The GLBTQ community always needs support. What are we doing to educate others around us and the masses who still feel being "queer" is abnormal? There’s still much to do, even more so with many US states having debates over marriage equality. Many people are saying it’s time to make gay marriage legal in all states and others are with the supreme court who say let the individual states decide. We see how well that’s going in other issues but that’s not the point of my post. The fact is the GLBT community needs support every day, not just in June. Many GLBT teens are still homeless after their parents have thrown them out for being gay and hate crimes still occur at an alarming rate. Remember when Putin decided to arrest gays in Russia? Seriously? Taken away in handcuffs for being gay is ridiculous and in many other places, people who identify with being GLBTQ are persecuted for being open with their sexuality. Besides this, there’s issues with many just coming out to their family and peers. Because of the prejudice against the community, a lot of teens and adults are forced into the closet and if someone does find out about their sexual orientation, they’re shunned, ridiculed, and even abused by friends and/or so loved ones. This isn’t the way it should be. All people should be able to love who they want to without fear. When will this happen? I’m not sure, but we as a society need to stand up for equality across the board and not stay silent. For me, this issue became more personal when I found out about my cousin who committed suicide almost three years ago. Months after his death, I found out from another family member that he was afraid to come out and took his own life instead. Upon hearing this I was devastated. Knowing my stance on gay rights, I possibly could’ve helped him in this tough time, and maybe, just maybe helped him find some peace. After further thoughts, I knew I had to do more than just making the equality sign my avatar on Facebook, showing my support on posts, going to pride, and the like. I felt I needed to write something to possibly give closure for him, for myself, and anyone who may have the same problems with their own family. Once I got over the initial grief, I wrote this short story in tribute to him with hopes it will help someone else to be comfortable with themselves. Guardian Angel is a story about a young man who is afraid to come out because he worries of his family disowning him. In the book, he has one ally in his corner, his sister Brenda who tells him about another family member who had the same problem. With this short, Calvin faces the choices of killing himself over finding the support he needs to come out. He’s met by voices in his head as well as images of his parents, telling him how wrong it is. He just knows they won’t understand if he tells them what’s going on but in the end, he gets the help he needs from an outside source. With this book, I’m giving my cousin a fictional happy ending I wish I could’ve assisted him with. I also hope to give some kind of support to others who are feeling the same way. Half the proceeds from the book are going to It Gets Better as well as Broadway Youth Center in Chicago that helps GLBT teens. It’s my way of showing support for the community and giving closure to a fallen family member who I wished I could’ve reached out to. Thanks for reading my post. There are a llot of authors joining in this hop. View them here. Now for my contest. I’d like to giveaway any book from the Triad backlist and 10.00 GC from All Romance! Also, my other pseudonym Rawiya is participating as well! Rawiya Post here
The GLBTQ community always needs support. What are we doing to educate others around us and the masses who still feel being "queer" is abnormal? There’s still much to do, even more so with many US states having debates over marriage equality. Many people are saying it’s time to make gay marriage legal in all states and others are with the supreme court who say let the individual states decide. We see how well that’s going in other issues but that’s not the point of my post. The fact is the GLBT community needs support every day, not just in June. Many GLBT teens are still homeless after their parents have thrown them out for being gay and hate crimes still occur at an alarming rate. Remember when Putin decided to arrest gays in Russia? Seriously? Taken away in handcuffs for being gay is ridiculous and in many other places, people who identify with being GLBTQ are persecuted for being open with their sexuality. Besides this, there’s issues with many just coming out to their family and peers. Because of the prejudice against the community, a lot of teens and adults are forced into the closet and if someone does find out about their sexual orientation, they’re shunned, ridiculed, and even abused by friends and/or so loved ones. This isn’t the way it should be. All people should be able to love who they want to without fear. When will this happen? I’m not sure, but we as a society need to stand up for equality across the board and not stay silent. For me, this issue became more personal when I found out about my cousin who committed suicide almost three years ago. Months after his death, I found out from another family member that he was afraid to come out and took his own life instead. Upon hearing this I was devastated. Knowing my stance on gay rights, I possibly could’ve helped him in this tough time, and maybe, just maybe helped him find some peace. After further thoughts, I knew I had to do more than just making the equality sign my avatar on Facebook, showing my support on posts, going to pride, and the like. I felt I needed to write something to possibly give closure for him, for myself, and anyone who may have the same problems with their own family. Once I got over the initial grief, I