Before the week got away from me, I started to link the following:

The Washington Post has published two parts of a four part series called Young and Gay in Real America.

Part I: In the Bible Belt, Acceptance is Hard-Won

Part II: A Slow Journey From Isolation

Transcript of an on-line q&a with Ann Hull -- she was the reporter who wrote these articles.

These two stories are about a young man growing up gay in eastern Oklahoma (Tulsa area). The mother is very concerned about her son's salvation, but she is also worried about his physical well being. She told the reporter Ann Hull that they lived in the Bible belt. When the reporter asked her what she meant, the mom directly linked her fear of how her son will be treated with the fact that folks in their part of the world have very strong religious feelings about gay people and that could lead to violence.

The next two articles will appear Sunday and Monday, about a young lesbian growing up in the northeast.