Mark S. King

Today I accepted the Facebook friend request of someone I knew in high school. We haven’t spoken in more than thirty years ... and God knows why she wants to befriend the scandalous queer who wore knee-high platform boots to the junior dance in our home town of Bossier City, Louisiana.

With all the doctor appointments and wellness activities we engage in, living with HIV/AIDS can be a full-time job. And the truth is, it doesn’t pay very well. We’ve all [...]

Several years ago, I told someone that I was HIV positive before I agreed to his invitation for a date. “Yeah, I know,” he casually replied, and then he looked a little embarrassed, as if he shouldn’t have said it. It was too late, of course; I knew exactly what he meant. He knew my HIV status because of the appearance of my face.

During this gay pride month of June, I hope we’ll all take some time to assess what we’re so damn proud of. I’ve made that list, and “being gay” isn’t anywhere on it. Do I take my sexuality for granted, or am I ungrateful?

This is directed to HIV negative gay men. Listen carefully. This is your time. I’ve lived with HIV more than half my life, and people often praise me far more [...]

I’m pleased to report that “gay” is now a perfectly acceptable word to include in posted comments on Walmart’s site. Other words have also been cleared, including lesbian, homosexual, bisexual and transgendered.

Walmart is selling the new "It Gets Better" book. Just don’t call it gay.

There were moments while reading "It Gets Better," the new book inspired by the video project to help bullied youth, when my heart leapt to my throat and hovered there. There’s no denying the power of this project, and what could easily be the most important book of the year.