Page 1 / 2 / 3 - Home

AE: What is the most pressing issue in the gay community to you?
ELH: One of the things that bothers me and hopefully I will write about is the level of disrespect that we show each other. I'm currently writing a character in his 40's who is trying to date. He's looking for a long term relationship, so I looked at all these boards on the internet. The stuff people write! No fats, no femmes, no whites, no queens. It's mean spirited! And I think we've always treated each other that way. I don't know if it's the same in the white community. I just wish I could go shake them. Get over yourself!

AE: Are you in a long term relationship?
ELH: No. But I am dating someone. It's interesting because the person is not out. And we're not exclusive yet. It may be going there. I'm very comfortable with him. He's involved in sports, so I don't try to make him someone he's not.

AE: What are you working on now?
ELH: Well, I'm working on this novella about the guy having to get into the dating scene. And I just finished my first novel that is non-gay. There's a gay character, but it's not about his sexuality. It's a mothers and sons book. And I got it from a lot of straight friends.

AE: Is it easier or harder writing a non-gay story?
ELH: Harder.

AE: How do you stay on top of the gay/African-American pulse?
ELH: With friends. The internet. Just reading. My college students. I've learned a lot by being a college professor. It's interesting. A lot of the kids thought I was their peer. They'd confide in me more.

AE: But you're still writing for yourself, right? Not for the “masses”?
ELH: I'm such a non-marketing kind of person. If I wanted to be John Grisham, I would figure out his magic and duplicate it. I'm interested in writing stories. I don't care how much they sell.

AE: Where is home for you these days?
ELH: In Atlanta, Houston, and Arkansas. In Atlanta is the big home I built with my ex. The relationship ended before house was finished, but I stayed there. It gets lonely. In Houston, I have a condo where my godson who is almost six stays. I'm the male figure in his life. I'm there for him for school, swimming, gymnastics, baseball.  To provide stability. And Arkansas is where I teach.

AE: Are you involved in the gay communities there?
ELH: No. I speak at a lot of the colleges. I'm mostly asked to speak about my writing, not being gay. I'm not a club person. That's why I get so burnt up with the gay lifestyle. My person now, if you were outside looking in, you'd view him and our life as straight. And I hate using the term straight because it's what society views as normal. It's interesting--my gay students act differently toward me than football players. Gay students have a look but don't touch iconic feel toward me. The football players are the ones who say “What's going on?” They'll come over if I'm by myself and sit down… I've seen gay students go the other way. They put me in another category.

AE: What are your summer plans?
ELH: My biggest summer plan is cheer camp. I'm one of the cheer coaches. This is my last year as a teacher, and the kids have always wanted me to go to cheer camp. And I always find a way out of it. But they begged me, so I'll be out there in the hot sun in the morning.

Here's a funny story. A friend of mine and I were talking on the phone. I looked at my watch and said, “I'm late. I got to go to cheerleading practice!” They said, “I bet you never thought you'd be saying that in your lifetime.” That's true. But it keeps me young and excited about life. Even if I'm living it through the eyes of other people, I enjoy it.

AE: You're a big sports fan though, right?
ELH: I really like sports. I wanted to be a sports writer. I actually did get to write for Sports Illustrated. It was something I'd dreamed of. I decided not to be a sports writer early on because I thought being gay would be a hindrance. It would have been a distraction, to me, especially if I was out. And I'd be out now no matter what I'd be doing. I'd be out. I like living an authentic life, an honest life.

Page 1 / 2 / 3 - Home