CRISIS: 40 STORIES REVEALING THE PERSONAL, SOCIAL, AND RELIGIOUS PAIN AND TRAUMA OF GROWING UP GAY IN AMERICA

CONTRIBUTORS TO CRISIS (in alphabetical order)

FOREWORD

Martina Navratilova: World-renowned tennis champion.
• Born in: Czechoslovaki. Became U.S. citizen at 25, in 1981.
• Website: www.martinanavratilova.com
• Lives in: Aspen, CO, and Nokomis, FL

INCLUDED IN PREFACE (p. xvi)

Jeff Austin: Friend of Mitchell Gold’s — a North Carolinian whose dad was a Southern Baptist preacher and who only came out to his family at age 44.
• Grew up in: Alexander County, North Carolina (where MG+BW factory is located)
• Lives in: Hickory, NC

RELIGION

Bruce Bastian: Co-inventor of WordPerfect and philanthropist. Raised in Mormon faith.
• Website: www.bastianfoundation.org.
• Grew up in: Twin Falls, ID. College: Brigham Young University
• Lives in: Orem, UT

Brent Childers: Straight ally, Evangelical Christian + Executive Director of Faith in America.
• Website: www.faithinamerca.info
• Grew up in: North Carolina
• Lives in: Cajah Mountain, North Carolina

Ari Gold: Singer/songwriter/producer. Raised in Orthodox Jewish family in New York.
• Website: www.arigold.com.
• Grew up in: The Bronx, NY. College: New York University
• Lives in: New York

Jody Huckaby: Executive Director of Parents, Families & Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG). Raised in Catholic faith.From a family of eight siblings — four gay and four straight — and none of them knew their siblings were gay growing up.
• Website: www.pflag.org.
• Grew up in: Eunice, LA
• Lives in: Washington, DC area

Dan Karslake (wrote Crisis Religion section intro): Writer/director/producer of award-winning documentary For the Bible Tells Me So. Previously a producer for Emmy-nominated PBS newsmagazine In the Life, focusing on homosexuality and religion.
• Website: www.forthebibletellsmeso.org.
• Grew up in : Harrisburg, PA. College: Duke University, 1987; USC
• Lives in: New York

Reverend Irene Monroe: Minister and public theologian; syndicated religion columnist. Abandoned by her mother at six months; raised in foster care with the strong influence of the black Christian church community.
• Website: www.irenemonroe.com.
• Grew up in: Brooklyn, NY
• Colleges: Wellesley, Union Theological Seminary at Columbia, Harvard Divinity School
• Lives in: Boston

Rodney Powell: Retired physician and civil rights leader who marched with Dr. Martin Luther King. Raised in the black Christian church community.
• Website: www.soulforce.org/article/rodney-powell-video for an interview with Rodney
• Grew up in: Philadelphia
• Lives in: Honolulu, Hawaii

Bishop Gene Robinson: First openly gay Episcopal bishop (Diocese of New Hampshire). Published In the Eye of the Storm: Swept to the Center by God in April 2008. Entered into civil union with his partner of twenty years in June 2008. Controversy continues to surround his consecration; he was not invited to the 2008 Lambeth Conference by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
• Website: www.nhepiscopal.org/bishop/bishop.html for biography
• Grew up in: Fayette County, KY
• Lives in: Weare, NH

H. Alexander Robinson: Executive director and CEO, National Black Justice Coalition, a civil rights organization dedicated to ending racism and homophobia against the black gay community. Raised in black Conservative Christian faith.
• Website: www.nbjcoalition.org.
• Grew up in: Richmond, VA, area
• Lives in: Washington, DC area

Reverend Dr. Mel White: Author, filmmaker and former ghostwriter for Jerry Falwell, Billy Graham, Pat Robertson, and other nationally known Evangelicals. Co-founder of Soulforce, dedicated to “stopping homophobia at its source, religious bigotry.”
• Biography: Stranger at the Gate. Most recent book: Religion Gone Bad: The Hidden Dangers of the Christian Right. Raised in Evangelical Christian faith.
• Website: www.soulforce.org.
• Grew up in: Santa Cruz, CA
• Lives in: Dallas, TX, and Lynchburg, VA

FAMILY

Nate Berkus: Regularly featured designer on The Oprah Winfrey Show, who shares smart and stylish decorating ideas with her audiences. Author of Home Rules.
• Website: www.nateberkus.com
• Grew up in: Minnetonka, MN + Orange County, CA; boarding school in Massachusetts
• Lives in: Chicago and New York

Howard Bragman: L.A.-based public relations consultant whose firm, Fifteen Minutes, has a large entertainment-industry-based clientele; he has also helped several gay sports figures come out publicly, including John Amaechi, who tells his story in the book.
• Website: www.fifteenminutes.com
• Grew up in: Flint, MI
• Lives in: Los Angeles

