Columnists and Letters

Read op-eds, thoughts, reflections, and opinions on LGBT subjects and life in general.

Young Man Reflected in Bus Mirror

Here Are 4 Soul-Stirring Encounters with Homeless LGBTQ Youth

Portland’s homeless population is infamous for its sheer size, but it is the homeless LGBTQ youth that always stand out to me. The People You Meet on Public Transportation As a...

Columnists and Letters • Gay Voices|

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born this way jacket with unicorn

How Artistic Setbacks Accidentally Helped Me Become A Gay Journalist

In the course of pursuing a career as an artist, one writer and editor accidentally becomes a professional homosexual. The Perils of Pursuing Art Professionally My dad, a...

Columnists and Letters • Gay Voices • Lifestyle|

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Kit Harington and Emilia Clarke in Game of Thrones

How a Gay Couple Went from Loathing to Loving “Game of Thrones”

Wade and his husband assumed Game of Thrones wasn’t for them until they discovered it was enchanting – and surprisingly gay. And Why Do They Want This Alleged Throne?...

Columnists and Letters • Entertainment • Gay Voices • Screen|

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Kevin Phinney

Want to Know the Real You? Look on the Dance Floor

I learned things about myself I could never have known otherwise on the dance floor. I’ve been an avid clubgoer since the glory days of disco, before I understood that being gay...

Columnists and Letters • Gay Voices|

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young man on a city rooftop

Did I Understand Consent as a Young Gay Man?

In light of recent high-profile allegations of sexual abuse, I can’t help but wonder if I even understood consent when I was a young gay man living in 1990s New York City. You...

Columnists and Letters • Gay Voices|

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Kevin Phinney

What Made the Mixtape Disappear?

During the reign of Top 40 radio, Kevin mastered crafting crowd-pleasing playlists, but as tastes began to change, he found it harder to get people into the mix. Most of us will...

Columnists and Letters|

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Paul Hagen

Lend An Ear: Why Editor Paul Hagen is Only Half Listening to You

The summer after kindergarten, I was admitted to the hospital. Something was wrong with my left ear, and the doctors were having difficulty identifying a remedy. They hoped a...

Columnists and Letters|

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unhappy dinner plate

I Had a Horrible Gay Break-Up and Couldn’t Stop Losing Weight

I parlayed a painful relationship split into increasingly extreme weight loss – until I discovered how low I could go. A few years ago, I went through one of the worst...

Columnists and Letters|

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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...

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Wade Rouse

End of Life Care: When You’re Gay Without Kids, Who Will Take Care of You?

In the course of helping their own parents face the slings and arrows of age, Wade and Gary make alternative plans for their own twilight years. It is the call no one hopes to...

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Kevin Phinney

The Greatest Love of All Is Not Easy to Achieve

With all due respect to Whitney Houston, Kevin discovers that learning to love himself involves getting past experiences that made him feel less than proud. “Hooray, now my...

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Wade Rouse

Trip Down Memory Lane

Wade takes his dad for a visit to the past but discovers that the same scenes that bring his father comfort can also be haunting reminders of what was. Each time I visit my...

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