A Road Trip to Love

A friend recently shared an article with me about Perez Hilton saying he would prefer it if his five year old son wasn’t gay. Hearing an openly gay parent say something like that makes me sad and frustrated. It also reminds me that just because we’re gay or lesbian, it doesn’t mean we can’t be homophobic or pass along homophobic beliefs. Being a gay parent doesn’t automatically exclude us from teaching homophobia. Growing up in a heteronormative society, it’s not possible to

James was my friend’s brother and best friend—he passed away last month from a heroin overdose. He was 25 years old. James was many things, he was a brother, a friend, a son, and most importantly, a life—a fellow human being. He was also gay. When I heard about James’ death, I immediately wondered if it had anything to do with drugs. I didn’t really know much about James, but I also wondered whether or not he was gay. I’m personally familiar with the relationship between sham

Last week I had something happen to me that I haven’t experienced before. A young man sat at my bar. I immediately felt his energy and walked over. He seemed young, so I asked for his ID. He also seemed very nervous and uncomfortable. Something inside told me to make small talk to help put him at ease. His ID was from Colombia, so I joked with him about the recent Miss Universe pageant. I asked if he lived in Los Angeles or was just visiting. He said he was visiting his mothe

“Uncle Chris, is she your girlfriend?” Suddenly I was a teen again. I felt like I did before I was out of the closet and someone would bring up the word “gay.” I could feel the hair on my neck rise, the color burn into my cheeks and the knot in my stomach. How is it that I, who have been out of the closet for 10 years, who’s life is dedicated to LGBT advocacy work, an individual who mentors gay youth and prides himself on visibility, who was in fact visiting Arizona to give a