The Front Runner

by Warren Patricia Nell

It might be possible to feel good about being gay—as long as I could keep it hidden from the rest of the world.

It might be possible to feel good about being gay—as long as I could keep it hidden from the rest of the world.

There is no society, no law, no social convention to keep two gays together. Everything is based on feeling and on personal attractiveness. The moment you cease to be desirable to your partner, he decamps.

“I always fell in love with unhappy people,” he said. “I was a sucker that way. I wanted to change their lives and make them happy.

I finally decided that society has no right to deny me a mate. They all have mates. You guys have mates. Animals have mates. Even the goddamn bacteria have mates. Why should I be alone?”

they always try to kill the front-runner.”

In his soft voice, Billy read from the teachings of Buddha. “There is only one law,” he said, “and that is love.

Love is when you fry the other person’s bacon even if you’re a vegetarian.

Don’t lay your straight imperialism on me.”

We have all become so accustomed to violence that the hand-wringing was now just a social ritual.