LGBT Pride: A Roundtable Discussion - Week 3
This week on my blog, we’re trying something a little different. In honor of LGBT Pride month, I am among a great group of panelists who will be hosting a month long discussion about Pride, LGBT Youth, Allies, and more. Our panelists are a diverse group of readers, writers, and supporters of gay fiction, including Larry Benjamin, Rick Bettencourt, Brandilyn Carpenter, Rob Colton, Andrew Q Gordon, Lane Hayes, Debbie McGowan, and Brandon Shire. Each week, two people will answer two questions related LGBT pride, rights, and related topics. We will also be giveaway free copies of eBooks by our participating authors and a Amazon gift card. You can enter on the RC below. There are special entries for each week of June, so don’t miss out on those.
Please join in the discussion in the comments. You can gain entries into the giveaway, but more importantly, you can be part of a important and fun discussion. Though only 2 panelists will be posting each week, we will all be joining the discussion.
This Week’s Discussion
What was the first gay pride event you attended? How did going make you feel?
The first gay pride event I attended was in Savannah, Georgia in 2004. Back then, my relationship with Douglas was still pretty new. What I remember most is the feeling of camaraderie. We were among friends and we were free to be ourselves. Free to hold hands in the streets and not be judged. Oh yeah, the headliner for Savannah Pride that year was none other than RuPaul! It was a weekend I’ll never forget.
Marriage equality has been achieved in 19 states and DC and 11 (now 12 with Wisconsin) more have had their bans overturned in court and are on appeal. How do you think Marriage Equality has affected the LGBT community?
On a personal note, the marriage equality wins allowed me to get married. I married my partner in Washington DC in 2013, on the day of our ten year anniversary. It was something that I never thought would happen in my lifetime. In the way that the marriage equality wins have given me and my husband hope, I think they have done the same for the entire LGBT population.
As more celebrities, athletes, and every day people come out, we are seeing more and more support from straight allies. These allies are fighting for our rights just as strongly as we are. Though we certainly have a long way to go until we have complete acceptance and equality, I feel the LGBT population has never been bigger, and never been stronger. We’ve come together for equality and we won’t stop until our marriages are recognized across the entire United States of America.
About our Panelists
Larry Benjamin: Bronx-born wordsmith Larry Benjamin, is the author of the gay novels, Unbroken, and What Binds Us and the short story collection Damaged Angels. Larry will be hosting the discussion starting 9 June 2014
Twitter: @WriterLarry
Website: http://www.larrybenjamin.com
Rick Bettencourt: Rick Bettencourt is the author of NOT SURE BOYS, PAINTING WITH WINE and TIM ON BROADWAY. Rick hates to cook, and can often be seen eating out. He lives in the Tampa Bay area, with his husband and their dog, Bandit. Rick will be hosting the discussion starting 23 June 2014
Twitter: @rbettenc
Website: http://rickbettencourt.wordpress.com/
Brandilyn Carpenter: Brandilyn is the odd duck in this group. She owns an LGBTQ fiction focused review blog, Prism Book Alliance, and is the married mother of 3 young children. She is an advocate for equal rights and tirelessly promotes the gay fiction genre. Brandilyn will be hosting the discussion starting 16 June 2014
Twitter: @BrandilynRC
Website: http://www.prismbookalliance.com
Rob Colton: Rob Colton is a software developer by day, and avid reader of romance novels at night. A romantic at heart, he loves stories that feature big, burly men who find true love and happy endings. Rob will be hosting the discussion starting 16 June 2014 Twitter: @robcub32 Website: http://robcolton.com/
Andrew Q Gordon: Andrew Q. Gordon lives in the DC Metro area with his husband and 2 year old daughter. While he enjoys most types of fiction, his current works include MM Fantasy, Paranormal and Contemporary Fiction. Andrew will be hosting the discussion starting 2 June 2014
Twitter: @AndrewQGordon
Website: http://andrewqgordon.com/
Lane Hayes: Lane Hayes is a M/M author, 2013 Rainbow Award finalist for her first release Better Than Good, designer, reader, lover of chocolate, red wine & clever people. Lane will be hosting the discussion starting 23 June 2014
Twitter: @LaneHayes3
Website: http://lanehayes.wordpress.com/
Debbie McGowan: Debbie McGowan is based in Lancashire, England. She writes character-driven fiction, runs an independent publishing company, and lectures in social science. Sometimes she sleeps, too! Debbie will be hosting the discussion starting 2 June 2014
Twitter: @writerdebmcg
Website: http://www.debbiemcgowan.co.uk
Brandon Shire: Brandon Shire writes fiction about human intimacy and interactions. He loves chocolate and is a staunch advocate for homeless LGBT youth. Brandon will be hosting the discussion starting 9 June 2014
Twitter: @thebrandonshire
Website: http://brandonshire.com
Giveaway
Prizes (4 winners):
$ 10 Amazon GC, eBook Listening to Dust by Brandon Shire, & eBook Not Sure Boys by Rick Bettencourt
$ 10 Amazon GC, eBook Painting with Wine by Rick Bettencourt, & eBook from Andrew Q Gordon’s backlist
$ 10 Amazon GC, eBook Unbroken by Larry Benjamin, & eBook Champagne by Debbie McGowen
$ 10 Amazon GC, eBook from Rob Colton’s backlist, & eBook from Lane Hayes’ backlist
