Tag Archives: gay rights

Brian, Training Consultant, San Francisco

photo by Kevin Truong

photo by Kevin Truong

photo by Kevin Truong

photo by Kevin Truong

photo by Kevin Truong

photo by Kevin Truong

photo by Kevin Truong

photo by Kevin Truong

Brian, in his own words: “Moving to San Francisco was a great thing for me, because living here made me really feel like it was ok to be myself. I’ve made a lot of great friends, and being involved in things like the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus helped me build a broader community of friends and family. In addition, being Mr June 2013 on the Bare Chest Calendar has given me the opportunity to give back to the community in a way that I would never have thought possible even just a few years ago. All in all, I’m very glad to have made the decision to live in San Francisco, and to be who I am. I’m proud of that, and hope others can find pride in who they are and what they do.”

Oscar, Writer, San Francisco

photo by Kevin Truong

photo by Kevin Truong

photo by Kevin Truong

photo by Kevin Truong

photo by Kevin Truong

photo by Kevin Truong

photo by Kevin Truong

photo by Kevin Truong

photo by Kevin Truong

photo by Kevin Truong

photo by Kevin Truong

photo by Kevin Truong

Oscar, in his own words: “‘Confessions of a Boy Toy’ is a futuristic gay love story where humans have cyborg devices implanted in their bodies, and love at first sight seems to be a thing of the past:

Wilde flinched into consciousness, awaking to the sounds of morning, construction outside the window. The first sensation was that of his bare butt gracing the maroon sheets made of silk as he slipped into a sit up. He rubbed his temples, forcing for the pain to fade. Like many nights before when cocktails and curiosity had led him away from his own bed and into new territory, he had passed out before he could switch off his Eyes. The disks now felt heavy, bombarded and drained, causing a sophisticated pain in his head. But this inconvenient, morning after ache had never stopped him from ending the night crashing elsewhere. The thing about Wilde was that he could comfortably fall asleep anywhere, under the most absurd of circumstances, even in a stranger’s bed. Not that anyone nowadays could be considered a stranger.

Wilde didn’t have to use his exhausted Eyes to detect and recognize this man still sleeping next to him with his face plummeted deep inside the pillow. Wilde remembered everything about the night prior, even his ephemeral biting of this man’s grooved skin, where his shoulder blades met the neck. What Wilde couldn’t forget either was the moment when they had made Eye contact at the holiday party seven weeks ago, how boldly this man had offered to get him a drink and then another, and the eventual cluttering of emotions that had urged Wilde to follow this man—his boss—all the way to bed.”

Tom, DJ and Community Activist, San Francisco

photo by Kevin Truong

photo by Kevin Truong

photo by Kevin Truong

photo by Kevin Truong

photo by Kevin Truong

photo by Kevin Truong

photo by Kevin Truong

photo by Kevin Truong

photo by Kevin Truong

photo by Kevin Truong

photo by Kevin Truong

photo by Kevin Truong

photo by Kevin Truong

photo by Kevin Truong

photo by Kevin Truong

photo by Kevin Truong

photo by Kevin Truong

photo by Kevin Truong

photo by Kevin Truong

photo by Kevin Truong

Tom, in his own words: “(Being gay has) been a gift for me! My worldview and creative output are so shaped by my being queer and i’m pretty proud of both. The people i’ve met, the places i’ve gone, the things i’ve accomplished, so many of those things wouldn’t have happened if I weren’t queer and I wouldn’t trade them for anything.

(With regards to challenges) Aside from occasionally having ‘faggot’ shouted at me on the street and a few tumultuous teenage years (I haven’t had) too many to speak of. I’m sure that there have been more subtle challenges but my life as a gay men has been largely without incident and I’m very thankful and lucky to be able to say that.

(The gay scene in San Francisco is) pretty spectacular. When I first moved here I felt like looking at the queer scene was like standing on the edge of the ocean — It was so vast and had far too much depth to ever understand. Having been here for eight years now it certainly doesn’t appear as vast as it once does but its still very impressive. It’s amazing living in a city where there’s such a diversity of experiences and interests that there isn’t a ‘gay scene’ to speak of but rather communities within that that congregate around other interests and just happen to be queer.

(With regards to coming out) I’ve been out for 11 years now, and it’s been mostly uphill since that moment. I met my first other gay boy my age when I was a sophomore in High School, fell in love with him, had my heart ripped out, told everyone it was happening because I didn’t want to be alone in love/despair and that was pretty much that. My friends were all mostly supportive and my parents ultimately were too. Now they come to my queer parties, ask about how my boyfriends are doing and all that.”