Lee Bantle's David Inside Out: What Does Marriage Equality Mean to You?

David Inside Out by Lee Bantle was released in paperback last week. One of the additions to the book is a Question and Answer section with the author in the back of the book. To help promote the release, we'll be sharing some of these questions and answers - as well as giving you the chance to answer them too! Check out the book on Amazon here and even visit Lee Bantle on his website.

In the novel David Inside Out, David grew up before the Supreme Court declared same-sex marriage legal in all fifty states.  Though he was romantically drawn to boys, David never imagined that he could one day marry a man.  

How his world would have changed when the Obergefell decision came down!  The highest court in the land recognized the "equal dignity" of same-sex couples. David could now imagine a romantic life that included marriage.   His identity was affirmed. 

How did the Supreme Court decision embracing marriage equality affect you?

It would be great if this could be a forum where everyone of all stripes answered this question.  We're going to save all your posts in a 2017 time capsule. Write your answers for posterity. 

Living Beyond Tolerance Scholarship/Contest

I'm setting up a scholarship. It's a bit informal. We won't know the full amount (but the smallest it will be is $200) until the end of November of 2011. However, you can start applying TODAY (June 1 -End of November) and I'd really love to see people from all over getting involved. If you can't apply...spread the word. Regardless, there is something most of you can do (big or small) and I'd love to have more help.

To find out more about the scholarship, please go here and read up! It's called the "Living Beyond Tolerance" scholarship and is for those that identify as LGBT or an Ally. You must simply be working to make sure everyone is accepted and NOT just tolerated.

In honor of this scholarship and to raise more awareness for it, we're holding a contest for the months of June and July called LGBT BOOK SUMMER

To enter:

One must purchase an LGBT novel and send a photo of the book or receipt to the following email: lauren51990 AT aol DOT com

This will enter them to win a prize pack of LGBT-themed novels, including a signed copy of David Inside Out by Lee Bantle.

You can start sending in your entries in the form of a pic/receipt NOW until August 31 (EXTENDED)

Please spread the word about this giveaway and the scholarship. It would mean a lot. Help us make it a success. And if you wish to donate something for the November auctions, send an email here: lauren51990 AT aol DOT com

Basket Contents

(this will keep being updated during the next two months)

1. Signed copy of David Inside Out by Lee Bantle (donated by author)

2. My Invented Life by Lauren Bjorkman (donated by author)

3. A collection of books by Tom Dolby (donated by author)

4. Your choice of ONE of Julie Anne Peters' LGBT themed novels (donated by author)

5. Don't Let Me Go by J. H. Trumble (donated by author)

Blog Hop/Giveaway Details - Starts Tomorrow

David Inside Out Blog Hop

David Inside Out by Lee Bantle is the main premise of this blog hop. However, we wanted to make it fun and more interesting than some of the other "tours" that are just interviews and the like.

This one, instead, will have each stop of the tour posting a letter to one of their favorite authors. What does that have to do with DIO? Well, in the book, David and his best friend, Eddie, do the same thing...except their favorite authors are all romance writers and they actually mail them.

We aren't mailing ours, but they will be posted on the various blogs for you all to read and enjoy and at the same time...be entered to win a fun prize pack!

Everyone gets ONE point for EACH different letter they comment on. Plus, they get TWO points for EACH different blog they follow...if you already follow, that counts too. This blog (Let's Get Beyond Tolerance) counts too...so be sure to follow along for some extra points.

The tour starts tomorrow, which is when I will post the full Prize Pack, re-post details on how to enter, and I'll even post the blog host's link so you know where to go and when.

I wanted to have the full time filled up...but I'm afraid that didn't work out. So there will be random days where nobody is posting anything. HOWEVER, I thought it would be fun to have people entering the giveaway to post their own letters to an author if they happen to have blog.

If you do post your own letter, link back to THIS blog, and post the summary of David Inside Out (all in the same post) you will get THREE more points. This only counts for one blog you own and one letter you post, so don't post more than one.

Again, these details will be up tomorrow. I just wanted to let you know so you can start planning your letter or get ready to start HOPPING!

