Hopefully I can get married to a man.īeing gay, that’s the easy part. My mom knew, and that’s all that mattered. So once I had her approval, being gay became easier because I didn’t care what others thought anymore.
… But the hardest thing about coming out was telling my mom. I had gay tendencies but I was a funny, so I always had everyone laughing. It really bothered me, though, because before I came out I was cool with everyone. Because I was more than just gay or a faggie. When people called me names like gay or faggie, I used to be so sad. But I couldn’t keep hiding who I was anymore. It was very hard because I didn’t know if I would be accepted by my family, how friends would feel. When I turned 16 I accepted myself as being gay. Because there’s nothing like the support of your dad. Growing up gay and without a father was very hard for me. … My dad died when I was two years old and my stepfather was sent to prison when I was seven so my mom did her best at raising me. I guess I got tired of hiding who I really wanted to be. I was living a dream that everybody wanted me to live. Before I came out, I was the captain of the football team. I had to hide it, because people expected me to be who I wasn’t. I’m the first openly gay person in my family. When you’re staying in a rough neighborhood, you always gotta keep your guard up.
I’m in the Spartan Legion Marching Band at Norfolk State as a Spartan Guard and I’m also involved in the LGBT organization “Legasi” at Norfolk State. I’m a 23-year-old college student at Norfolk State University and Tidewater Community College.
My name is Tavaris “Teddy Ebony” Edwards and I’m a gay black man. The following piece is by Edwards, along with excerpts from interviews by Gannaway. Today he’s attending college part-time and hoping to better his life. Teddy is young gay man living in Chesapeake, Virginia, who came out at 16 years old and dropped out of school. Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Preston Gannaway began documenting the life of Tavaris “Teddy Ebony” Edwards when they met during Pride week at Norfolk State University last year.