Larry Benjamin. Wordsmith. Writer. Author.

I read this article, “ We Didn't Say 'Gay' At My High School. It Almost Cost Me My Life ,” by HuffPost’s Noah Michelson and it took me back to possibly the darkest time in my life: high school. I tend not to dwell too much on the past so the last time I really thought about the hell that was high school was when I wrote my second novel, “ Unbroken ,” which memorializes a lot of what I experienced growing up. Like Noah it was always obvious that I was gay. Our stories are remarkably similar: the bullying, the name calling, the loneliness. But there are stories diverge. I didn’t grow up in a small town but in The Bronx; I didn’t have a gay uncle to show me that guys like me existed, that I wasn’t alone. I’m Black. Maybe being Black made it easier to embrace my gayness. Afterall both identities carry the threat of discrimination and suspicion. I’ve been called the N-word. In high end stores I was often regarded with suspicion and then curiosity when I laid down my Amex G...

This week , I'm 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  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 Raffle Copter 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 panelist...