Sebastian Fortino Author

man walking on beach

Saying Farewell to Summer at a Gay Nude Beach

As fall approaches, I can’t help but marvel at the sights, sounds and stories I experienced this summer at a local, clothing-optional stretch of the water’s edge that the...

Gay Voices|

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gnocci

Can You Throw a Big Gay Dinner Party Without the Dinner?

I decided to shake up my party-throwing routine, and the result was a culinary catastrophe. I love the feeling of being a host, but perhaps it’s easier to love when you...

Columnists and Letters|

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lake and mountains

This Gay Man Went Camping and All He Got Was Hope for the Future of America

We thought we had packed almost everything for our visit to a gay-owned campground, but one of the best moments of the trip came from something we forgot. There was an ad campaign...

Gay Voices|

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cancelled out wedding rings

The Stations of My Gay Divorce

On the day my divorce was finalized, I accidentally ended up in the neighborhood where I took so many of the steps which led me to that moment. As I shared in an earlier column...

Gay Voices|

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st. marks nyc

Once Upon a Time in 1990s New York City

As spring finally teases us hello with the first warm weather, I can’t help but look forward to summer, a subject that invariably gets me thinking of my 20s in New York. I’m...

Gay Voices|

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young and older man walking together

Do I Have the Right to Mourn My Friend’s Father as Though He Were My Own?

He was like a father to me, but when we lost him, I had to ask myself whether I had the right to be so sad. Last spring, as my fellow Portlanders were shaking off the slow drizzle...

Gay Voices|

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baggy suit scene from Big

A Gay Man Wonders, “When Will They Stop Calling Me a Boy?”

As a shorter guy, I accepted it would take longer to be called “a man.” At first, I thought it would definitely happen by 30. Nope. Well after that, I had certain friends who...

Gay Voices|

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the women

Did I Really Give My Ex-Husband the Best Years of My Life?

It’s an oft-repeated phrase. It’s so ingrained into the culture of relationships and breakups, that it’s become a cliché. I remember when I first heard one of the...

Gay Voices|

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