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Mike Bennett: One of the Many Faces of AIDS

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By David Broughton | February 10th, 2012

“If you’re out in the world having sex and having unsafe sex this can happen to you. I don’t care who you are, you can get it,” commented Michael Bennett, a 47 year old survivor of HIV/AIDS who was diagnosed in 1989.

“I started receiving services from the AIDS Fund in 2000. The AIDS Fund is like family. I had issues with my medical provider and the AIDS Fund found me someone else to see,” commented Bennett.

Bennett grew up in the Tidewater area and attended Kempsville High School.

“I used to work as a bartender at the Oar House,” noted Bennet, referring to a gay bar that operated in Norfolk in the 1980’s. “Dick LaDonne owned the bar and was one of the founding members of TACT(also known as the AIDS Fund.) He used to make us participate in shows to raise money for the organization.”

Coming Out in Mid-Life After Marriage & Children

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By Michael Hamar

Recently, I reached the tenth anniversary of the day I first came out to my former wife. Prior to that date I had struggled for the better part of thirty-seven years trying to convince myself that what I knew in my heart about my sexual orientation was not really true. As part of that internal mental contortion process, I married and fathered three children and tried to be everything that church and society told me I should be. Over time, however, it all began to fall apart and I came to realize that I just could not continue to live my life as an actor on a stage. I had to do something about my situation and “come out” or kill myself. I chose the former, but not without flirtations with the latter along my journey.

Protect GLBT Virginians from discrimination

By: JAMES PARRISH | Op-Ed from Richmond Times-Dispatch | January 09, 2012

Gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) Virginians begin the year with renewed hope that an end to discrimination and real progress toward full equality are in sight. Virginians' support for protecting GLBT people from discrimination in the workplace continues to rise and now exceeds 80 percent across the board. A strong majority (59 percent) of Virginians are against allowing state-run agencies to prevent GLBT people from adopting. It is now clear that ending discrimination against GLBT Virginians is a mainstream objective. Those who continue to obstruct progress are on the wrong side of the issue politically and on the wrong side of history.

LGBT Home Buying for Couples

By Don King | January 6th, 2011

You’ve met that special someone; you’ve dated for a period of time; and perhaps you’ve even flown off to New York (or Iowa or DC) and married. You’re now ready to begin your new life here in Virginia together – congratulations!

Knowing that, here in the Old Dominion, your license isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on, nothing says commitment more than a shared 30 year mortgage! Add to that the investment and tax advantages of purchasing a home – not to mention the security and privacy of owning your own home and buying just makes good sense.

Purchasing real estate is actually a fairly straightforward business transaction. But as with most things in our world today, there are intricacies that can make the process daunting and perhaps even a bit frustrating. Add to this situation being part of a legally and socially marginalized group who must take extra precautions to protect their property rights and the process becomes that much more complex.

In Memoriam - A Year Later

By Michael Hamar | January 5th, 2012

A year ago today at approximately 2:20 PM I lost my wonderful mother. Not surprisingly, it will be a rough day today. I had lost my father in the fall of 2006 and at times I still find it hard to believe that they are both gone. They were certainly the glue that had held the family together and that void has yet to be filled. I have spoken often about how lucky I was compared to so many to have parents who never flinched from fully supporting me when I came out to them in August, 2002. Their love and constant affirmation are one of the things that helped me survive the often horrible coming out journey. In their honor - and in honor of Hampton Roads Business OutReach ("HRBOR") I used a not insignificant part of my inheritance to endow a scholarship through the Hampton Roads Community Foundation which is described as follows on the Foundation's website: