A Day in Gay America

Often lost in all the debates this year over same-sex marriage and "don't ask, don't tell" was the reality that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans are people--not a category. And what a wonderfully diverse people we are. For our second annual photo project we asked readers from across the United States to send us a photo taken on August 12. There were so many fantastic contributions we couldn't print them all here (keep watch on Advocate.com for many more). Each photo we received is both a stark reminder of our multiplicity and incontrovertible proof that we are everywhere -- from Alaska to Maine -- and deserve the right to live and love and celebrate ourselves as we choose.

5:57AM Queens, N.Y. (above left) Jon Winkleman, 44, waits for the 7 train in Sunnyside to head to his hospitality job in the city. "I'm not a morning person, but it is a beautiful view," he says. The photo was taken moments before sunrise.

6:06AM Orlando, FLA. (above right) Don Gworek, a Gay Games and Outgames marathoner, goes on his daily run.

7:28AM Missoula, Mont. (above left) Misty Gaubatz and her partner, Kamal Fox, say "good morning" to their hen, Nancy, who showed up in their backyard this spring.

7:50AM Montecito, Calif. (above right) Actor-writer Dan Bucatinsky and writer-director Don Roos enjoying the weekend with their kids. Married in 2008 but together for almost 19 years, Bucatinsky and Roos are cocreators, along with Lisa Kudrow, of the acclaimed series Web Therapy.

8:58AM Paintsville, Ky. (above left) Produce manager Scott Cantrell, 37, at his job at Food City. "My store is fairly open about gay employees," he says. "I am open and accepted in my store."

9:10AM Beverly Hills (above right) Actor-activist James Duke Mason, 19, son of singer Belinda Carlisle, enjoys breakfast at the Beverly Hills Hotel.

9:15AM Richland, Wash. (above left) Retired nuclear safety analyst Bill Adam, 58, treks through the Hanford Nuclear Reservation. Now a contractor, Adam is seen here conducting a radiological risk evaluation.

9:24AM Grand Rapids, Mich. (above right) LZ Granderson collects his thoughts in front of a green screen at WGVU before going on CNN Newsroom.

9:30AM Abita Springs, La. (above left) Anna Ball, a 30-year-old PhD. candidate, gets a morning smooch from her pet bird, Jaxon.

9:38AM Morehead City, N.C. (above right) Peter Tickle cares for his father, who has Lewy body dementia. "Every day I get Dad up and showered," Tickle says. "This is when I shave him, before the shower."

10:07AM Queens, N.Y. (above left) For a moment of Zen, Kenn Gaither tends to his garden before heading to work as a staffing and operations supervisor.

10:30AM Torrance, Calif. (above right) Interactive media planner Jan Gonzales, 26, enjoys his first of many cups of green tea for the day, right beside his Kylie Minogue desk shrine.

10:33AM Adirondack Mountains, N.Y. (above) Bold Strokes Books authors (from left) Carsen Taite, Greg Herren, Rachel Spangler, Karis Walsh, and Lisa Girolami hike the Beaver Pond trail during a writers retreat.

10:59AM San Diego (above) Steve Price builds sand castles at the beach with his 14-month-old daughter, Olivia.

11:07AM San Francisco (above) Martin Rawlings-Fein, a 33-year-old transgender bisexual Jewish man, prays on his balcony during the Shacharit service.

11:35AM Over Northern California (above left) Lt. Col. Michael Butler flies a USAF KC-10 Extender during a training mission.

11:45AM Miami Beach, Fla. (above right) Model and artist Daniel Miagany, 32, jumps rope at Sobekick Gym as part of his daily workout routine.

12:15PM Corona, Calif. (above left) Lee Loyola and wife Ko on a surprise zip-lining date. "She never experienced this before, so I thought this would be a great date!" Loyola says.

12:21PM Raleigh, N.C. (above right) Kathy Bundy (left) and Jill Kidd (right) have hot dogs for lunch with Kathy's mother, Nancy Bundy, at her senior living community. The lunch is for a fund-raising event for Alzheimer's disease.

