Out Here Ameri: Beg gay Universy of Alabama at | Biloxi Sun Herald

Contents:

• GAY ROWER, NOW AT UNIVERSY OF ALABAMA, WATCHED ‘BROKEBACK MOUNTA’ AND ME OUT TO PARENTS NEXT DAY
• MOVG TO GAY ALABAMA? THG TO KNOW BEFORE RELOTG HERE AS AN LGBT PERSON.
• GAY STUNT UNN: 1983 – 1985
• A SECRET GAY DATG WORK HELPED ALABAMA AT PRINT FD HIS TE INTY
• THE UNIVERSY OF ALABAMA GAY STUNT UNN

GAY ROWER, NOW AT UNIVERSY OF ALABAMA, WATCHED ‘BROKEBACK MOUNTA’ AND ME OUT TO PARENTS NEXT DAY

Membership is open to all Universy of Alabama alumni, iends, and parents who intify as lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr, genr non-nformg, queer, qutng, tersex, asexual, or anyone who nsir themselv to be an ally good fah. The purpose of Spectm is to provi a supportive muny environment for gay, lbian, bisexual, trans, asexual, and queer, (etc. I own Tloosa’s only Gay Bar In and work wh the Mystic Krewe of the Dids and Did Cy Pri.

While at UA, David served as a Print of Gay/Lbian Support Servic, now known as the Queer Stunt Associatn.

MOVG TO GAY ALABAMA? THG TO KNOW BEFORE RELOTG HERE AS AN LGBT PERSON.

Gay rower, now at Universy of Alabama, watched ‘Brokeback Mounta’ and me out to parents next day.

GAY STUNT UNN: 1983 – 1985

I figured out I was gay when I was about 11 or 12 years old growg up Albany, N. When I started rowg seventh gra, I was lookg for a new outlet to try and distract myself and not thk about the possibily of beg gay. I heard, “sup faggot, ” to which his teammate rpond wh, “not much how ‘bout you, gay boy?

The two ma characters uld not al wh the fact that they were gay, so they married women, had children and were pletely miserable.

A SECRET GAY DATG WORK HELPED ALABAMA AT PRINT FD HIS TE INTY

The next day, I sat my fay down and told them I was gay. Rumors startg gog around my high school that I was still close wh my ex-girliend bee I was gay.

Now, livg as an openly gay male at Alabama, I uld not be more proud of how far I have e and what I have acplished. I always pictured beg a gay athlete as somethg that ma me different and herently not as good or “normal” as my other teammat. It exists to provi advocy, support, and workg for faculty and staff members of UAB's Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgenr, Queer, and Alli (LGBTQA) muny.

One hman wrote Unigo, a fom for stunts to talk about the ndns of their universi, "I've noticed a ser unrcurrent of homophobia that I fd disturbg. In 2015, the universy's mencement speaker, Brent Bozell ma numero homophobic remarks durg the ceremony while on a tira agast "anti-Catholic, pro-gay agendas" of the media. In the dience: gay graduate Maxwell Adam Frazier, whose open letter to the llege print mandg an apology went viral.

THE UNIVERSY OF ALABAMA GAY STUNT UNN

"My non-amic life at UD nnot be scribed as anythg but homophobic and toxic. "So we are at a b of a crossroads: eher UD needs to make a change or needs to hontly clare, 'We do not love our gay stunts.

Loted the town where gay stunt Matthew Shepard was btally murred, the universy has done ltle to reject s legacy of vlence agast LGBT people, at least acrdg to stunts. In 2015, a stunt and two other men were charged wh a hate crime after llg another stunt an antigay slur and assltg him on Lehigh's mp. Wake Fort stunt Gracie Harrgton told HuffPo the last time the universy was on this list, "Many stunts e to Wake Fort om fai where homosexualy is labeled as sful and unnatural.

"Even though they had known I referred to myself as gay prr to hirg me, they enuraged me not to refer to myself as gay any longer.