Outsmart Magazine – Houston’s LGBTQ Magazine published a piece about the ManKind Project’s New Warrior Training Adventure GBTQ Gateway and its impact on men.
Thanks to Cameron Wallace for this write-up, and to the many men who shared testimonials about the ManKind Project.
Here is the the article!
Gay Houstonians Say ManKind Project Helped Them Conquer Internalized Homophobia
Excerpt:
Tony Gray of Houston, another graduate of the program, grew up in a staunchly Catholic household and had few healthy relationships with straight men during his childhood. As a result, he developed a distrust of men, which made forming relationships difficult. Like Jones, Gray was attracted to the ManKind Project after attending friends’ graduation ceremonies.Gray signed up for a traditional Training Adventure, not knowing what to expect. Going in, he was extremely nervous, but he discovered that his biggest fear had been what he would discover about himself. Through the ManKind Project, Gray eventually found his husband.
“One of the greatest things I got from the retreat was unconditional acceptance by straight men—something I had never found in my life before,” Gray says. “I walked away with a whole new set of very close friends. They knew I was gay and they were accepting me just as I was accepting them, and I had never in my life up to that point experienced such acceptance from straight men.”
Eddie Robinson of Houston, who will also help staff the GBTQ Getaway in November, says his Training Adventure empowered him to be proud about coming out in both his personal and professional lives.
“For so long, going through life as gay men, we’ve had to hide,” Robinson says. “We’ve had to hide our true feelings in order to participate in something, in order to take part in a conversation, to love the person we really want to be with, but going through MKP has really offered a sense of courage and fulfillment for me.”