Jackson Free Press

To Fetch a Pail of Water

This summer marks 25 years since I came out of the closet. Today, coming out happens so often in the world of the Hollywood A-listers, athletes, journalists and elected officials ...

The Walls Come Tumbling Down

When marriage equality became the law of the land the morning of June 26, I kissed my husband and went right back to work.

Outside of Celebrity

In 2007, Kevin Sessums' "Mississippi Sissy" (St. Martin's Press, $24.95) became a best seller. The book opened our eyes to the life of a boy touched by tragedy, feeling like ...

LGBTQ Americans Need Support of Everyday Folk

Now, with marriage equality poised to become the law of the land when the U.S. Supreme Court rules on the cases coming out of the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of ...

Gov. Bryant: Stop Running Off LGBT Mississippians

How can you deny that fostering an oppressive and hateful atmosphere towards the LGBT community forces hard-working taxpayers to seriously question where their pink dollars are spent?

Thank You, Jackson

Witnessing the Mississippi business community coming together to speak out against discrimination of any kind through the lens of being a business owner in the LGBTQ community makes it all ...

Random Acts of Love

I’ve long maintained that I don’t care for public displays of affection. I’ve said it countless times to two long-term boyfriends, a few suitors and my husband. By turning my ...

As SB2681 Passes, A Gay Mississippi Businessman Talks Back to the Far Right

"I don't have to look back very far in my lived experience to recall a time when I was afraid to live openly. I once thought the very best I ...

I Do

If you've read anything I've written over the last three years, you know that I've done my level best to stay optimistic on the subject of marriage equality. It hasn't ...

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We Are Family

A few weeks ago the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments on Proposition 8, the California law banning same-sex marriage, and the Defense of Marriage Act, the law Congress passed in ...

Created Equal

Watching the inauguration of President Barack H. Obama was bittersweet. I was proud to have advocated for my president, and I feel validated by his inclusion of the LGBT community ...

No Excuses, Men

Listen, guys, these days you have no excuse to let yourself—or your face—go.

Sedaris Seeks Jackson

This year marks the 10th year Justin has been putting up with me and my shenanigans, so we’ve been celebrating since Sept. 9 in big and small ways.

Behind the Chair

I've been in the beauty industry for 17 years. After laying hands on and listening to countless women, I know for a fact--as celebrity stylist Tabatha Coffey says--"It's not always ...

A Pistol, and a Plea

There's something I need to tell you that I've not had the strength to share. There's something I've alluded to over the years that I've not had the will to ...

Tupelo's 'Dirty Little Secret'

Since my "coming out" 20 years ago, my understanding of who and what I am has evolved—not unlike our president. I wrestled mightily with what I was taught as a ...

The Good Fight

A few months ago, after watching one of the Republican debates, I placed a call to my sweet little momma. She lives in what I call a FOX News bubble: ...

[Outlaw] Yes. We. Can.

There was a weight on me—a black cloud that threatened all manner of lightening and rain, and I just couldn't shake it. "This," I thought to myself, "this will never ...

That'll Do, Pig. That'll Do

I sat in my driveway, in my running car, staring at the thermostat. A week ago I'd been complaining about the cold snap and rain interfering with my ability to ...

For The Children, Y'all

There was no starting gun, but there was a preacher, so i was obviously prepared to run. I surveyed the group that had assembled behind the starting line and noted ...