Feature Friday with Matthew Chaffee

Feature Friday with Matthew Chaffee

Happy Friday, friends. The weeks are running together and what day it is means almost nothing anymore, but we’re so happy it’s finally the weekend. The last few weeks have been some of the busiest for us (feeling grateful for that) and we’re looking forward to relaxing just a bit this weekend. Do you have any fun plans?

This week’s Feature Friday is Matthew, who shares what it was like growing up in a conservative environment, the response he got from his senior high school class when he came out in front of them by reading an essay (!), and his advice for those struggling to come out. We enjoyed getting to know Matthew and we think you will, too. See what we mean below…

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Feature Friday with Jorge Valencia and Morgan King

Feature Friday with Jorge Valencia and Morgan King

Happy Friday, y’all. After a few days of bad weather, we’re looking forward to enjoying the sunshine this weekend with some trips out to the land to get some fresh air and let the kiddos run around. Any fun plans you’re looking forward to?

Today’s Feature Friday is a beautiful couple who takes turns answering questions and discuss their coming out stories, what their environment was like growing up, and where they see themselves in 5 years. We loved getting to know Jorge and Morgan and we think you will, too. Check out what we mean below…

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Feature Friday with Christopher Wiacek

Feature Friday with Christopher Wiacek

Happy Friday! How are you feeling this week? It doesn’t really feel like a Friday to us, since we’re home everyday and the kiddos are out of school, but we’re doing our best to celebrate it anyway with music and biscuits to start the weekend off right. Hope you’re doing the best you can, friend, and enjoy Christopher’s Feature Friday, where shares his perspective on life, loss, and realizing where he truly belongs. Check out what we mean below…

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Feature Friday with Michael Power

Feature Friday with Michael Power

Happy Friday, friends. It’s been a pretty awful week, hasn’t it? From the tornadoes that devastated Nashville (click here to help those affected) and with Super Tuesday, it seems like a rough couple of days for pretty much everyone.

Today’s Feature Friday is Michael, who lives in Stockholm with his husband. Here he shares his biggest inspiration, what it was like growing up, at one point, in a “blokey” environment, and how his mother took it when he came out to her (hint: it gave us chills in the best possible way). We enjoyed getting to know Mark, and we think you will, too. See what we mean below…

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Feature Friday with Rowyn Mottershead

Feature Friday with Rowyn Mottershead

Happy Friday! Any plans this weekend? Middle kiddo Z started school today (yay!), something we’ve been hoping would be able to happen for a while now. His brother and sister are already enrolled in school and he was feeling a little left out, so we’re all thrilled he’ll be able to finally go to school now, too.

Today’s Feature Friday is a special one. Rowyn has a beautiful, important story to share, and his words on life, love, and self-acceptance ring true no matter what stage of life you’re in. We loved getting to know Rowyn and we think you will, too. See what we mean below…

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Feature Friday with Francis Dominic

Feature Friday with Francis Dominic

Happy Friday! We’re so excited to start our Feature Friday series back today with such an amazing person. You probably already know him, follow him on Instagram, and adore his uplifting and beautiful feed, but you’re about to learn a little more about Francis Dominic today and we think you’re going to love him even more. See what we’re talking about below…

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Feature Friday with Cameron Hawthorn

Feature Friday with Cameron Hawthorn

Happy Friday! We are beyond excited about this week’s FF. Not only is he devilishly handsome, he’s also an insanely talented artist who is breaking down stigmas and stereotypes in the country music industry to show people you can be whoever you want to be, regardless of what anybody else thinks. Read on below to learn more about Cameron, because we have a feeling you’re going to be seeing him a lot more in the future…

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Feature Friday with Oscar Hall

Feature Friday with Oscar Hall

Happy Friday! This week’s Feature Friday is wise beyond his years. Oscar has a lot to say about being liked vs. being respected, and the importance of self-self-realization. We learned a lot from Oscar and we think you will, too. Take a look below…

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Feature Friday with Pedro Reyes

Feature Friday with Pedro Reyes

Happy Friday! We’re back with Feature Friday this week with a couple from our neck of the woods. Pedro and Evan are from a small town about an hour and a half away from us, so we can relate to their experience of growing up gay in the south. What we can’t relate to, however, is how brave and courageous they were for coming out while still in high school, and even attending prom together as a couple. Wonder what life would have been like if we had come out in high school?

