Record Number of LGBT People This Year
I've been predicting this was going to happen the entire time I've been blogging.
Study reveals there are now over 10 million Americans who identify as LGBT.
According to a poll done by Gallup the percentage of Americans who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender has increased from 3.5% in 2012 to 4.1% in 2016.
Gallup released the results and said: ‘These figures, drawn from the largest representative sample of LGBT Americans collected in the U.S., imply that more than an estimated 10 million adults now identify as LGBT in the U.S. today, approximately 1.75 million more compared with 2012.’
And, I predict the numbers will continue to increase. There are still many who have not been heard...yet. I know several of them personally.
You can read more here.
Gay Man Who Gave Blood Had No Sex For One Year
It's hard to imagine that this kind of thing is still happening to gay men and that these laws are still being enforced.
21-year-old Jay Franzone abstained from sex for a year to able to donate blood.
Franzone was finally able to donate blood this week after not having sex of any kind with another man for a year.
‘IT shouldn’t be a big deal that I gave blood this week, but it is. To do it, I had to give up all forms of sex for a year. The reason: I’m gay,’ he wrote in a New York Times article.
There's more here. He talks about how his straight friends can have all the sex they want, and still donate blood without anyone questioning them. It's also mentioned that HIV testing has improved significantly since these laws were enforced.
FREE Excerpt: Gay Slut Shaming In Imperfect
With these new adult gay romance novels I've been releasing lately, I've been focusing on incorporating a few small things into the story lines that we often overlook. In the book, Imperfect, I thought it was important to include some of the slut shaming that often occurs within the gay community, through the main character, Rider Evans. Of course that's not what the entire book is about...it's a romance. However, it is a huge part of the story, from a gay POV.
Here's a short Excerpt. It's from a scene where the main characters meet up again after a lengthy separation, because they're forced to work together professionally. I can't give out more because I don't want to add spoilers. However, this is just one scene of a few where they talk about this kind of slut shaming.
Rider walked over to his desk and said, "You really are looking well, Drew." His honey colored hair was shorter on the sides and longer on the top, his chest muscles rounded through the white V-neck shirt he was wearing, and he had just enough of a tan to give his skin a soft glow. It appeared as if he was beginning to grow a beard, which gave him a rugged appeal that sent a ridiculous thrill up Rider's leg.
Drew shrugged as if he didn't care and said, "You look the same as always."
"Thank you," Rider said. "You always knew how to pay the best compliments." He'd been trying not to be sarcastic, but that one was too easy to pass. In the short time they were together as a couple if Drew even noticed how Rider looked it was a novelty.
"And you were always so needy," Drew said.
"Now that's not true and you know it," Rider said. He didn't want to start an argument. He'd only been there a few minutes. However, he wasn't going to let Drew get away with that superior tone, especially now that they would be working together on a regular basis.
Drew stood up and turned to glance out the window. His faded jeans were as tight at his shirt and they hugged his slim hips so perfectly Rider felt like walking over and grabbing him.
"You always did need extra attention," Drew said. "If everyone in the room wasn't falling all over you, you worked them even harder until they did."
"Maybe that's because I never got any attention from you," Rider said. He didn't feel like explaining it to Drew, but he had changed in that respect. The older he got the less he seemed to care about what people thought.
"Well, you made up for it. I'll never forget just how much attention you were getting from the pizza delivery guy and the plumber on that afternoon."
"Why do you have to bring that up again?" Rider asked. "That's ancient history."
Drew turned and laughed in his face. "You're right. You can't help it if you have needs. The kind of needs that could never be satisfied by one man alone. It's just part of your nature."
"Don't slut shame me," Rider said.
"It's not slut shaming when you're talking about your own lover, the person you thought you were in a monogamous relationship with. That's called honesty, and it's something with which you've never been completely familiar."
He had a point and Rider knew it. When he'd seduced the plumber and the pizza guy in his underwear that afternoon he knew he was wrong, and yet he still couldn't keep from doing it. "I'm sorry. I was an idiot."
Drew walked to the other end of the window and glanced out to the parking lot. "It's all good now," he said. "There's no need to apologize. We're both adults and enough time has passed since all that happened. In a way, you actually helped me grow up and face the world as it is." He turned and looked him in the eye. "If anything, I should be thanking you for teaching me a good lesson in life. If it looks too good to be true, it probably is."
He sounded so friendly and calm Rider didn't want to ruin the moment by continuing this conversation. He had a feeling that if he said the wrong thing…which he tended to do…the conversation might devolve into a loud shouting match.
He walked over to the window where Drew was standing and extended his right hand. "Let's start fresh, right now. We're going to be working together, we both want this web site to be successful, and I think we're going to work well together. Let's shake on it, and I'll take you out to dinner tonight to talk everything over."
For a moment, Drew hesitated. When he did finally reach for Rider's hand he shook it and said, "That sounds like a good idea, a business dinner."
"Don't I at least get a hug?" Rider asked.
Drew stepped back and smiled. "Don't push your luck, pal."
Rider smiled and lifted his palms. "Okay."
"Now I have to get back to work, and you need to get set up in your office," Drew said. "If you need anything ask Dequinn. He's kind of like the receptionist, the office manager, and the one who does all the tech work around here. Sandler, who is also on staff, does some tech work, but it's mostly Dequinn."
As Rider turned to leave, he said, "Sounds good. I'll make a reservation somewhere and meet you here in your office at the end of the day."
When Rider reached the door, Drew said, "One more thing. You don't have to dress that way for work."
Rider stopped at the door and turned around. "What's wrong with the way I'm dressed?" He thought he looked great.
Drew looked him up and down and smiled. "It's just that we're more casual here on a daily basis, and you look as if you're going to the first holy communion of the child of a hipster couple. But you always were very trendy."
"Well I'm glad I left my lumberjack beard and fake man bun at home," Rider said. "I'll remember that." No one could throw shade better than Drew, but no one could reply faster than Rider.
"I'm sure you will," Drew said, and then he sat down behind his desk, went back to his keyboard, and dismissed Rider as if he'd already left the room.
When Rider was out in the reception area again, he noticed a nice looking young guy sitting at the main desk. Even though he was seated, he appeared to be taller than most men. He was dressed casually in a white button down shirt and tan jeans, and his short dark hair had a little extra style to it that was hard to explain. At a glance, he reminded Rider of a news anchor on one of the large cable news stations, but he had an edge that resembled a well-known openly gay rap singer. Rider figured this was Dequinn, so he headed over to introduce himself, wondering whether or not this unusual working arrangement with Drew would ever settle into something comfortable.
New Release
Imperfect
Amazon Link