talked about how the old trope of coming out and being rejected wasn’t working in gay romance anymore because so much has changed for gay men. They obviously don’t know what they’re talking about, but there’s no point linking. These big mouths never shut up, and that’s partly because no one has the guts to tell them how irrelevant they actually are. Young gay men being rejected happens all the time, and if it still happens all the time it’s still going to work in a m/m romance novel.

In any event, there’s more here, with a video clip. They’ve started a crowdfunding page to help support him. All links are there.