@1 So because a lesbian managed to get elected mayor, now there aren't any homophobes there? Gotcha.

Beautiful pieces, btw. Thanks for sharing Jen.

There are homophobes everywhere. Houston has over 2 million people- no need to paint them all with that brush.

The city has a bustling gay district and spectacular museums that put Seattle's to shame- it's not some remote outpost full of rubes waiting to lynch newspaper editors for getting gays in their religion.

@kitschnsync: I respectfully disagree. Texassholes are a particular breed, and particularly dangerous. The idea that Houston is as gay-friendly as Seattle is absurd.

Wow. That's really weird that leather would "look like skins". What's next... pork that tastes like pig?

I never said it was a gay-friendly as Seattle. But it does have a gigantic gay population, and it is thriving. Maybe you should visit Montrose sometime, Jen.

Rut-ro. I totally forgot to say "off the record" before saying that part about the religion editor being desperate for good stuff, didn't I? I meant desperate in a good way. And she gives art stories drop-dead gorgeous layouts -- huge images, double truck, the works.

Re the observations about Texas, while I have to agree that Seattle is much gay-friendlier than Houston, I also think our homophobes are generally less virulent than a lot of other places in Texas and certainly the South as a whole.

Still, I'm definitely excited that this is running in the Houston Belief (religion) section. I think that's where it has the biggest opportunity to challenge the most readers, although some of the comments on Towleroad, which also linked to the story, reminded me that the work is a tough sell for a lot of younger gay men who didn't live through the era that produced these works.

@5 -- they look like entire skins of animals -- full pelts of unknown beasts. Not just the small squares of cow hide that they are.

@Douglas! I feel bad! Desperate in a good way. And she doesn't read the Slog, right?

@5: I agree. What can I say?