~Lauren


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Thoughts on...Don't Ask, Don't Tell

Do Not Own

Don't Ask, Don't Tell has finally been repealed. Its been a long time coming, and this will change the lives of many men and women. This doesn't mean things will be altogether better and there is still a long way to go...but it's a step. A small step, but a step, and that's the main thing. You can read this AOL article if you wish to know more about the details.  The following guest posts on the topic of this repeal have been written by our author co-founders, Catherine Ryan Hyde and Lee Bantle.

-Lauren

Do Not Own

Well, I think I'll be echoing the sentiments of a lot of people with what I have to say.

I think this is great, momentous, and deserves celebration. So long as we don't forget that we still haven't repealed the Defense of Marriage Act, or passed the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. And that by ending the ridiculous and discriminatory DADT, we have won a victory for the LGB community, but not for our T friends. Then again, we have to start somewhere. When the military doesn't fall apart, maybe people will calm down a little, or at least run short of excuses to discriminate. And maybe it will create a domino effect. I hope so.

I think it is lost on the conservative and homophobic realms of the straight community how much harm is caused by institutionalized prejudice. It's one thing if the bully down the block thinks it's wrong to be gay, but when it's your government, it's really daunting. Especially to young people, who are just discovering and (hopefully) accepting themselves, and who I would really like to see not killing themselves anymore.

So, one way or another, it's a good day for equality. It's just not the last of the good days we need to work for, win and celebrate.

-Catherine Ryan Hyde, author of Jumpstart the World
 
The repeal of don’t ask – don’t tell is a landmark shift. If you can be gay in the military, then you can be gay anywhere. No employer can justify discrimination based on sexual orientation if discrimination in the military is unlawful. We should soon see passage of a federal law barring discrimination based on sexual orientation. Let’s whoop and cheer and sing. We are truly going to ring in a new year!!!

-Lee Bantle, author of David Inside Out

Top Ten LGBT Books According to Lee Bantle

My Top Ten Favorite LGBT Books of All Time By Lee Bantle (Author of David Inside Out)

1) ANNIE ON MY MIND by Nancy Garden. This is a must read! If you want literature, if you want great writing, this book is for you. And if you’re a girl who thinks you might like other girls, this compelling love story will resonate. I aspire to write like Nancy Garden. She is lyrical and this novel is beautifully realized. Winner of many awards. Deservedly so.

2) REFLECTIONS OF A ROCK LOBSTER by Aaron Fricke. This book has faded and deserves revival. Nonfiction. Aaron took a boy to his prom. In 1980! Way before people were doing that. And then wrote the story. What guts! A pioneer. Fulfilling and historic, this memoir is another must read.

3) GIOVANNI’S ROOM by James Baldwin. Baldwin is a brilliant, intuitive writer and this is a classic. Bear in mind though that it was written in the 1950's and that being “homosexual” was far from accepted. That said, Baldwin broke new ground by taking on this theme and exploring erotic love between men.


4) BOYS LIKE US – A Collection edited by Patrick Merla. This compelling collection of coming out stories from gifted gay writers is evocative, moving, and marvelously entertaining. Edmund White, Andrew Holleran, Brad Gooch. There is nothing more revealing than a gay man’s exposition of this coming out experience. Don’t miss the astounding entry by Alan Gurangus.


5) BORROWED TIME by Paul Monette. This harrowing tale of the last 19 AIDS-wracked months of Monette’s lover is not for the faint of heart. I remember being overcome with despair as Monette’s powerful love and practical intervention are not enough to save the man who means more to him than life itself. Heartbreaking. An important historical document of the calamitous 1980’s.


6) DANCE ON MY GRAVE by Aidan Chambers. “If I die first you dance on my grave,” the young hero tells his new BF. This request gives life to a coming of age love story which is delightful and quirky. Adolescent love is captured in all its awkward, passionate glory. Written in 1982, this one has stood the test of time.


8) MAURICE by E.M. Forster. Forster is, of course, one of our literary lions. This tale of love between men was written deep in the past and, at the author’s request, published posthumously. So no punches were pulled. Taking on the class structure as well as societal disdain for gay love, there is no question what desires lay deep in Forster’s eloquent heart.


