Allusions: LGBTQ Writing

Having grown up in the city of Nashville, Tennessee, in the ’80s, when the AIDS/HIV crisis was in full swing, Randy Thomas was not only exposed to constant homophobia but was also kicked out of home when he came out to his family. Apart from all this, there was also the bullying he suffered in public and the media’s snide remarks on his community. He thus moved to Texas, where he fell into the slippery slope of alcohol and drugs before he learned about an “ex-gay” ministry affiliated with Exodus in a local church. Randy soon devoted himself to the path and rose through the ranks

‘Pray Away’ is a Netflix original documentary movie that explores the story of a handful of individuals who either underwent the traumatic experience of conversion therapy or served as advocates for the “ex-gay movement.” With Exodus International and Freedom March, every similar group aimed at the LGBTQ+ community and promoting “change” through Christianity is highlighted, as their primary goals are the same. And it’s all done for the sobering reality check that such “treatments” are simply virulent, which former Vice President of Exodus agrees with. So, let’s find out more about him.

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A Lambda Literary Finalist in Best Erotica

In modern day Manhattan, Atticus is a down-on-his-luck architect who stumbles into an S&M bar and meets a young man who changes the direction of his life. What begins as a random pick-up evolves into an intense game of sexual domination as Atticus finds himself wildly invigorated both as a man and an architect.

As the relationship deepens, his creativity catches fire and he lands a prime architectural job at his firm designing a bold new high rise tower. Soon his two worlds collide as the thin lines between reality and fantasy and pleasure and pain threaten to explode.

With a new introduction by Lambda Literary winner Jeff Mann, this “wonder of a book” is as carnally explosive as it is compellingly original.

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Michael Bussee, one of the founders of Exodus and Gary Cooper, a leader within the ministry of Exodus, left the group to be in a relationship with each other in 1979. They divorced their wives and participated in a commitment ceremony in 1982. Bussee and Cooper lived together until Cooper's death from AIDS-related illness in 1991.

In June 2007, Bussee issued an apology for his involvement in promoting orientation change through Exodus. Also apologizing were Jeremy Marks, former president of Exodus International Europe, and Darlene Bogle, the founder of Paraklete Ministries, an Exodus referral agency. The apology stated in part "Some who heard our message were compelled to try to change an integral part of themselves, bringing harm to themselves and their families." Bussee stated, "In the almost 40 years since I started Exodus International, I can honestly say that I have never met a gay person who became heterosexual through conversion therapy or ex-gay programs. Yes, some stayed celibate for a time. Some even married and said they were happy. But most of those marriages ended with very painful divorces.

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1881—Special Agent Gillian Hamilton, magic caster for the Federal Bureau of Magic and Steam, has recovered from injuries obtained while in Shallow Grave, Arizona. Now back in New York City, Gillian makes an arrest on New Year’s Eve that leads to information on a new gangster, known only as Tick Tock, who’s perfected utilizing elemental magic in ammunition without a caster. This report complicates Gillian’s holiday plans, specifically those with infamous outlaw, "Gunner the Deadly," who promised they’d ring in 1882 together.

The two men stand on the cusp of a romance that needs to be explored intimately and privately. But when Gillian’s residence is broken into, by a magical mechanical man who tries to murder him on behalf of Tick Tock, they must immediately investigate the city’s ruthless street gangs before the illegal magic becomes a threat that cannot be contained.

This might be Gillian’s most perilous case yet, but criminal undergrounds don’t compare to the dangers of the heart. If he can’t balance a career in law enforcement with his love for a vigilante, Gillian may lose both entirely.

The novel-length follow-up to The Engineer, in the exciting new steampunk series, Magic & Steam

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Kelly J. Ford is the author of Real Bad Things (summer 2022) and the award-winning Cottonmouths, a novel of “impressive depths of character and setting” according to the Los Angeles Review, which named it one of their Best Books of 2017.

An Arkansas native, Kelly writes about the power and pitfalls of friendship, the danger of long-held secrets, and the transcendent grittiness of the Ozarks and their surrounds.

She lives in Vermont with her wife and cat.

Kelly is also a co-host of the Writer’s Bone podcast Happy Hour episodes

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