Read on below to find out more about Pedro and Evan!

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Feature Friday with Matt Taylor

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Happy Friday, y’all! This is our last FF for a few weeks while we are traveling out of the country, and it’s a good one. Matt discusses growing up as a gay male in his small town (1500 people!), how it felt for him coming out, and who his biggest inspiration is (hi mom!). We had fun getting to know him a little better, and we think you will, too. Take a look below to see what we mean…

Name: Matt Taylor

Where are you from? I’m from Colorado! I was born and raised in a house my parents built between Elizabeth, colorado and Parker. I live out “in the country” as people like to call it. 

Where do you live? I live between two different towns, Parker and Elizabeth. Parker is a larger town, filled with more urban and diverse cultures. Elizabeth on the other hand has a population of about 1,500 and has a much more country feel. That’s where I actually go to school. 

Instagram: Matttaylor.14

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On his favorite place he’s ever travelled: Asking where my favorite place I’ve traveled to is hard. My parents have made it very important to our family to travel and see different parts of the country and world. This past summer we just took a trip to Italy and Sweden. They were the prettiest places i’ve ever seen and getting to experience the different lifestyles were incredible. 

On what made him want to come out: From probably 5th or 6th grade I had a feeling I was gay. Once I figured it out for sure, I hated that I couldn’t tell people or openly be who I am. Honestly, social media had a large part in why I had the confidence to come out. Seeing openly gay, happy, confident men on Instagram really gave me the courage and strength to finally come out. 

“I stress about little things too much. Coming out was something I thought about 24/7, 365 days a year, and now that it’s done, it seems like I could do it 100 times over.”

On his coming out experience: Coming out for me has been amazing. Before I came out I thought I would be judged and harassed a lot, but it was truly the complete opposite. All my friends and family members have all been extremely happy and supportive to me. I actually came out to my whole family about 3 hours before we left for Italy. I sat them all down and told them together. we all cried together and hugged. I could feel their unconditional love for me. 

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On what he learned in the coming out process: I’ve learned so, so much about myself in the process of coming out. 1st things first, I stress about little things too much. Coming out was something I thought about 24/7, 365 days a year, and now that it’s done, it seems like I could do it 100 times over. The second thing I learned about myself is that I, like all LGBTQ+ people, am strong. Before coming out you go through so much! From the first “am I gay?” to “I am gay,” so so much goes through your head, and the ability to admit that to yourself and open up to others about it takes a great amount of strength and courage. 

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On facing backlash since coming out: I haven’t really faced any backlash since coming out. I know there are a few people in my school don’t agree with with my sexuality, but that’s okay. I know there will be people throughout my life that are too ignorant to see more than just black and white. I have nothing to apologize for, but I hope they find the love in their heart to open their closed mind.

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On his experience growing up as a gay male in his hometown: Growing up where I did, I didn’t have any older males to look up to that were also gay. I was also raised in a Christian household, so it was pretty hard trying to figure out everything. Once I got a little older and realized I wasn’t the only gay kid in my school or in my area, it definitely eased my nerves a little bit.

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On religion: I think religion is a tough thing. Do I believe in a higher power? Yes. Am I dedicated to a specific religion at this point in my life? No. Trying to figure out what branch or specific religion you’re a part of is hard while being gay.

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On his true passion: Making films for me probably stemmed from being into photography as well. I’ve only just in the last year or so started to make films. I’m apart of my schools advanced Audio Visual Production class. In my films I like to touch into real, serious topics or creative, more aesthetic themed ones. I’m not 100% sure, but I would like to go to a film school when I graduate to further my passion for film.

