Alex Berg

Associate Producer, HuffPost Live

My appearance borders on high femme, yet I too am guilty of being a lezbro: I've brought my "male gaze" to parties with go-go dancers, and I've described women's bodies in a manner that I learned from my straight male friends, mostly because I thought it was the cool thing to do.

Jay Michaelson

Author, 'God vs. Gay? The Religious Case for Equality'

Mark Carson's murder highlights the shortcomings of a rights-based, marriage-based approach to LGBT equality, and cries out for deeper, and more difficult, forms of engagement.

Murray Lipp

Social justice activist

One of the defining characteristics of the LGBT community is our resilience and refusal to accept oppression. We're also known for our capacity, as a community, to put on a grand party when the situation demands it.

Marissa Higgins

Writer

Over her french fries and diet Coke a 5-year-old girl saw me become a monster and learned what hate was. When my wife kisses me goodbye in front of my office in midtown, I feel that little girl's stare over and over, but aged 30 years.

Franne Golde and Syd Fox

Mother and child

It was a primal scream that went right through me and sent distress signals to my heart. My beautiful 4-year-old daughter stood up in the bathtub as though she were possessed. "Mommy, I'm supposed to be a boy. God made a mistake!" she screamed through heaving tears.

Lucas Silveira

Musician

I was repetitively asked "Are you a boy or a girl?" throughout childhood and adolescence. Very recently, all these wounds resurfaced when I saw a comment left by a woman on a video I posted on Facebook.

Jenelle Riley

Film and TV editor, Backstage

I can offer nothing but gratitude to those who are willing to talk freely about their personal lives. To prove there is no stigma or shame in being gay. Because of them, a very special young man in my life may have an easier time with his life.

Phillip M. Miner

Board member, The Center for Homicide Research

Growing up believing you are an abomination is strange. But, if you are gay and grew up in Kansas (or many other parts of the world) -- like I did -- it's not all that uncommon.

Grant Broward

Mind wanderer, life observer, writer

One morning I awake to a friend's text message: "You're going to flip shit when you check your newsfeed." I immediately know what to expect, and my suspicions are instantly confirmed. I always knew this day would come. Matt and Liz are engaged.

Rev. Susan Russell

Episcopal priest and activist from Pasadena, Calif.

The public story of a public theologian publically evolving on LGBT equality is a kind of coming out. It's part of the tide turning, a beacon of hope to all those who wonder if that long held dream of a nation where liberty and justice for all is not just a pledge but a reality will ever be realized.

Jarrod S. Chlapowski

Writer, teacher, veteran and recovering lobbyist, very much in that order

A few weeks ago I was invited to watch the taping of a video for the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia in Seoul. More and more Koreans are stepping forward in support of LGBT rights, and over 100 Koreans (some gay, most straight) were involved in this production.

Jamie Krauss Hess

Official spokesperson, Fire Island Pines

It's that time of year again: time to buff up, bare all and hit the beach. Any good gay knows that Fire Island Pines is one of the most beautiful, historic and hedonistic summer destinations in the world. You may also know that the Pines had it rough over the past couple of years.

Ian Thompson

Legislative Representative, Washington Legislative Office, ACLU

ENDA's religious exemption, which would extend far beyond churches, synagogues and mosques, effectively gives a stamp of legitimacy to anti-LGBT discrimination that our civil rights laws have never given to discrimination based on an individual's race, sex, national origin, age or disability.

Jincey Lumpkin

Founder and Chief Sexy Officer, Juicy Pink Box

I'm not pregnant. If I were 17, this would be cause for celebration, but when you are ready for a baby and you can't just materialize one, an empty womb feels like an empty heart.

Hossein Alizadeh

Middle East and North Africa Program Coordinator, International Gay & Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC)

Dr. Toprak and her colleagues in parliament are great allies of the LGBT movement in Turkey. Their political fight for equal treatment of all citizens is a source of inspiration for human rights activists in Turkey who have been advocating for equal rights and protection of LGBT individuals.

Chuck Gomez

Playwright and former Emmy Award-winning television news journalist

One year almost to the day of suffering a heart attack, I'm proud to back again. I will also be walking to honor the memory of Charles Romo, a humanitarian who was taken away from us all too quickly in a senseless act of violence.

Alexandra Katehakis, M.F.T.

Founder and Clinical Director, Center for Healthy Sex

Even momentarily concentrating on healthy solutions rewires psychological patterns to receive and share healthy sexual love in the present. Here are three meditations with the themes of privacy, revenge, and integrity for you to ponder and practice this week.