12:30PM Springfield, Ohio (above left) Erin Cole (left) enjoys a day at the C.J. Brown Reservoir with Dylan.

12:34PM New York City (above right) Former Ali Forney Center client Terrence Robertson, 18, now acts as a peer outreach intern helping homeless LGBT youth.

1:10PM Los Angeles Actor (above left) George Takei attends a meeting at the Japanese American National Museum, where he is a member of the board of trustees.

1:15PM Palm Springs, Calif. POWER UP's Casey Martin spends some quality time in the sun as Alicia Burke swims around with Jack Jack Thrasher.

1:17PM Hollywood (above) LGBT elders get creative at the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center's weekly art class for seniors.

1:23PM Alameda, Calif. (above left) Teacher Fran Roccaforte enjoys a dog day afternoon in the park with her dog, Callie, and Callie's beau, Scooter.

1:30PM Idyllwild, Calif. (above right) Jim Hill (left) and husband Gary Felgemaker with their beagle, Patches, take shade during a sunny day.

1:34PM Kenosha, Wis. (above left) Stephanie Schroeder (front, right) and three former classmates from Mary D. Bradford High School, class of 1981, dine with their girlfriends at local eatery, Mangia, for a "lezzie power lunch."

2:05PM Fresno, Calif. (above right) Volunteer Jaymi Morgan sorts DVDs donated for the Fresno LGBT Community Center's media lending library. The conservative city had been without an LGBT center for decades until the new center opened in January 2011.

2:12PM Washington, D.C. (above left) Physician assistant Barbara Lewis examines a patient at Whitman-Walker Health, a Washington, D.C., community health center for LGBT patients and people living with HIV. Lewis has been a volunteer or employee at Whitman-Walker for 30 years.

2:15PM San Francisco (above right) While the Giants are away, George Birimisa spends an afternoon near AT&T Park. "On a game day, I have to be very careful to avoid the crowds of beer-drinking revelers, who may fall into my scooter as I run errands," the Pittsburgh Pirates fan says.

2:30PM Chicago (above left) Seattle couple Jarred Lathrop and Patrick Carr trade gloomy weather for sunny skies as they peer into the Cloud Gate sculpture in Chicago's Millennium Park.

2:34PM Madison, Wis. (above right) Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin speaks with a staffer.

3:13PM Walloon Lake, Wis. (above left) Jeff Wood shares a quiet moment with his English sheepdog, Trixie, the day before she is put to sleep.

3:15PM San Francisco (above right) Graphic designer Leigh McLellan (right) and friend Georgette hop on a vintage Italian streetcar on Market Street.

3:53PM Des Plaines, Ill. (above left) Attorney Timothy Reuter reads to his son Zeke, who loves trains, at the local library. "We found this book that made the 'chug-a-chug' sound," he says.

4:00PM Des Moines (above right) Presidential candidate Fred Karger demonstrates his roasting skills at the Iowa State Fair.

4:04PM Carrboro, N.C. (above left) Biological Sales specialist Lauren with daughter Ariel and Lauren's partner, Angela, getting ready for a ride.

4:20PM New York City (above right) Canadians Ian Mahaffy (right) and Peter Locker wed in Central Park surrounded by happy onlookers. "When the minister announced we were husbands, the entire park exploded with applause," they said.

4:24PM Manistee National Forest, Mich. (above left) Lesbian author Kim Baldwin cruises through the north woods of Michigan in the dreamy '75 Porsche 914 she inherited from her dad. "It's guaranteed to get the creative juices flowing," she says.

4:35PM Washington, D.C. (above right) Jay Price aboard the Temptress with his dog. "A man's best friend, who shows unconditional love without judgment," he says. "Oh, what we could learn from our pets in how to treat other people."

4:45PM Oklahoma City (above) Postal carrier David Frizzell (left) and HIV prevention case manager Chuck Longacre come home after a long day at work.

