Aaron Penrose

To be quite frank, I think parents should allow their children unrestricted internet access until they are found doing something harmful like going into adult chat rooms or on webcam (as you said--real people.) So long as you're clear about the boundaries and what jeopardizes one's safety/privacy online, what's the problem? Kids will be kids. If you tell them not to do something, they will only want to do it more. Then again I was always mature for my age, and your son may not be ready to synthesize such adult subject matter. But I think all boys are "obsessed" with porn when they're thirteen. I certainly was, and I'm not even biologically male. I may be a bit of an extreme case, but I was looking at hardcore pornography by the time I was eleven, and I don't think it affected me negatively. If anything it dispelled all the hype about sex. I come from an extremely religious background and my parents did nigh everything in their power to make me ashamed of my sexuality. The porn taught me it's something real people do, and they don't feel guilty about it later. Like I said, extreme case, but I think it applies to your situation nonetheless. At thirteen, a little worldly knowledge won't kill him. It may actually help him in the future. I applaud you for being so involved in his life. My parents never cared what I did on the internet. I can't imagine feeling comfortable enough with them to actually admit I was addicted to porn. It's wonderful that he trusts you enough to be so open.

This was hilarious! I laughed out loud at the end. Roasted--completely and totally. Feels like one of those moments those two will laugh about for a long time.

I'm amazed it didn't occur to the coaches that there might be some consequences for that kind of thing. As employees of the school system you'd think someone would have said, "Hey, don't mess with the kids's personal problems. Someone might sue us."

My great home state is the only place in the U.S. where it is actually illegal to enter a restroom if the gender on your birth certificate/driver's license does not match the one on the sign. Funnily they did not institute a bathroom police force when the law was passed. It is also illegal to change your gender on your birth certificate, so it's like the government is trying to pretend we're not even here, or at least that we don't have the right to use the restroom in public. My point is I absolutely understand your "one of them" sentiment. It's very difficult to be different in places like Tennessee. I'm out as trans and when I leave the house with a chest binder on, people stare. I'm not ashamed of who I am but sometimes others make it hard not to be.

If it makes you feel any better, young transgender guys deal with this times a thousand. There is not a day in my life where I don't obsess about not being masculine enough.

I don't find Mick unsympathetic at all. He's certainly not without his faults but I think you do a good job of justifying him. I love him and I really, really love this story.

I like this so far. You have an interesting premise here. Can't wait to read more.

Glad to have made you laugh! I admit I did not sit down with the intention of taking the story that way but Jay has a way of speaking her own mind despite me. You know, it does seem a bit teeny looking back at it. I may wind up taking that bit out; I don't think the story would lose anything.

I have been reading gay fiction since I was about 12. I'm pretty evenly bisexual, but I prefer homosexual stories and porn and most things simply because they're more interesting. Physically I'm much more attracted to men than to women, but I form emotional relationships with women much easier that often translate into physical attraction of the same or greater intensity. Pansexuality probably describes me better than bisexuality, but people understand "bisexual." Anyway, to answer your question, I ended up here when I decided I wanted to try my hand at novel-writing. I have been writing off and on for years in a role playing format on a site called Elliquiy, but I started to accumulate such a wealth of characters and stories that I found myself wanting to put it all down in one place. Being transgender, there is no creative outlet that is as cathartic and just plain damn vindicating for me as writing. It's the only time I can freely express as a man without physical limitations. Thank you for this topic. I am intrigued.

The sky was a bleak and impassive gray. Not that I cared—today was my day, the nasty weather be damned. It was Nathan and I’s one month anniversary, I had an amazing gift for him, and the girl at the bookstore called me “miss” once before she heard me speak. Not to mention I looked damn precious. I had on a little red dress patterned with sailboats, bright red lipstick, cream-colored Oxfords to make my Neanderthal feet look smaller, and big hoop earrings to distract from the unforgivably mannish

No, thank you for reviewing! Yeah, I know the theme is a bit predictable/generic, but I wanted to write this to have something easy. But I've still got a few tricks up my sleeve! Henry and his family are much less stereotypical.

I do love the name Dallas. The Outsiders has a permanent home on my shelf. Dallas isn't necessarily named after the Dallas from the novel but there are a lot of similarities between them. Thank you so much for reviewing!

Thank you, it's been lovely so far. I know it's incredibly difficult for most people to synthesize and, thank you, I needed the reminder to be patient. It's just hard. Specifically what I was talking about was when established friends who know I'm trans tease/question me about being girly. I know they aren't trying to be hurtful, but. I know I have to be patient. You're right--after a lifetime of not fitting in, I don't have any trouble coming to grips with differences in others, so oftentimes I get frustrated when someone can't get with the program. In my head, I'm just a dude and that's that and everyone else had better deal, lol. Thank you for the advice, Cia.

