Category: Spotlights
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We are back!
What does that mean? We will be sharing posts from the past on our social media sites and releasing new posts starting January of 2026. Why did we return? Given the current state of the world as well as the uptick of hate, violence, fear, and uncertainty due to politics in the United States, we…
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“Lyrical, charismatic and fiercely political”: Legend of poet Essex Hemphill remains relevant
Let’s take a look back at one of the most iconic Black LGBTQ folks out there ahead of this year’s recognition of LGBTQ History Month (October). His name is Essex Hemphill. While born in Chicago in 1957, Hemphill grew up in the southeast region of Washington, D.C. as the oldest of Mantalene and Warren Hemphill’s…
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DC-area nonprofit to bring expanded support to LGBTQ+ families
Rainbow Families, a small, grassroots nonprofit has been delivering education, connections and advocacy for LGBTQ families for nearly 35 years in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area. Executive director Darren Vance said over the last three decades, Rainbow Families has consistently offered a six-week education program that teaches prospective parents on the options for LGBTQ+ parenthood,…
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30 years in the closet: Life coach lights path to self discovery
David Harborne began his project, Secret Gay Men, just over a year ago after a near 30-year experience of his own. “I specialize in coaching closeted gay men. The reason I do that is because I’ve gone back on 30 years in the closet and realized how painful that time was,” he said. “I would…
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“I started to see there were other people like me. I’m not alone anymore.”
“If you feel different, talk to somebody you can trust because at least then it comes out and you’re expressing yourself a bit more. I’ve missed out a huge number of years and I wouldn’t want anybody else to do that.”
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Book of letters and affirmations stem from trans author who needed words of encouragement himself
Read Oliver’s coming out story here. As a family man, Oliver Ernst took inspiration to paper in writing “Letters to the LGBT+ Community: Supportive affirmations for queer youth.” Though his values go way back, the idea to write the book came at a random time in Ernst’s life when he was walking his dog and…
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“I wanted to feel alive all the time, not just in therapy.”
CW/TW: Mental health, suicidal thoughts Pronouns: He/Him/His When Oliver was introduced to the idea of intercourse at 6 years old, he immediately knew it wasn’t for him. “I don’t want any of that,” he recalled thinking at the time. And that feeling has never changed. This was the earliest time Oliver had insight into the…
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“I just came out publicly for the first time and you want me to do it again?”
Pronouns: He/Him/His James first identified himself as a gay man when he was 16 years old, though he knew he’s been different since 7. “While [my brother and I] looked through the JCPenney Christmas catalog, he would turn to the girls in bras and panties and I would turn to the boys in underwear,” he…
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“I’m not crazy — this is how I felt my whole life.”
TW/CW: Brief mentions of suicide attempts and ideation but not into detail; gender dysphoria Pronouns: He/Him/His Drew recalls being as young as 4 years old when he started bunching up socks and putting them in his pants and wished on Troll dolls that certain body parts would grow. Anything outside of cisgender or straight was…
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“I struggled to be OK enough to respond to everybody’s issues since I was drowning in my own.”
Q&A with trans police officer and author Luke Fournier TW/CW: domestic violence, transphobia, suicidal thoughts What inspired you to write the book? I’m someone who never, ever thought that I would write a book. I wasn’t in high-level English classes or had any aspirations to be a writer. It became something that rolled out from…
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“It felt like my whole body completely betrayed me.”
Pronouns: He/Him/His or They/Them Lucian vividly recalls a game in elementary school called “Catch and Kiss ‘em.” At one point, his peers were shouting at him that he wasn’t playing right when he started chasing after the girls. He was a tomboy growing up with two close boy friends, never really seeing himself as a…
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“I was lucky to have an older sibling that came out before me.”
Pronouns: He/Him/His Anthony’s relationship with his family was complicated — not so much by my being gay, but by other issues. He coins himself as lucky that he lived in a major city with a gay community he was aware of. In high school, he was able to connect with others in the community. However, it…
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“I push to educate people and make sure we have a society that’s more accepting for people to come out.”
Pronouns: He/Him/His Local Wisconsin politician Aaron Wojciechowski had unspoken love and support with his entire family growing up. “I never grew up in a homophobic household,” he explained. “My parents were always very supportive, loving and caring.” But they never talked about sexuality; at first, he thought liking the same sex was normal. But as…
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“Our relationship has been virtually nonexistent ever since.”
Pronouns: He/Him/His Art Smith grew up in New Jersey, just a short distance from the Big Apple, in the ‘60s and ‘70s. “I was active in the local Catholic church and was a very good student,” Art said. “I had quite a few friends and got along with pretty much everyone. My family life was…
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Website aims to remember gay bars’ legacies
Gay bars have been a part of LGBTQ+ culture for as long as we can remember, providing a haven, getaway and as respite for those who were looking to be themselves among others similar. One man has begun an initiative to remember gay bars past and present that have left a mark on the LGBTQ…
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Give for a future: Ugandan trans youth initiative seeks visibility and support
It may not be known to many about the hardships trans and intersex individuals face outside of the United States and Europe. One Ugandan group is seeking help and visibility to address these difficulties among their youths. Operating in Northern Uganda, Kampala and Wakiso, Africa, the Pride for Youth Initiative (PFYI) aims to “create a…
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“What better place to be accepted for who you are than coming out at a pride event?”
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers Lilith Zarling’s roots were set in the Milwaukee area, where she graduated from Riverside High School and attended Marquette University. Her family was seemingly normal for the region, attending church once a week. But the views they taught never really resided with her. “I never can think of a time where I completely…
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“You gave us a platform to perform.”
If you haven’t yet, read the first two parts here and here. Stan taught journalism for some time in Chicago — his students helped run a TV station at their school that aired on local access cable. Through this, he was able to get several connections with musicians and their managers from Warner Brothers for…
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“His main concern was my safety. He didn’t care about my sexuality.”
No-op trans woman reflects on how she’s evolved. Pronouns: She/Her/Hers When she was a kid, Krystal Beverly remembers taking T-shirts and putting the neckline on her forehead to create the effect of having long hair flowing beyond her shoulders. She used to take bedsheets and tie them around her to imitate a gown with a…
Come (Out) as You Are 