Another State

This is a tale of sexual coming-of-age and acceptance of one's sexuality. I describe my long battle with homosexual feelings, which began when an elementary-school classmate approached me for sex. Although I dated many girls in high school and was even briefly engaged to a woman, I couldn't ignore or deny my true feelings. Soon after breaking off the engagement, I became involved with a series of men, and I have detailed my relationships with them. There was DeMarco, the alluring Latino coworker; Ovais, the Saudi college student; David, the attractive young man with whom I was stuck in an abusive relationship; and James, who introduced me to crystal meth. Each of those men exploited or hurt me. In addition to that pain, I had to deal with sexual harassment and discrimination at work during those times. Ultimately, I formed my resolve to be dedicated to stopping myself from making harmful decisions, as those only result in stealing from myself. All my experiences are recounted in a terse, short-story, matter-of-fact fashion, which heightens the poignancy of this book. Another State: Let Him That Stole, Steal No More! may be of particular interest to readers who have experienced similar things. In addition, my tales of survival may inspire other readers too.