5:00PM Taos, N.M. (above) Famed choreographer and dancer Bill T. Jones relaxes at his vacation home, "Woodbox," his retreat along a mesa in northern New Mexico.

5:07PM New York City(above) Drag impresario and actress Sherry Vine shoots a commercial parody for the new here! TV show She's Living for This along the Hudson River, with model-actor Ronnie Kroell.

5:10PM Los AngelesMusic executive John Miraglia lets loose after a week of work at Bug Music.

5:35PM ClevelandLaurie (right) and Betsy Campbell with Henry, 5, and twins Hannah and Finn at a friend's housewarming party. Says Laurie: "This picture--the laughter, the silliness, and the spontaneity--is a true representation of our beautiful gay family."

5:38PM Jersey City, N.J.Steven Walsh, 24, waits for a call from his partner of two years on their anniversary. "We're in a bit of a rough patch right now," he says. "I know he cares for me, but I wish he would just wish me a happy anniversary, since we live 300 miles apart."

6:11PM New Egypt, N.J.George Destories is joined in his backyard pool by his dog, Jake. Destories's partner, Patrick Mackin, says, "Jake could not wait to get close to [George] when he got in the pool."

6:20PM Grand Canyon, Ariz.(above left) Julio Rocha sets up his tent on the edge of a plateau after a nine-mile hike around the backcountry of the Grand Canyon.

6:40PM Greenbelt, Md.(above right) Lori (left) and Sarah Libes play with their 2-year-old son, Miles, after dinner. "We're hoping he will wear himself out before bedtime," Lori says.

6:59PM East Hampton, N.Y.(above left) John Feinblatt (right), chief policy adviser to New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, and his husband, New York City consumer affairs commissioner Jonathan Mintz, with their two daughters.

7:01PM Somerville, Mass.(above right) Jonathan Hinkle (right) is moving to Ithaca, N.Y., with his boyfriend, John McDonald, who is gearing up to work on his Ph.D. at Cornell University.

7:13PM Charlotte, N.C.(above left) Activist Loan Tran spends a quiet moment in a newly decorated bedroom. "It's much cozier now, because I can look over and see all of the stuff I'm fond of," Tran says.

7:15PM Boston (above right) Every year, Stephanie (right) and Melanie go to Boston's Shakespeare on the Park festival. This year's show was All's Well That Ends Well.

7:20PM Milwaukee (above left) Daniel Schmidt and Mark Berry, partners for 17 years, married for three, enjoy cocktails and dinner outside at one of their favorite restaurants.

7:30PM Lincoln, Neb.(above right) Amanda Bergeron-Bauer receives her master's degree with her wife and son by her side. "I couldn't have earned either degree without her love and support," she says.

8:01PM Glendale, N.Y.(above) Nicole Rivera spends the evening at the mall with her family after dinner.

8:10PM Detroit(above left) Student Chase Stein comes home after a busy day as a GLSEN National Student Media Ambassador in order to watch the sun set.

8:15PM Los Angeles(above right) Blogger Perez Hilton prepares to dominate the pins at Lucky Strike bowling alley.

9:00PM Palm Springs, Calif.(above left) Comedian Shann Carr (right) and friends toast another Friday night in the pool.

9:30PM Long Beach, Calif.(above right) Kevin Johnson (right) and his partner, Kevin (or "Kevin Squared"), take an after-dinner stroll by Bluff Park. "This was taken one month shy of our two-year anniversary," he says. "That's like forever in gay years, ain't it?"

9:39PM Nashville(above left) New Yorker Nicholas DiDomizio is spending the summer in Nashville to write music. Here, he clips coupons with his roommate Susan (not pictured). "In these recessional times, this activity should not be underestimated," he says.

10:56PM Spokane, Wash.(above center) Christina Mitma (right) and her partner brush their teeth together before slipping into bed.

11:50PM San Francisco(above right) (from left) Glenn, Chris, and Andre attempt to interpret an ambiguous text message received during a late night out with friends.