Thank you everyone for your kind words. I wouldn't mind the compliments if they weren't directly related to my gender. I guess that's what I was trying to convey with this post in the first place. It's not that I don't appreciate the compliment about my physical appearance--that is always nice. But nonetheless it is a horribly painful reminder that I can never physically be the person I am supposed to be. I can't tune that out. I'm not angry at the well-meaning people giving me compliments. I'm angry that they're so blinded by my appearance. That they base their perception of me and my gender on my girlish looks and not my actions.

Hi GA. Welcome to the first installment of my genderqueer rants. I have been hankering to get this off my chest for quite a while and this seemed like the best place to do it, so I'm just going to jump right in. Something I encounter very frequently, particularly among well-meaning gay men, is this incredibly disturbing mentality usually characterized by something like the following conversation: Him: So you want to be a man. Me: Yes. Well, not want to--am. I just don't look like one. Him: ... Why? Me: .... *bewildered* So the inside matches the outside, I guess? Let's say for the sake of continuity. Him: .... But Aaron, you're so pretty. You must attract tons of guys already. You could have any guy you wanted. If you're so into men, why on earth would you want to change that? Me: Because I don't want to be pretty, okay? I want to be you. And that is the point at which I am (again) reduced to a spluttering, furious mess. It makes me feel like I'm being perceived as a whiny, inchoate little girl. There is nothing worse. I know they're just stating what's most obvious to them and trying to make a joke, but it completely undermines my feelings and feeds into my awful masculinity complex. Please, if there are any beautiful transmen in your lives, never back them into a corner in this fashion. Don't question their manhood. Even if it seems like lighthearted banter, it hurts. It makes them feel alienated. If you care about them, please, for the love of God, NEVER for a moment allow their physical appearance to eclipse their latent manliness. tl;dr your senseless rant version: Just because I am barely five feet tall and I look like Shirley Temple does not mean my balls aren't god damn enormous. Thank you.

LOL That aside, I must disagree. I think it's very important for "celebrated individuals" to come out to an ovation, whether anticipated or not. It helps to better establish homosexuality as a cultural norm. People need to see that it should be applauded.

“Dallas, your father and I have fallen on some hard times ourselves, sweetie. We just can’t support you right now. I’m sorry.” He stared at his mother dumbly. What? A thousand things reeled through his mind at once. Bitch, you’re providing for another kid. Why not me? I’m your son, too. You’re doing this to me just because I didn’t go to college, you vindictive fuckheads. Sell that motherfucking BMW if you’re supposedly on “hard times.” Where the hell am I supposed to go? “Mom, I just sai

When Dallas finds himself out of a residence, he’s forced to go live with his ultra-conservative grandmother who is hell-bent on “beating the devil out of him.” Church three times a week, counseling with the youth minister, and a curfew? Dallas is certain his life is over until a cute, single gay boy shows up right across the street. Sounds like a match made in heaven, right? Dallas sure thinks it is. But when he starts falling madly in love with a man he cannot have, things get messy.

Actually my word choice there was totally random, lol. I worked in a mall for several years and I remember all of the nice jewelry stores there being really dark with a spotlight on the goods. But I'm glad you read into it more than I did! You make an interesting point. Perhaps he was attracted more to that store in particular because it was so dark inside, offering him a refuge from the anxieties in the brighter mall. Thank you for the review!

Thank you! And thank you for a great prompt that inspired me to make something I'm really proud of.

So glad you enjoyed it. Life can be funny that way, can't it? Moments that seem insignificant at the time turn out to be the ones that influence us most.

Wonderful use of words! Thank you! I was worried I was forcing the extended metaphor a bit much, so that's reassuring.

This bit: "... screeching between the crevices of your teeth" gave me chills! Really excellent and descriptive writing. A beautiful account of someone who conquers loneliness and inadequacy by stepping on the backs of others. Following this. I love prose.

Sterling was sick to death of this mall. The mall was pretty damn sick of them, too, judging by the way all the managers glared daggers at the five of them from behind their glass storefronts, as if daring them to set foot inside, daring them to stuff their sagging, oversized Ed Hardy jeans with their worthless merchandise and make a run for it. And that’s precisely what they would do. They weren’t exactly unpredictable. Five black teenagers dressed like thugs rarely failed to intimidate, and S

Repository for prompts. I'm a regular ol' writing prompt junkie. http://www.gayauthors.org/forums/forum/97-writing-prompts/