9) TALE OF TWO SUMMERS by Brian Sloan. A delicious summer read. This book keeps you hooked. Hilarious, sexy and surprising, it’s the story of two friends — Hal and Chuck (one straight and one gay) — apart for the summer, who keep in intimate contact through a blog. Hal’s tales with Henri (the French bad boy) will leave you panting for more.


10) WEETZIE BAT by Francesca Lia Block. Magical realism comes to gay LA. Anything by Block is a quick, fun, uplifting read. She gets it. There is depth. The perfect book for one of those sleepovers when you never go to sleep.


 
 
 
This post was written for and originally posted at Elisa Rolle's Livejournal. As a warning, she does write and focus on adult books and topics but all fall under the LGBT tag. The link I gave you brings you to Lee's post there, where Elisa gives you details and links for all of these books.  
 
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Official Launch Week + We Ask You, You Ask Us!

Photo Source

This week is the official launch of Let's Get Beyond Tolerance! Again, this was co-founded by myself (Lauren from Shooting Stars Mag), author Catherine Ryan Hyde, and author Lee Bantle. They are both fabulous and you should definitely check out their own LGBT themed and not themed books.

I hope to have some fun posts every day this week, but please forgive me if a day is missed due to school and other such fun activities. You'll find a variety of things this week that you can continue to see in the future: book reviews, author guest posts. book giveaways, movie reviews, concert reviews, and more. I've been saving up some reviews for this week so I really hope to get your feedback and see what you think. Be sure to look out for the announcement post this week as well...next week is going to be a really fun THEME week to continue along with our launch!

As for this very first OFFICIAL LAUNCH post, I want to know what you would like to see. If you have any questions that you'd like the authors or myself to answer, please leave them in the comment as well. If we get enough...we'll make a fun Ask Us! post and feel free to leave a question or comment anonymously if you aren't comfortable stating who you are. Of course, this isn't cause to bash or be mean...those comments will be deleted as soon as I notice them.

Now let's go: What Do You Want to See on Here? and What Questions Do You Have For Us?

Who Are We and What Is This?

Photo Source

Welcome to Let's Get Beyond Tolerance! Maybe you noticed already, but the title is based around the acronym LGBT: Lesbian, Gay, Bi, and Transgender (aka Let's Get Beyond Tolerance). The title was created by author Lee Bantle after I shared another LGBT title I'd come up with. I loved his much better and it became the official name of this blog.

So what is this blog?

It's an entertainment blog for Young Adults (and that simply means, we will focus on things that are appropriate for YA and up) with LGBT themes. I know there are other sites out there similar to this one for Adults...but none that I know of that is for the Young Adult set. So I figured...why not create one? Instead of complaining about the lack of something, I'd rather fill the void as best as I could.

So what's up with the Official Author thing on the side?

Well, I love Catherine Ryan Hyde and Lee Bantle's work, especially because they are filling the LGBT YA void in their own way. Therefore, they are the official authors of the site. Other books and authors will be featured and promoted...but these two will always have their work featured on this site and they will even contribute as well! You can expect to find their thoughts in guest posts, reviews, and perhaps even in questions for other people. Fun, right? Right! So go and click those links over there to buy their work if it interests you.  You gotta support and allow them to continue writing amazing books!

So what now?

Now you should-

1. Follow!

2. Spread the word for others to follow!

Super easy and we'd appreciate you very much if you did!! There won't be that many posts at the moment. You'll probably find some highlight posts and links in the sidebars as we continue setting everything up...but you want to follow now because we're planning a COMING OUT PARTY!

And that means?

We want to kick this blog off right with some fun interviews, guest posts, reviews, and of course...giveaways! But you need to start following and get others to follow as well so it can be the best party ever.  There will be all sorts of fun posts to come which will probably last for about a month...just so you can see the types of things we'll continue to do in the future. So it's worth it to follow and keep following!

Come Out With Us and Let's Get Beyond Tolerance.

Sincerely yours,

Lauren from Shooting Stars Mag