wrote this short story in tribute to him with hopes it will help someone else to be comfortable with themselves. Guardian Angel is a story about a young man who is afraid to come out because he worries of his family disowning him. In the book, he has one ally in his corner, his sister Brenda who tells him about another family member who had the same problem. With this short, Calvin faces the choices of killing himself over finding the support he needs to come out. He’s met by voices in his head as well as images of his parents, telling him how wrong it is. He just knows they won’t understand if he tells them what’s going on but in the end, he gets the help he needs from an outside source. With this book, I’m giving my cousin a fictional happy ending I wish I could’ve assisted him with. I also hope to give some kind of support to others who are feeling the same way. Half the proceeds from the book are going to It Gets Better as well as Broadway Youth Center in Chicago that helps GLBT teens. It’s my way of showing support for the community and giving closure to a fallen family member who I wished I could’ve reached out to. Thanks for reading my post. There are a llot of authors joining in this hop. View them here. Now for my contest. I’d like to giveaway any book from the Triad backlist and 10.00 GC from All Romance! Also, my other pseudonym Rawiya is participating as well! Rawiya Post here
The GLBTQ community always needs support. What are we doing to educate others around us and the masses who still feel being "queer" is abnormal? There’s still much to do, even more so with many US states having debates over marriage equality. Many people are saying it’s time to make gay marriage legal in all states and others are with the supreme court who say let the individual states decide. We see how well that’s going in other issues but that’s not the point of my post. The fact is the GLBT community needs support every day, not just in June. Many GLBT teens are still homeless after their parents have thrown them out for being gay and hate crimes still occur at an alarming rate. Remember when Putin decided to arrest gays in Russia? Seriously? Taken away in handcuffs for being gay is ridiculous and in many other places, people who identify with being GLBTQ are persecuted for being open with their sexuality. Besides this, there’s issues with many just coming out to their family and peers. Because of the prejudice against the community, a lot of teens and adults are forced into the closet and if someone does find out about their sexual orientation, they’re shunned, ridiculed, and even abused by friends and/or so loved ones. This isn’t the way it should be. All people should be able to love who they want to without fear. When will this happen? I’m not sure, but we as a society need to stand up for equality across the board and not stay silent. For me, this issue became more personal when I found out about my cousin who committed suicide almost three years ago. Months after his death, I found out from another family member that he was afraid to come out and took his own life instead. Upon hearing this I was devastated. Knowing my stance on gay rights, I possibly could’ve helped him in this tough time, and maybe, just maybe helped him find some peace. After further thoughts, I knew I had to do more than just making the equality sign my avatar on Facebook, showing my support on posts, going to pride, and the like. I felt I needed to write something to possibly give closure for him, for myself, and anyone who may have the same problems with their own family. Once I got over the initial grief, I wrote this short story in tribute to him with hopes it will help someone else to be comfortable with themselves. Guardian Angel is a story about a young man who is afraid to come out because he worries of his family disowning him. In the book, he has one ally in his corner, his sister Brenda who tells him about another family member who had the same problem. With this short, Calvin faces the choices of killing himself over finding the support he needs to come out. He’s met by voices in his head as well as images of his parents, telling him how wrong it is. He just knows they won’t understand if he tells them what’s going on but in the end, he gets the help he needs from an outside source. With this book, I’m giving my cousin a fictional happy ending I wish I could’ve assisted him with. I also hope to give some kind of support to others who are feeling the same way. Half the proceeds from the book are going to It Gets Better as well as Broadway Youth Center in Chicago that helps GLBT teens. It’s my way of showing support for the community and giving closure to a fallen family member who I wished I could’ve reached out to. Thanks for reading my post. There are a llot of authors joining in this hop. View them here. Now for my contest. I’d like to giveaway any book from the Triad backlist and 10.00 GC from All Romance! Also, my other pseudonym Rawiya is participating as well! Rawiya Post here
