Identity

Two For One
I feel like my life consists of false binaries. All of which I've been unable to fall on either side of. I'm neither gay nor straight: I'm bisexual. I'm neither Arab nor American: I'm Arab-American. And so on and so forth.
By Jordan Tinsley4 years ago in Pride
A Grave Converstion
A Grave Conversation The scene is nearly idyllic. Fluffy clouds dot a deep blue sky while mountains stand in afar in all four directions. Shady Pines is a man-made oasis in the desert. Stately trees, some Oak, mostly Pine, dominate a square mile devoid of indigenous Mesquite, and Palo Verde, trees. Soft breezes play lightly through leaves and needles, whispering of peace and tranquility. Temperatures in three digits are not uncommon in areas between tree shadows. Underground temperatures are much cooler.
By David Zinke aka ZINK4 years ago in Pride
Bradley
Bradley swirled the last bit of frosting at the top of the cake. He looked up as the curtains bristled along with the wind and held his eyes on his backyard. The sun glowed on the mountain behind their house, right at the peak of its most golden hour of the day. He loved watching the mountain shine like that. He let himself stare for a moment before he put his attention back to his creation and all of its glory.
By Andrew J. Stillman4 years ago in Pride
Time to be Trans-Parent
50 years. As I approach the end of my 30's I am hit by how long 50 years of life really is. It's a marriage, 3 adult children, grand children, the loss of parents and the rise of social change. Its a lifetime of knowing yourself when no one else does, or maybe they did and you just didn't know how deep love can be. 50 years of being a woman when everyone else saw you as a man.
By Caitlin Cook4 years ago in Pride
Spare Me the Nematodes, Redux
Tagetes. Possibly from the founding prophet or god of Etruscan religion, Tages, who according to mythology, is supposed to have leapt from a deep furrow left by a ploughman. Described as having the appearance of youth but the wisdom of sages, he taught the people to predict the future through divination.
By Randy Wayne Jellison-Knock4 years ago in Pride
1978
1978 - The Overture Sexy at Six and Seven I am the hottest guy in my first-grade class. Fashion model hot. The other 6-year-olds can’t compete with my good looks. Put me on a Toys Are Us magazine playing with Legos or on a Mickey Mouse Hoppity-Hop and they will run out of stock. I’m not just sexy but confident, a confidence that isn’t tempered by modesty.
By Brandon Burke 4 years ago in Pride
No Gay Gene?
NOTE: Due to VOCALS restrictions on religious discussions, I must keep the "Certain Groups” identity unnamed and censored.
By Ross E Fortune Lombardi4 years ago in Pride
Coming Out of the Barn
I woke up to the smell of my Dad’s cooking. I loved when he cooked breakfast, he always made sure it was enough to get through any hard day’s work. Bacon, sausage, eggs, biscuits, pancakes, anything you name it and he’ll make it. But the smell of his delicious food couldn’t take away the pain I felt from last night's fight with my brother, Justin. He had told us he accepted a job out in New York. He doesn’t even like the city, but he wanted more out of life. What more could he want, that wasn’t already right here in front of him. I couldn’t believe that he would just up and leave us here to tend to the farm by ourselves. Our parents worked their asses off on this farm, and he thinks he can just up and leave his family like that. Hell no. I jumped out of bed and rushed to get dressed, headed downstairs to the kitchen; where my Dad had a plate ready waiting for me. I smiled and went over to kiss him good morning.
By J. Rabbit5 years ago in Pride
Coming Out Trans: The Not So "Ah Hah" Moment
It was a Thursday at 1:57 P.M. in early June. The heat would beg to quarrel with the assessment that it was not yet even technically summer yet as would I. Several times a week I’d find myself in my “office-on-wheels” and drowning in only the kind of oppressive heat that a black car with leather interior could provide. Yet, the dealings that typically occur in my car welcomed the hot with welcome, sweat-dampened arms. Living in a 900 square foot apartment with four other adults and a child meant that I had to go seeking less-than traditional methods for phone calls or matters of privacy and my 2012 Ford Focus had become an unlikely oasis. It had become a place that shelters me as I make giant, yet cautious leaps into building my future and the life that I had only dreamed possible for myself. Yet, it had also become a place which housed me in my most vulnerable and terrified. All too often did I find myself climbing into that sun-baked heat box and nervously shivering myself into doing things that almost froze me in fear. Unlike many in the midst of deep anxiety, I find my body temperature drops to near extremity. Like a fat, old house cat seeking a good window to nap under, I am forced to seek conditions in which mere mortals cannot even breathe in to coax myself down from chattering molars.
By G.K. Wolf5 years ago in Pride
On God in The Bathtub
I have this bad habit of draining the water in the bath right as it finishes filling up. It's as if I can pat myself on the back for for a job well done, the bath got filled, and I can go home now.
By MG5 years ago in Pride
The Undecided
Life sucks but then gets better and then it sucks. Let me tell you my story on why life is a funny thing. I was born and raised into a Christian Non-denominational church. I definitely felt like home here but things drastically changed for "The Undecided." As I grew old, my decision making matured and outgrew my childish mindset. I learned and became mindful about many things in life; from breath, to the taste of food. I became more aware of everyday tasks that you wouldn't focus on and it bothered me that people aren't mindfully present or aware of what's truly going on in your mind, body, and spirit. I can say I have lived a difficult life with many hardships, sorrows, anguish, and despair. I was angry and upset with myself and I never felt like I deserved the love I'm worthy of. I was becoming mentally unstable to the point I even thought "Am I even truly alive?" It became fearful and it was a scary point in my life but then I decided, "Am I going to live for others or am I truly going to live for myself?" Things slowly started changing and these abrasive, painful thoughts started transforming into magnificent mental butterflies sweeping through the horizon of the mind. Things changed, but let me tell you why I became so frightful of life.
By The Captive Dreamer5 years ago in Pride
Understanding Faith
I would like to give a small disclaimer at the beginning of this article for those of different faiths. I am not Muslim, or Christian, or Jewish, I would more closely associate with Paganism or other forms of polytheism, but I was raised in a Christian tradition. This article is to express some of my specific experiences as a young gay man in my faith tradition, as well as some of the preconceptions I was raised on towards other religions. This has been what I have found in my own exploration of other faiths, not a "catch-all" of what others believe. If you disagree with any of my thoughts or finding, I totally accept that and accept you and you right to pursue your own path.
By Rhett Martens5 years ago in Pride