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14 February 2008

OUT Profiles Gay Youth in Savannah

The new issue of OUT includes a bittersweet 10-page editorial on gay youth in Savannah, Georgia. It's also available as a slideshow at Out,com. Savannah is truly one of the most beautiful cities in this country (see: Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil) and the editorial also includes some of the city's exquisite architecture
The facade is misleading. "Despite all it's relative progressiveness—Savannah is home to two art schools, a Marc Jacobs boutique, and an American Apparel store—[photographer Danielle] Levitt found the city's response to cultural shifts in sexual identity a bit dated," the article explains. " 'I assumed that I could troll the streets or search the Internet and find an abundance of queer kids. I quickly realized that, in fact, tradition has a stronghold on its inhabitants, and that Savannah's process of coming out is a slow one.' "
Nineteen year-old Christian (l) and 17-year-old La-Shé are a couple. "When I moved here last month," Christian tells the magazine. "I gave up on hiding and decided to totally come out of the closet. Pretty much parents have accepted me, but my parents have no idea that I've come out like I have."
"I didn't come out until a couple of weeks before Christian moved here last month," La-Shé says. "He's my first boyfriend, even though I realized in seventh grade I was gay. My mom thinks my [homosexuality] is a phase and it's easier to be out at school than at home."

Rest here:Rod 2.0

Coming out gay in the South:Full Picture Essay here