Richard Chamberlain: Actor — Dr. Kildare, The Thorn Birds, Shogun. Came out at age 69, in 2003, in his autobiography, Shattered Love.
• Grew up in: Beverly Hills, CA
• Lives in: Hawaii

Candace Gingrich: Senior Youth Outreach Manager, Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and sister of Newt Gingrich.
• Grew up in: Harrisburg, PA
• Lives in: Washington, DC area

Mitchell Gold: Co-founder and Chair-man of Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams, and founder of Faith in America.
• Websites: www.mgbwhome.com; www.faithinamerica.info
• Grew up in: Trenton, NJ
• Lives in: Conover, NC, and New York City

Jim Hormel: Philanthropist and first openly gay U.S. Ambassador; appointed Ambassador to Luxembourg by President Clinton. Jim’s grandfather started Hormel Foods. A founder of the Human Rights Campaign. Donation to San Francisco Public Library led to the creation of the James C. Hormel Gay and Lesbian Center, which houses the world’s largest collection of gay literature.
• Grew up in: Austin, MN, and attended an East Coast boarding school in the 1950s
• College: Swarthmore and University of Chicago Law School
• Lives in: San Francisco

James McGreevey: Seminary student at General Theological Seminary and former governor of New Jersey. Raised in the Catholic faith.
• Grew up in: Carteret, NJ
• Colleges: Columbia, Harvard (M.A.), and Georgetown University Law Center
• Lives in: Plainfield, NJ, and attends seminary school in New York City

Donna Red Wing: Senior Advisor, The Interfaith Alliance, Washington, DC. Previously with the Gill Foundation, HRC, and GLAAD, and served as liaison to the gay community for the Howard Dean presidential campaign.
• Grew up in: Worcester, MA
• Colleges: Assumption College and Clark University (M.A.)
• Lives in: Evergreen, CO

Charles Robbins (wrote Crisis Family section intro): Executive Director of The Trevor Project, a national 24/7 suicide and crisis prevention helpline for gay youth. Previously with the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force and GLAAD; founder of Denver-based Project Angel Heart, which delivers meals to those living with HIV/AIDS.
• Grew up in: Colorado
• Lives in: Los Angeles

Jorge Valencia: Executive Director, Point Foundation (LGBT scholarship organization), and former Executive Director, The Trevor Project. Mexican-American, raised in Mormon faith. Thanks to Jorge (pronounced “George”), the stories of several Point Foundation Scholars appear in the book.
• Grew up in: Texas
• College: Brigham Young University
• Lives in: Los Angeles

Bob Witeck: Co-founder + CEO, Witeck-Combs Communications, a DC-based PR + marketing firm. Coauthor, Business Inside Out: Capturing Millions of Brand-Loyal Gay Consumers.
• Grew up in: suburb of Arlington, VA
• College: University of Virginia
• Lives in: Washington, DC

SCHOOLS

Neil Giuliano: Former four-term mayor of Tempe, AZ (1994-2004), and president of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD).
• Grew up in: Bloomfield, NJ
• College: Arizona State University
• Lives in: New York City

Brian Graden: President of cable television networks Entertainment, MTV, VH1 + CMT, and President of Logo.
• Grew up in: Hillsboro, IL
• College: Oral Roberts University, Harvard Business School
• Lives in: Los Angeles (and New York City)

Kevin Jennings (wrote Crisis School section intro) — Founder of the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN). Became faculty advisor to the nation’s first GSA in 1988 at Concord Academy, in Massachusetts. Author of six books, including Mama’s Boy, Preacher’s Son, published in August 2008.
• Website: www.glsen.org
• Grew up in: Winston-Salem, North Carolina
• College: Harvard (1985); NYU (MBA)
• Lives in: New York City

Alec Mapa — Filipino-American actor and comedian who has appeared on Broadway and in TV shows including Roseanne, Seinfeld, Friends, Desperate Housewives, and Ugly Betty, and as host of Logo TV series Transamerican Love Story with Calpernia Addams. Movie credits include Bright Lights, Big City and Adam Sandler’s 2008 movie, You Don’t Mess with Zohan.
• Grew up in: San Francisco
• Lives in: Los Angeles

Joe Solmonese — President, Human Rights Campaign (HRC).
• Website: www.hrc.org
• Grew up in: Attleboro, MA
• College: Boston University (1987)
• Lives in: Washington, DC

Bob Williams: Co-founder and President of Design, Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams.
• Website: www.mgandbw.com
• Grew up in: Conroe, Texas
• College: Southwestern, North Texas State, Parson’s School of Design
• Lives in: Hickory, NC

