Here’s My Story
HERE’S MY STORY is a feature on The G&LR‘s website, where you can share some part of your life story with other readers. We receive a lot of submissions of personal memoirs, but the magazine doesn’t publish first-person narratives as a general rule. “Here’s My Story” is a space that allows our readers (and others) to talk about their experiences as members of the LGBT+ community. There are no restrictions on subject matter, but some broad areas might include:
- Coming-out stories
- Memorable love affairs
- An epiphany (e.g. a work of art)
Here's My Story View all
When Pandemics End: The Lazarus Effect
by Walter Holland
In 1996, I was on the beach at Fire Island Pines. It was an exquisite summer day, and the sea was dazzling. But the beauty of the day belied the reality underneath: The Pines had become one of the epicenters of the HIV/AIDS epidemic…
Two Ways to Come Out
by Charlie Ceates
I technically have two coming out stories: coming out at school and coming out to my family. I’m grateful that I have more than one, because the former is a bitter memory…that I rarely revisit, even though it taught me a valuable lesson regarding trust. Luckily, I also have the memory of what it was like coming out to my family…
A ’60s Radical Shares Wisdom from Life Underground
by Emily L. Quint Freeman
One May night in 1969, along with seventeen others, I broke into the Selective Service office in Chicago’s South Side. We stuffed over 40,000 draft records into sacks, dragged them to the adjacent parking lot and set them on fire…
Bend the Line
by Jennifer Perrine
The Ramblers’ square dance lessons began with a question that might have proved daunting in another environment: Boy or Girl? Despite being nonbinary, I almost always default to “girl” when these are the only two options presented, a defensive habit meant to put other people at ease, but the other dancers made it clear my answer would in no way reflect on my gender…
The Quest for Certainty
by Scott Remer
I FIRST QUESTIONED my sexuality in tenth grade. I found myself liking a friend more than straight people tend to like their same-sex friends. It came as an unpleasant surprise. Adolescence is normally a time for doubt and reevaluation, but I wasn’t expecting to have to grapple with such a fundamental aspect of my identity…
Mamma Loved the Gays
by Jack Calvin Hanna
As a child my mother loved my gay friends. She always asked about them and encouraged me to play with them, stay overnight at their homes, and bring them to ours…
The Luxury of Being Gay
by Charlene Bryant
East New York, Brooklyn, didn’t really give you a lot of opportunities to explore your sexuality. The East conditioned you to explore methods to stay safe, to stay alive…
Friendship in the Time of AIDS
by Robert Hamilton
After several months of not seeing each other, I thought I would just be happy to see my friend, and he would be just as happy to see me…