The world doesn’t really need another gay culture site. At least, that’s what I thought. Then, on Halloween, when we all came to work in costume, my boss asked me if I was a queen — not if I was gay, or queer, but was I a queen. Admittedly, I was dressed up as Elton John, but that’s still the type of question you really shouldn’t get from your employer.
I’ve been out of the closet since I was 15 years old. While I’m not someone to deny who I am, that question hit me like a ton of bricks. Why is my boss asking? How does my answer affect my job? Does it even matter?
Low and behold, the following week (not in costume) I was asked about how I voted. Turns out, not all that surprisingly, that my boss was a Trump supporter — right down to being a member at Mar-a-Lago.
One week after that, I was out of a job. Numbers were up, things were trending in the right direction, but apparently after (with all sense of humility) raising numbers, success wasn’t good enough.
In that moment, and for the weeks since, I felt like I was back to the scary days of only coming out to certain people, or distancing myself from anything or anyone that was overtly gay. Back then, it was a miserable way to be. Denying part of who you are for fear of some karmic (or physical!) retribution is not how you should live your life.
Then came Heated Rivalry.
Suddenly we have a show about coming to terms with your sexual identity in one of the most heteronormative environments ever: professional sports. Being able to stand up proud and truly be yourself wasn’t acceptable. And again, it’s like a time machine back to my own distant past. Watching that show brought all of those emotions back immediately. As someone who doesn’t cry much, and definitely not at movies, I found myself completely wrapped up in Shane and Ilya, Kip and Scott, and their struggles. I saw pieces of my own coming out story in each of them. I felt those feelings again, and I hated it.
So, with a background in marketing and writing, I find myself here: Slayed.gay. My goal is to create a website that speaks to what we’re all thinking without fear of criticism. I also want to share the fun part of being gay, the feeling of freedom when you don’t hold back your words, but also saying those things that everyone’s probably thinking but wouldn’t dare say.
This isn’t meant to be a gossip site. It’s all about creating a space where gay men can exhale and remember that life is about more than just who’s got abs this week, which guy on Grindr is lying about his dick size, or which orgy Sniffies thinks I should go to.
It’s gonna be a good time, and I hope you’re interested in joining me…
–Scott / Founder & Editor – Slayed.gay
