First published at 365gay.com on May 7, 2010 So, we have a new line to add to the file labeled “Seriously?!?”—alongside Reverend Ted Haggard’s “I bought the meth but didn’t use it,” ex-gay leader John Paulk’s “I had to use the bathroom and had no idea it was a gay bar,” Rep. Eric Massa’s “I’m… Continue reading Rekers’ Rentboy
Tag: coming out
Remembering Prom
First published at 365gay.com on March 26, 2010 Recent reports about students in Mississippi and Georgia seeking to bring same-sex dates to prom stirred memories of my own prom experience. The year was 1987. I was “straight” then—or so I convinced myself. I knew I had “gay feelings” (as I put it), I knew I… Continue reading Remembering Prom
Coming Out at the Border
First published at 365gay.com on March 12, 2010 The border guard didn’t even look up when she asked the question: “Citizenship?” “U.S.” “And why are you in Canada?” I paused. She looked up. I was going to Canada to give a lecture, which would be easy enough to say. But then there would be the… Continue reading Coming Out at the Border
A Story of Comfort and Joy
First published at 365gay.com on December 18, 2009 Allow me to share a favorite holiday story. It was late-November 1989, a year after I first came out. I had been dating a guy named Michael for over a month, which made him (in my mind, at least) my first “real” boyfriend. I was twenty and… Continue reading A Story of Comfort and Joy
On Not Being Like Other Boys
First published at 365gay.com on November 13, 2009 It’s November, which means bookstores have next year’s calendars on display. When I was a teenager, this annual occurrence unnerved me. The “male interest” calendars”—think “Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Model of the Month”—held no appeal for me. Instead, I would nervously reach for a Chippendales calendar, hiding it… Continue reading On Not Being Like Other Boys
Maine, Detroit and the Closet
First published at 365gay.com on November 9, 2009 When I was a “fag” on the junior high playground, getting punched hurt even when I saw it coming. So too with Maine this past week. Like many, I was dispirited but not surprised when we lost. The rights of minorities (gays especially) generally don’t do well… Continue reading Maine, Detroit and the Closet
A Personal Tragedy
First published at 365gay.com on October 2, 2009 Chad and I met on my first visit to Detroit, back in the spring of 1998. “Damn, he’s good-looking,” I thought to myself–a familiar reaction for those who met Chad. He was thin then–he didn’t become a gym bunny until a few years later–but it was his… Continue reading A Personal Tragedy
Coming Out Advice
First published at 365gay.com on September 25, 2009 One of the best bits of advice I ever received while coming out was from a nun. That’s right—a Catholic nun. Not even a lesbian nun, as far as I can gather. Sr. Julie was one of my theology professors in college, and she was one of… Continue reading Coming Out Advice
We’ve still got far to go
First published at 365gay.com on July 31, 2009 I’m not usually a touchy-feely, share-your-emotions, “Trust the Process” kind of guy. I’m a philosophy professor. I revel in cold, hard logic. So it was with some trepidation that I signed up as a faculty member for Campus Pride’s annual summer Leadership Camp—which, since it was mostly… Continue reading We’ve still got far to go
Why it Matters that Adam Lambert Came Out
First published at 365gay.com on June 12, 2009 So, Adam Lambert comes out in the latest issue of Rolling Stone, and you’re thinking, “What’s next? Rolling Stone announces ‘Water is wet’”? I get where you’re coming from. But there are deeper lessons to be gleaned. First, notice how Lambert comes out—in a music magazine, with… Continue reading Why it Matters that Adam Lambert Came Out