The GLBTQ community always needs support. What are we doing to educate others around us and the masses who still feel being "queer" is abnormal? There’s still much to do, even more so with many US states having debates over marriage equality. Many people are saying it’s time to make gay marriage legal in all states and others are with the supreme court who say let the individual states decide. We see how well that’s going in other issues but that’s not the point of my post. The fact is the GLBT community needs support every day, not just in June. Many GLBT teens are still homeless after their parents have thrown them out for being gay and hate crimes still occur at an alarming rate. Remember when Putin decided to arrest gays in Russia? Seriously? Taken away in handcuffs for being gay is ridiculous and in many other places, people who identify with being GLBTQ are persecuted for being open with their sexuality. Besides this, there’s issues with many just coming out to their family and peers. Because of the prejudice against the community, a lot of teens and adults are forced into the closet and if someone does find out about their sexual orientation, they’re shunned, ridiculed, and even abused by friends and/or so loved ones. This isn’t the way it should be. All people should be able to love who they want to without fear. When will this happen? I’m not sure, but we as a society need to stand up for equality across the board and not stay silent. For me, this issue became more personal when I found out about my cousin who committed suicide almost three years ago. Months after his death, I found out from another family member that he was afraid to come out and took his own life instead. Upon hearing this I was devastated. Knowing my stance on gay rights, I possibly could’ve helped him in this tough time, and maybe, just maybe helped him find some peace. After further thoughts, I knew I had to do more than just making the equality sign my avatar on Facebook, showing my support on posts, going to pride, and the like. I felt I needed to write something to possibly give closure for him, for myself, and anyone who may have the same problems with their own family. Once I got over the initial grief, I wrote this short story in tribute to him with hopes it will help someone else to be comfortable with themselves. Guardian Angel is a story about a young man who is afraid to come out because he worries of his family disowning him. In the book, he has one ally in his corner, his sister Brenda who tells him about another family member who had the same problem. With this short, Calvin faces the choices of killing himself over finding the support he needs to come out. He’s met by voices in his head as well as images of his parents, telling him how wrong it is. He just knows they won’t understand if he tells them what’s going on but in the end, he gets the help he needs from an outside source. With this book, I’m giving my cousin a fictional happy ending I wish I could’ve assisted him with. I also hope to give some kind of support to others who are feeling the same way. Half the proceeds from the book are going to It Gets Better as well as Broadway Youth Center in Chicago that helps GLBT teens. It’s my way of showing support for the community and giving closure to a fallen family member who I wished I could’ve reached out to. Thanks for reading my post. There are a llot of authors joining in this hop. View them here. Now for my contest. I’d like to giveaway any book from the Triad backlist and 10.00 GC from All Romance! Also, my other pseudonym Rawiya is participating as well! Rawiya Post here
Blurb: Calvin is looking to end it all because he feels his family won't accept him as a gay man. Unbeknownst to him, someone is watching, looking to pick him up and rescue him from his negative state. Can Calvin get help before it’s too late? This is a story of coming out and accepting who you are. Remember, you are normal and you are not alone. Amazon “No one will ever love you or respect you. You can’t be Sam Carroll Junior and be gay! You’ll be rejected, your family will never accept it!” Samuel squinted. Warm tears streamed down his face, staining his cheeks. With a heavy heart and a lot on his mind, he sat in the driver’s side seat of his car, alone, looking at the forty-five caliber gun he took from his father’s lock box. Sammy blinked back the small droplets and licked his lips. Right now, his mouth was dry like the Sahara and perspiration formed on his brow even with the cool breeze seeping through the cracked window. Sammy tried to get his wits about him, and give himself some courage. Inner strength. It’s for the best. They’ll never understand. They’ll hate you and make your life a living hell! “I know…I wanna die right now! I’m gonna do it…I’m gonna…” Just when he stretched his shaky hand out, his cellphone startled him, stopping him from grabbing the weapon. He gulped hard, wiped his hand with his sleeve, and plucked the phone from his inside jacket pocket. “Yeah.” “Sammy?” A tired but concerned voice on the other end sounded through the handset. “What is it, Brenda?” Samuel turned the key in the ignition until the engine shut down. “Where are you, bro? Been calling you for the last two hours. Ever since you told me…” “M’fine, sis. Just thinking, that’s all. I needed some time to myself, you know? To sort out things.” “Samuel, it’s gonna be okay. I told you, you gotta tell mom and dad. They love you, they’ll…” “No way,” Sammy shook his head vehemently and interrupted his sister. Just thinking about telling his father about his orientation made him shudder. “No, Bren. Dad makes jokes about homosexuals all the time along with the rest of the men in our family. It’s probably already a dead giveaway that I like to cook and I’m not into sports.” “Sammy, you stop that nonsense talk now! Plenty of men who aren’t gay cook and don’t like sports. We can get you someone to talk to. The counselors at school…” “Brenda, all of them are good friends with dad. They’ll tell him and I can’t have that!” Sammy slammed the steering wheel hard with his free hand before running it through his scalp. “I can’t do this, sis. I can’t be a Carroll man and be gay.” “Yes you can, Sammy. Now please, come home right now so we can talk a little more. I’ve been worried about you ever since we had the conversation a couple of days ago.” That was most likely true. Brenda was the only person who knew about Sammy’s latest revelation. He knew he could trust Brenda not to tell anyone his secret. Still, how long would that last? Would Brenda get so worried that she’d tell the counselors or their parents herself?