Girlfriend

In Girlfriend, a short story by Penelope Robbins, a woman's memories of her first love, Carlee, inspires her to start living her own life more freely.

Where Your Children Are

In Where Your Children Are, by Wayne Johns, a teenage boy wishes that his friend-or he himself-would fall prey to the Atlanta child serial-killer rather than have his gayness exposed.

Let Me Tell You About the Fireworks

The prose poem Let Me Tell You About the Fireworks, by Eric Tran, encapsulates the joy brought on by the arrival of gay marriage and the positive hopes for the future, while a subtle sense of unease lingers at the end.

Hejira

In the personal essay Hejira, David Sedaris recounts the day his father kicked him out of the house at the age of twenty-two. David was confused at his mother's inconsolable crying as she said goodbye, because unbeknownst to David, his father had kicked him out because he was gay and not, as David originally assumed, because he was a bum.

The Handoff

In The Handoff, a flash fiction piece by John Pierre Craig, the narrator Bobby, a sixteen-year-old working in a barber shop, glimpses the matter-of-fact queerness of two soldiers, which suggests to him a way of being and possible future for himself.

Gaydar

In Gaydar, a flash fiction piece by Wilton Barnhardt, a casual dinner between the narrator, an unnamed gay man, and his friend, Tyler, a single mother, erupts into tension after a discussion about the narrator's gaydar.

Navis

InNavis, an excerpt from the novel The Queen of Palmyra byMinroseGwin, Florence, a young White girl glimpses the racial tensions in her small town of Millville in a subtle but significant interaction between her Mama and the customers of her cake business. Mama's insistence on referring to African-Americans as "Negroes" (a more respectful address, according to Mama's African-American acquaintances) instead of "colored" upsets some of her "Cake Ladies," as Florence calls them, but Mama is supported by her friend,Navis. When Florence asks whether Mama plans to make Florence's father say it, too, Mama slaps her and sends her to her room. Later, Florence sees her mother's upset reaction but doesn't quite understand it fully.

Without a Word

In the personal essay Without a Word, Zelda Lockhart describes her journey to discovering her sexuality and finding peace, happiness, self-love, and new relationships despite the troubles she faced along the way, including an abusive childhood, rejection from the first girl she loved, her beloved gay brother's death from AIDS, and estrangement from her family (especially her mother) due to her own sexuality.

On Peripersonal Space

In his personal essay On Peripersonal Space, Brian Blanchfield uses the concept of peripersonal space-the entire volume of space within a person's reach, or within a single conceivable momentary extension of his person-as a metaphor to explore the complicated relationship with his mother both throughout childhood and after coming out as gay in adulthood.

Jonas

Jonas, a short story by Belle Boggs, charts the journey of married couple Melinda and Jonas through Jonas's transition into becoming a woman-now called Joan-as the two negotiate the complicated realms of family, societal acceptance, and love.