Tag Archives: mississippi

Thatboy Rod, Singer/Songwriter, Cleveland, Mississippi

photo by Kevin Truong

Thatboy Rod, in his own words: “What does being gay mean to me?

To me, gay is a way of life. It’s not the best life but it’s the best for me. I don’t see the difference only the correlation between heterosexual and homosexual male or females. I’m happy with who I am and all that I am going to be. Being gay pushed me to do great things, it maks me want to be better than the next person.

What challenges/successes have you had in your life?

A success for me was finishing school. I graduated from the University of West Florida with my BS in Business Administration. Not many people have to motivation to complete school. There are a lot of gays who haven’t even given college a thought. I am proud of myself. A challenge that I face is my music career. I have always loved music. I am very talented, and I write my own music as well. The thing I’m afraid of the most is being a failure.

What’s the gay community like in Cleveland?

I shouldn’t really answer this as I’m not from here and haven’t been here that long. Being gay in Cleveland is like being a minority is a different society. If you’re African American and gay, you might as well consider yourself JUDGED. The Caucasian gays and African American gays doesn’t seem to get along, either one wants sex and the other wants friendship, vice versa.

What’s your coming out story?

I haven’t really came out, I didn’t tell people, they just sorta found out. I don’t hide who I am, nor do I put on a fake persona to conceal ME. I’m glad that people did just find out cause if it were up to me to tell them, it would’ve been bad.

What advice would I give my younger self?

I haven’t really done anything that I regret, yes I’ve made mistakes but those mistakes make me who I am today. If I were to change anything about that then who knows how I would’ve turned out.”

Steven, Freelance Makeup Artist, Batesville, Mississippi

photo by Kevin Truong

Steven, in his own words: “Being gay, to me means simply being; staying true to who I am; the way I was meant to be.

I really try to focus on not complicating myself, so that I have a more clear since of who I am at all times.
So I guess, being gay means being completely honest with myself.

The only challenge I can say I have encountered was my struggle with balancing religion and homosexuality. I used to lay in my bed as a child at night, every night praying to be “straight”. I just wanted to be normal; accepted both in society’s eyes and God’s. However, age taught me that I could be both gay and accepted and loved by my maker. I learned to keep my faith in God, while remaining the way He created me. His love for everyone, homosexuals included gives me a never ending peace.

There is a line from the Tony Award winning musical “RENT” that always came to mind while struggling with acceptance.

“To sodomy. It’s between God and me.” -Jonathan Larson

Being gay is mine and God’s business. It took me a while to not let other people make it their own.

Unlike most gay men, I don’t really have a coming out story. I am very fortunate to have a very “out and proud” uncle. My dad’s brother, cleared a nice big path for me to act and be who I was every step of my journey to adulthood. Not once was I ever ridiculed in my own house for playing with Barbie or dressing up and pretending to be Dorothy from “The Wizard Of OZ.”

After meeting and getting serious with the first guy I ever dated, I wanted to introduce my family to him. So to bring it up, I just started using masculine pronouns in conversation with them. “Mom, I’ve been dating someone, and HE is so amazing. You’re gonna love him!!” And, she did. She still does.

I had it easy. Thank you Uncle Jim.

Apart from 3 or 4 guys on Grindr, there is no gay community in Batesville, MS that I am aware of.

This would be my advice to my younger self:

“Don’t bother trying to figure yourself out, or letting others label you too much. You are always evolving. You always will be. Be the best at what you love doing, and love those you love wholeheartedly.”

Michael, Business Owner, Sardis, Mississippi

photo by Kevin Truong

Michael, in his own words: “For me, being gay really means nothing. I do not like when a person categorizes me because I am gay. The real Michael that the public meets is not defined by his sexuality. It is defined by who I am as a person, what I do as a philanthropist, and where I see my life going over the next 20 years. None of this is defined by being gay.

The biggest challenges have come from bad decisions in my life. Only 15 years ago, I was living in my car and eating out of a Captain D’s dumpster. I was determined not to let that happen again, and in the words of Scarlett O’Hara, “I would never go hungry again.” Now, as a successful businessman, I get to see the results are working hard, being diligent at everything I do, and not letting anything except determination and generosity run my life.

I never really had a “coming out story.” My parents found out at a rough time in my life, but they already knew. My friends have always basically known, but again, my sexuality doesn’t run my life, so it didn’t really matter.

(With regards to the gay community in Sardis) Please??? There is no definable gay community here. Most that are gay, are so far in the closet, that they can’t even see the light of day. Mississippi will be the 50th State to approve same-sex marriage, and that is only if the Federal Government forces them. Sadly, the gay community that is “out,” are mostly drama queens, trashy drug using individuals who have no goals in life, other than having sex with anonymous men.

(Advice I’d give to my younger self) Younger Michael, be true to yourself. Don’t hide behind a veil of “straightdom.” Be who you are. The ones that like you…will love you. The ones that dislike you, will always be against you whether they think you are gay or straight. You are a good person. Let that shine through, and be the greatest person you can be.”

THE GAY MEN PROJECT

The visual catalog of gay and queer men around the world.

Tag Archives: mississippi

Thatboy Rod, Singer/Songwriter, Cleveland, Mississippi

Steven, Freelance Makeup Artist, Batesville, Mississippi

Michael, Business Owner, Sardis, Mississippi