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

A Gay Man’s first Trip to Provincetown Opens His Eyes

Wade remembers his first visit to Provincetown, where a chance invitation allowed him to glimpse a future he hadn’t begun to imagine. Good Morning, Provincetown! My first-ever...

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...

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...

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?...

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...

Discovering Your Identity: The Trek from Straight Boyfriend to Gay Daddy

Kevin explores the act of discovering your identity on his trek from “straight” boyfriend to gay daddy. Along the way, he evolves from being an altar boy fantasizing...

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...

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...

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...

This Is What It’s Like to Escape Your Own Dinner Party

I decided to shake up my party-throwing routine, and the result was a culinary catastrophe. Fêting Ready I love being a host. Perhaps it’s easier to love when you throw...

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...

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...