General Interest Pieces – The GayScribe Archive

Was The Founder Of The Scouting Movement Gay?

Boy Scouts of America continues to openly exclude gay men and boys from their organization, and so far, the courts have not forced them to change their opinion. [This changed in 2015.] (Girls Scouts do not discriminate against lesbian girls and women.) Wouldn’t it be the ultimate irony if the guy who founded scouting had been gay? According to some […]

The Symbols Of Our Pride

At least there’s not a lavender rhinoceros on your bumper. Sticking on bumpers, hanging around necks and dangling in front of windows are a few of the places you’ll find the symbols of lesbian and gay pride. There might even be one tattooed on your partner’s arm. Rainbow flags, pink triangles and that odd wishbone-like Greek letter called lambda are […]

The Lesbian Conductor Of The Gay Men’s Chorus

There aren’t many female choral conductors, but Kathleen McGuire long ago managed to break into the male dominated field. Perhaps even more interesting, however, is what the Australian-born lesbian is now conducting: McGuire is the first-ever female conductor of the historic San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus. [She held the role for more than a decade before returning to Australia in […]

Before We Settled On Partner: “I’d Like You To Meet… Uh…”

Your friend from the office finally agreed to come to one of your parties. Now, you get to introduce her to the one you love. “Hi. I’d like you to meet my partner — no, that sounds like we own a business together. Really, this is my lover — but sex is only a small part of our relationship,” you […]

Lee Lawrence: Fleeing New York for the Rural Life

While some gay and lesbian people spend their lives trying to escape the isolation and loneliness associated with being different, some have the opposite problem. Lee Lawrence had a successful design career in New York, but his personal and emotional life was not nearly so successful. Something had to change, so he left his job and prepared to leave town. […]

Changing Jobs When You’re HIV Positive

If you’re HIV-positive and considering changing job, you’re forced to be more careful when planning for the transition. If you don’t, you could be denied a job or lose your health coverage. Some laws protect you, but you have to know your rights and responsibilities to take advantage of them. “We live in a time in which the epidemic is […]

Disability Fetishism: Attracted To Physical Differences

While many say the gay community is obsessed with perfection of the body, there are some within the community who are attracted to physical difference. The root of some of the discomfort in the lesbian and gay community and in society at large about discussing disabilities may lie in disability fetishism, a particular attraction some people have to disabled people. […]