This show is based on the book Flirting with the Lavender Lane by Trystan Mickel Windemier. It follows the lives of Tyler and Andrew as they fall in love and develop a relationship.
Welcome to this edition of Newsgram
Today we take a look at the often tortured and tumultuous lives of Tyler and Andrew, who goes by the nickname Aiden but that’s not important right now — what is, is their relationship. Buckle up friends because this edition of Newsgram is about their lives and their love for one another. It is a same-sex love affair between two God fearing men. Yes there is religion and same-sex love. If these ideas make you uncomfortable you should also know that there is nothing overly sexual about today’s show. It’s simply a look at two men who fall in love and the drama that is their life. Tyler grew up trying to hide his sexuality while Andrew didn’t so he grew up being abused for it.
Trystan: They are from different parts of Illinois. Tyler is from Gurnee, Illinois and Andrew is from down further in Illinois down closer to the Capitol.
That is Trystan Michel Windemier, author of a new book Flirting with the Lavender Lane and while giving us a bit of background on his main characters he is also addressing our first interesting stereotype – at least to me growing up in Chicago. Is Illinois more liberal than California? It’s definitely one of the most Democratic states but when you think of gay rights most people go straight to California – but I digress.
Tyler is from Gurnee, Illinois, a town just south of the Wisconsin border famous for being the home of Six Flags Great America. Andrew is from downstate near Springfield and they both grew up in the land of Lincoln where, at least we hope, a place where it’s unfair to judge people based on their sexual preference — a place like many others where “all men are created equal”, because an important theme in this book is that homosexuals are people too, and their issues are important.
Trystan: There’s those conflicts going on around about how people discriminate and argue and nitpick and treat each other because of the Homosexual issue.
He likes to point out that many gay men do not fit the mode of bed hopping horny toads (his words not mine) — dispelling another stereotype. This book is important because it does force you to set aside your stereotypes and look at these characters as men just trying to live their lives the best way they can with a church that isn’t quite ready for their openly gay relationship.
Trystan: The book is the first in a series so this particular book doesn’t resolve all issues but it does make some point about God creating everything and everyone including Homosexuals and the church has been rejecting people they should be opening their arms to and loving not hating. I think over the years the church has literally developed a phobia, a hatred toward homosexuals that is wrong.
What would Jesus do, indeed. According to Trystan, the church is failing in its mission to reach everyone and bring them closer to Christ but that is just an underlying theme. The book is primarily a love story and — hold onto your hat — it does get steamy.
Trystan: It is gritty. It’s down to earth and it’s not totally scripted but it’s descriptive enough that you know what’s going on so you had to be prepared when you start reading it and know that so that you don’t all of a sudden run into something and go ph my gosh I’m reading pornography or something. It’s just letting you know what’s happening and then it’s moving on.
For example there’s a scene where Andrew is dancing on stage in a nightclub and a group of men want to hire him for a private session. When he declines they try to force themselves onto him.
Trystan: He almost get’s gang raped. Scenes like that there’s not a lot of debate about whether or not homosexuality is right or wrong or whatever, clearly rape is wrong whether it’s homosexual or heterosexual.
He does like to juxtapose the ideas of morality and religion into the average lives of two gay men. Well, I say average but Andrew’s experience as a gay waiter/prostitute working in the Flamingo Lounge are not exactly average. On the other hand Tyler is pretty ordinary, but he is sexually naive and that brings another element of danger.
Trystan: I believe in hell and I believe there will be people who go there yes but I don’t think your sexual orientation is gonna be one of the deciding factors.
Right, If you’re an abusive, hateful heterosexual you might be just as likely to find yourself with a one way ticket down.
Trystan: Well I hope that gradually our churches will come to an understanding that homosexuality is the same as heterosexual relationships and are governed by the same rules in the bible and both are acceptable to God.
Time will tell on that.
Trystan: I get frustrated just listening to the different pastors talk about homosexuality when I know that they’re skipping this point, they’re skipping that point. They’re ignoring these facts and they’re coming to this conclusion which is not stated in the bible so that would be a major theme in the book.
So for now, set aside your feelings of religion and morality and just enjoy the evolution of the deep love between Tyler and Andrew.
The book is called Flirting with the Lavender Lane by Trystan Mickel Windemier and you get it at all the usual places like Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com and that will do it for this edition of Newsgram from Webtalkradio.com.
Listen to an interview with the author on the Books on Air podcast hosted by Sloan Fremont.