StoryCorps: “I got in the most trouble I think I ever had in my entire life.”
Derrick: When I was younger, I remember I was on the playground and I kissed a boy. It wasn’t like anything sexualized or anything like that, but I got in the most trouble I think I ever had in my entire life. I had no perception of what bisexuality was, but I guess that was when I would first say I explored it.
My parents were very religious and kind of did bring this heavy-handed Leviticus kind of message, but at the time they didn’t know I identified as anything. LGBTQ individuals were associated, especially men with AIDS, and pedophilia, and … it was a scary thing. That was probably the first time I ever was told the law of the land: This is bad; do not be this.
I had a friend that went to my religious institution, and we would get along and stuff like that, and it was like you guys can hug, you guys don’t fight, but don’t get too close now. There was this obviously when you crossed the line. I always found that weird because there was just this limitation given on your ability to show affection to your fellowman. The ironic thing is they sexualized actions that were not sexual in any nature. It could be as simple as we hugged. It was suddenly turned into this sick thing, and I was constantly reminded with examples from the Hebrew Bible about how God punishes the earth for this and this and this, which always struck me as funny because he never did the same thing for people that were gluttonous or cruel or wrathful.
Fire-making materials at 400,000-year-old site are the oldest evidence of humans making fire
Archaeologists in Britain say they've found the earliest evidence of humans making fires anywhere in the world. The discovery moves our understanding of when humans started making fire back by 350,000 years.
Trump calls affordability crisis a “hoax,” touts the economy ahead of midterms
As Democrats campaigning on affordability pick up wins, Trump's messaging about a strong economy is at odds with widespread voter sentiment that he's not doing enough to tackle rising costs.
Senate to vote on dueling health care proposals as ACA premium hikes loom
The Senate is set to vote on dueling health care proposals. Both plans are likely to fail, even as Affordable Care Act premiums are set to skyrocket at the end of the year.
This refugee’s family faced persecution in Bhutan. Now, he could be deported there
Mohan Karki's family and others with Nepali ancestry were persecuted and driven out of Bhutan in the 1990s. Karki himself was born in a refugee camp in nearby Nepal. Yet, the U.S. government claims he is a Bhutanese citizen and seeks to deport him there.
Will U.S. military strikes slow drug overdose deaths? Experts say no
President Trump says U.S. strikes on supposed drug-smuggling boats will save Americans from overdose deaths. But most experts worry the strategy is counterproductive.
The best albums of 2025
If there’s one question that professional music lovers hear most often, it’s some variation on: “Heard any good albums lately?” We always have, of course, but when it came time […]
