interview with Britt East Author of A Gay Man's Guide To Life

A Gay Man’s Guide to Life is part personal growthand development manual, and part memoir.From the author: “I want to transmute the pain of my pastinto the food of future growth, and to be the family I neverhad to gay men all over the world, so we might challengeand inspire each other to seize our lives and be our bestselves. My greatest wish is that you ultimately use thesewords to lift others: your family, your friends, yourcoworkers, and your community—such that those who loveus might know us a little better, those who follow us mighthave it a little easier, and those that hate us might learn tofear us a little less.” Britt East gets real about gay racism.Britt admits that society often deems gay, white, cis men aswhite and male first, making them one of the mostprivileged social groups in the U.S. He says that gay, white, acknowledge that racism exists, cultivate a willingness to have scaryconversations about structural racism, advocate for POC, and meditate on the ways they haverejected POC (often under the guise of preference).  “Gay, but not that gay.” Britt believes that most homophobia is rooted in sexism. Gaymisogyny is real and it’s reflected when gay men seek out “manly” men while labeling others as“too gay” or “flamers”. Britt says that many gay men lie to themselves about how even thoughthey’re gay, they’re not that gay, modifying behavior to “pass” within straight society. Corporate bigotry still exists. Corporations are just collections of people, and people areimperfect. If a boardroom consists of only straight, white, cis men then the company lacksdiversity. But the reality is if there are not people of all races, genders, and sexual orientationsat all levels of our company, then corporate diversity is just lip service.   Author Bio BRITT EAST is an author and speaker who uses his experience, strength, and hope to challenge and inspire change-oriented gay men to get down to the business of improving their lives. With over two decades of personal growth and development experience in a variety of modalities, such as the 12 Steps, Nonviolent Communication, yoga, meditation, talk therapy, and the Hoffman Process, Britt is committed to building a personal practice of self-discovery that he can then share with gay men everywhere. He lives in Seattle with his husband and their crazy dog.    Website Twitter LinkedIn