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On his biggest inspiration: This may be clichè, but my mom is hands down my number one inspiration. She’s the hardest working, most love-filled, wholesome person I know. She is the type of person to drop everything no matter what to be there for you, and I really admire that about her. She has also built her own business from scratch and works hard to keep it going. Her work ethic is outstanding. She has always supported me through every decision I’ve made and I couldn’t have come out without her. I’m very grateful.

Thank you Mom for inspiring me everyday! 

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Feature Friday with Johnny Sibilly

Feature Friday with Johnny Sibilly

Happy Friday! We are so excited about week’s Feature Friday, y’all. Johnny is an actor, model, and LGBTQ activist, though we’re sure you already knew that. One look at his Instagram and you immediately get a sense of who he is: strong, independent, kind, and caring, but not afraid to put trolls in their place when they need to be. We had so much fun getting to know a little bit more about him, his relationship with his boyfriend William, and how he came to star in one of the biggest TV shows of 2018. Take a look below to see what we mean…

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Feature Friday with Brian Patrick Flynn

Feature Friday with Brian Patrick Flynn

Happy Friday, y’all! Today’s FF is a special one, as it’s of one of our dear friends, Brian. He’s an interior designer, has designed multiple houses (and hosted a few shows) for HGTV, and is one hell of a friend. Seriously, he’ll do anything for his friends and he’s incredibly loyal. We had so much fun reading a little more about him (and seeing some of his gorgeous interiors) and we think you will, too. Take a look below to see what we mean…

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Feature Friday with Jackson Mullins and Dakota Wright

Feature Friday with Jackson Mullins and Dakota Wright

Happy Friday! Can you believe it’s already the middle of January? This week’s Feature Friday has such a fun engagement story (hint: it was broadcast on a national TV show) and we think you’ll find them as cute as we did. Take a look below to see what we mean…

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Feature Friday with Joseph D'Ambrosi

Feature Friday with Joseph D'Ambrosi

Happy Friday! We’re back with our very first Feature Friday of 2019 and we’re so excited to share Joe’s story with you. Not only is he an excellent writer, he is also incredibly insightful, sharing personal details of his coming out story and what it was like going through a breakup with his boyfriend of four years. We had so much fun getting to know Joseph, and we think you will, too. Take a look below to see what we mean…

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Feature Friday with Diego Patrimonio III

Feature Friday with Diego Patrimonio III

Happy Friday! Only a few more days until Christmas! This week’s Feature Friday is one of the most inspiring we’ve ever featured. Diego talks about growing up with disabilities, coming out to his father (and what made it actually pretty funny), and how he overcame being bullied throughout the years. We loved getting to know Diego and his backstory, and we think you will, too. Take a look below to see what we mean…

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Feature Friday with Hugh Black and Cody Prelec

Feature Friday with Hugh Black and Cody Prelec

Happy Friday, friends! This week’s Feature Friday is such a fun, loving story. You’ll get to know Hugh and Cody, two Air Force pilots who share how they make a long distance relationship work, the importance of “risk analysis” when coming out to people, and their experience as being an openly gay, married couple in the military. We had a blast learning about these two (plus, their pictures are so fun) and we think you will, too. Take a look below to see what we mean…

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Feature Friday with Arnold Ruelas

Feature Friday with Arnold Ruelas

Happy Friday! How has your week been? This week’s Feature Friday is local to us, right here in Chattanooga! We had so much fun learning about Arnold’s life and getting a peak into what makes him tick. We found ourselves touched & inspired by his story, like how his “Mexican, Catholic, macho” father reacted when Arnold came out to him, how he started his own business, and how he gives back to his community. We think you’ll enjoy getting to know him as much as we did. Take a look below…

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Feature Friday with Tyler Antrican

Feature Friday with Tyler Antrican

Happy Friday! What are you up to this weekend? This week’s Feature Friday is a real estate broker who lives with his husband and their foster children in Charlotte, NC. Tyler talks about why they chose foster-to-adopt, what made him decide to come out, and how he met his husband, Drake, all those years ago. We enjoyed getting to know Tyler, and hearing his story brightened up this dreary Friday morning for us. Take a look below to see what we mean…

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