Scott Beaver, 07/14/12

Anti-bullying activist; member, Youth Empowered to Act (YETA); incoming student, NYU Polytechnic

A week after I was outed, my boyfriend disappeared. I came into contact with one of his friends and discovered that he'd come out to his parents a few months before he met me, and they'd kicked him out, so he'd begun living on the streets. He'd disappeared because he'd passed away.

Sandip Roy, 07/14/12

Culture editor, Firstpost.com; editor, New America Media

Gandhi, or at least a slice of Gandhi, now has a price tag. $1.28 million to be precise.

Tomas Mournian, 07/14/12

Author, 'hidden'

When I heard about Mommy is Coming, the collaboration between filmmaker Cheryl Dunye and writer-activist Sarah Schulman, I was intrigued. It promised a new spin: S&M; lesbian porn by way of FIfty Shades of Gray and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?

James Stack, 07/14/12

Poet; memoirist

Told from the point of view of the author -- who was 15 at the time -- this coming-of-age story shines a light on the issues of alcoholism, adolescent sexual confusion, family violence, and the universal need to love those who hurt us, despite their frailties.

Michael Ardan, 07/13/12

Writer/performer

In this crazy world where impersonal tools like Grindr and (God forbid) Craigslist all too often replace real, human connections, I had swallowed my pride and hit on a hot stranger. That, to me, is a victory in itself. This is how meeting people is supposed to go.

Nathan Manske, 07/13/12

Founder and Executive Director, I'm From Driftwood

The Guyliner, 07/13/12

Taking on the internet one gay at a time

Flings come in all shapes and sizes, whether they're masquerading as lasting loves or little more than a f**k buddy you don't mind having a conversation with, but the one thing every fling has in common is that they end.

Logan Lynn, 07/13/12

Musician, writer, and LGBT activist

My grandfather is turning 100 years old next month, which completely blows my mind. When he found out about my being gay, he didn't bat an eyelash. This man has celebrated my being here, part of his life's exquisite creation, since the day I was born.

Mark Simpson, 07/13/12

Inventor of the word 'metrosexual'; author, 'Male Impersonators,' 'Saint Morrissey' and 'Metrosexy'

I've done my invert duty and been to see Magic Mike, which, accord­ing to The New York Times, gay men are "flock­ing" to see in num­bers not seen since Broke­back Moun­tain. Even if they're not all as jaded as I am, I think they're going to be very disappointed.

Brennan Hicks, 07/13/12

Anti-bullying activist; member, Youth Empowered to Act (YETA); high-school student

I found myself trying to act more "straight." Really, I was just trying to make myself appear more "masculine" through my music choices and dress, avoiding anything I feared would out me. By doing this, however, I was effectively putting myself into a cramped and awkward cocoon.

Jonathan Kipp, 07/13/12

Publisher, Just Out

We are helping to move rural and suburban Americans from just theoretically supporting same-sex marriage -- based on their sense of fairness, justice and goodness -- to actually liking, maybe even loving, us.

Ben Harvey and Dave Rubin, 07/13/12

Louis Virtel, 07/13/12

West Coast Entertainment Editor, AfterElton.com

Trish Bendix, 07/13/12

Managing Editor, AfterEllen.com

We pride ourselves on knowing all kinds of Sapphic pop-culture facts. Each week we'll share some of the best tidbits on The Huffington Post in our new series, "Best Lesbian Week Ever." Here's who and what was on our raging gay radar this week.

Alvin McEwen, 07/13/12

Blogmaster, Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters

Sprigg is not only an employee of FRC but a pastor, yet he feels no problem with bearing false witness in the name of his definition of God. Apparently, Sprigg (and the Family Research Council) must follow a different Bible that approves of lying about the LGBT community.

Josh A. Goodman, 07/13/12

Recent graduate from Whitman College

The reality is that while bullying, school environments, and related outcomes have a long way to go for lesbian, gay, and bisexual students, the distance is even further for transgender students. We need to be having a discussion about that.

Todd Fernandez, 07/13/12

Gay human rights activist

It's valid to ask whether Romney could possibly support equal civil rights for our community, shy of including marriage. We don't know, and it doesn't appear that our movement leadership has any intention of asking.