lgbt struggles

Fine weather friends: Good riddance to bad rubbish I consider myself to be something of an expert on “fine weather friends”. My mum used to talk about them from the time I was a kid and they have passed through my life. I just did not reckon that Andre would . . . read more

When people talk about date rape and revenge porn, I have something of a wince inside because I have been there and done that. In the immediate aftermath, I constantly blamed myself. I would wake up in the night shouting and reliving the experience. Perhaps I should have known better . . . read more

Heartbreak Lessons: Who doesn’t want to live happily ever after? I know I do. I know that most of us, even those who seem to look at love and relationships in a cynical light, dream of creating our very own happy ever-after with the person we are in . . . read more

Donate Blood: Apparently, gay men are toxic to public health I am the first to admit to being a health freak. My personal belief is that if you want a long and happy life, you should put the hard work in. That is why I no longer eat red meat . . . read more

Who gets state welfare benefits and why? This is a question that has troubled the community as well as the social workers that have to explain everything to just about everybody. Over time a negative stereotype of “welfare queens” has been allowed to germinate with largely ineffective counterarguments. Notice the . . . read more

At the Crossroads of Gay Identity Politics. It is an opinion but it is causing me grief. In vain, I have tried to tell my LGBT friends that they are wasting their time going after an institution that is already past its sell-by date. Every day we are hearing . . . read more

I am planning to have a secret gay wedding : even though I know it is illegal in my country I will call myself Jemah to protect the innocent. I was born in Kenya to a demonstrably staunch catholic family. To say that my upbringing was austere and severe is to . . . read more

Gay Marriage: Apparently I am not a Family Member The pain of losing Hugo was hard enough. It was worse because I never got to say goodbye. You see Hugo had had a wife and four children. When his wife Grace had an affair, he was 47. At that point . . . read more

Homelessness by Orientation - I have been living on the streets for 1 month. I never in my life imagined that I would end up this way. My father (who says he loves me very much) is paying the bills in a home where I am excluded. My psychotic mum rules . . . read more