Gay Men: October 2007 Archives

Gay Perspective: Things Our Homosexuality Tells Us About the Nature of God and the Universe
Toby Johnson

In this companion volume to his critically acclaimed, Lambda Literary Award - winning Gay Spirituality, Toby Johnson further explicates his visionary stance that gay people's nature as outsiders gives them a uniquely powerful perspective on the nature of God and religion. By living outside gender norms, gay people are more open to seeing across boundaries of gender and gain access to a less dualistic outlook on the nature of life. Once again, Johnson approaches this potentially controversial subject matter with -erudition, empathy and visionary speculation and gives meaning to gay consciousness beyond superficial issues of sexual behavior.

Toby Johnson is the editor of White Crane, a quarterly journal of gay men's spirituality, as well as the author of Gay Spirituality. He lives in Wimberley, Texas.

Take Me Out
Richard Greenberg

Darren Lemming is the star center fielder for the champion New York Empires. An extraordinary athlete, he fills both his fans and his teammates with awe at his abilities and his presence on the field and off. When he makes the matter-of-fact announcement that he's gay, he throws his team into turmoil and confusion, while he also emboldens his closeted accountant, Mason Marzac, to come to terms with his own sexuality--and to fully experience the pure joy of watching great athletes play a sport as well as it can be played.

Scrub Match
Bill Eisele

To a mixed-race gay man still smarting from a failed relationship during his final year of college, San Francisco seemed like the best destination for Paul Carter after graduation. A city of ethnic diversity, where his red Afro would be less likely to elicit stares, and where a significant portion of the population was also gay, and far enough away from his father whom Paul felt was disappointed in him. If he could just make it through the sky-high rents, having to rent a room from a woman who constantly suspected him of stealing from her, and if he could only find a great boyfriend, like Twitch, the fellow he met on the basketball courts one night shortly after his arrival, and whom he has been "courting" ever since.

Huddle
Dan Boyle

The game starts with a whistle and ends with triumph-or defeat. Forty minutes of man against man-blocking the rusher, beating the defense downfield, finding the open receiver, reading the offense, picking off the pass, working as a team, racing against the clock, racing against themselves. For the nine gay men of the L.A. Quake, the season of sweat is about to end with a chance to win the West Los Angeles Flag Football Championship. For some, it's a last hurrah; for others, a taste of gridiron glory they've only dreamed about. The Quake has struggled to compete on the field in a "straight" league and struggled off the field with relationships, success (and its pitfalls), aging, and their own concepts of masculinity. And now, it's first down-and-forever, with time running out-and no way to stop it.

Rainbow Boys
Alex Sanchez

Jason, Kyle and Nelson hang out in three very different cliques at their high school. Jason is a top football player with a serious girlfriend, Kyle is a quiet, serious student and Nelson is a flamboyant loner. All three are gay. Each one of these teenagers faces different coming-out issues: Jason does not want to admit that he is gay-especially to himself, even though he fantasizes about making love to a boy. Kyle feels comfortable with being gay, but does not want to tell his parents. And Nelson is physically bullied for being openly out to his family and peers.