WORKPLACE

John Amaechi: Former NBA basketball player, philanthropist, and business consultant. Autobiography: Man in the Middle
• Website: www.johnamaechi.com
• Grew up in: Manchester, England; came to U.S. for sr. year of high school in Toledo, OH
• College: Vanderbilt and Penn State (1995)
• Lives in: Los Angeles and England

Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin): House of Representatives member for 10 years.
• Website: www.tammybaldwin.house.gov
• Grew up in: Madison, WI
• College: Smith College (1984) and University of Wisconsin Law School
• Lives in: Madison, WI, and Washington, DC

Billy Bean: Former Major League Baseball player with the Tigers, Dodgers, and Padres.
• Autobiography: Going the Other Way: Lessons from a Life In and Out of Major League Baseball
• Website: www.billybean.com
• Grew up in: Santa Ana, CA
• College: Loyola Marymount University (1986)
• Lives in: Miami Beach, FL

Congressman Barney Frank (D-Massachusetts): 27 years in Congress and openly gay for 21 of those years; Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee.
• Website: www.house.gov/frank
• Grew up in: Bayonne, NJ
• College: Harvard (1962) and Harvard Law School
• Lives in: Massachusetts and Washington, DC

Lane Hudson (wrote Crisis Workplace section intro): Strategy and Communications Director for Faith in America.
• Website: www.faithnamerica.info
• Grew up in: South Carolina
• Lives in: Washington, DC

Hilary Rosen: A political analyst on MSNBC and political director for The Huffington Post . The former chairman and CEO of the Recording Industry Association of America, she is also a media and technology consultant. She is a co-founder of OurChart. com, a social networking site for lesbians based on the Showtime TV drama The L Word.
• Grew up in: New Jersey
• Lives in: Washington, DC

ON LOSING A CHILD

Elke Kennedy: mother of the late Sean Kennedy, killed at 19, in 2007. Founder of Sean’s Last Wish, which raises awareness of South Carolina’s lack of hate-crime laws.
• Website: www.seanslastwish.com
• Sean grew up in: Greenville, South Carolina
• Elke lives in: Greenville, South Carolina

Mary Lou Wallner: mother of the late Anna, who committed suicide at age 29. Founder of TEACH Ministries, dedicated to educating about the consequences of homophobia.
• Website: www.teach-ministries.org
• Mary Lou lives in: North Little Rock, AR

THE QUESTION OF SIN

Jimmy Creech: Minister in The United Methodist Church for 29 years who was defrocked for performing a same-gender marriage ceremony; former executive director of Faith In America
• Lives in: Raleigh, NC

Reverend Stephen Shoemaker: His sermon is in “The Sin Question” section — fair-minded heterosexual Southern Baptist minister
• Lives in: Charlotte, NC

YOUNG ADULT CONTRIBUTORS

RELIGION

Matt Comer: Editor of Q-Notes, LGBT newspaper of the Carolinas. Age 22. Raised in Southern Baptist faith.
• Website: www.Matthillcomer.com.
• Grew up in: Winston-Salem, North Carolina area
• Lives in: Charlotte, NC

Jared Horsford: Student, Texas Tech. Age 26. Raised in Southern Baptist faith.
• Grew up in: Texas
• Lives in: Lubbock, TX area

Jarrod Parker: Communications Specialist for Emergency, Fire, and Aeromedical Services in Greenville, SC. Age 22. Stepbrother of the late Sean Kennedy. His stepmother, Elke Kennedy, wrote a chapter for book. Raised in Southern Baptist faith.
• Grew up in: Greenville, South Carolina
• Lives in: Greenville, South Carolina

FAMILY

Brandon Rolph Kneefel: student, Penn State (currently completing course online while in L.A. pursuing his acting career). Raised in a conservative Christian family. Thrown out of the house by his parents while in high school. Point Scholar. Age 21.
• Grew up in: Detroit
• Lives in: Los Angeles

Robert Wrasse: student, graduated May 2008 from University of Michigan. Age 21. Raised in the Catholic faith in a Chaldean- American community outside Detroit.
• Grew up in: suburb of Detroit, MI
• Lives in: Michigan

SCHOOL

Katie Batza: PhD Candidate, University of Illinois at Chicago. Point Scholar. Age 28
• Grew up in: Marietta, GA
• Lives in: Chicago

Jacob Breslow: Student, University of California — Santa Cruz. Point Scholar. Age 21.
• Grew up in: Walnut Creek, a suburb of San Francisco
• Lives in: Walnut Creek, CA

Julia Brindisi: Student, Massachusetts College of Art; Age 19
• Grew up in: Harvard, MA
• Lives in: Boston (in school)

Tony Meyer: student, Harvard University. Point Scholar. Age 19
• Grew up in: Mission Viejo, CA
• Lives in: Boston (at school)