Gay delta

As a freelance writer, if you’re passionate about an idea and want a story to come to life, you’ll see it through to the terminate. That’s what happened with my piece about the Delta gays, a journey and culture essay that published for USA Today last week (by way of The Washington Post). But it took eight months. Here’s how it happened along with the full, unabridged story below.

I wasn’t really planning on writing it.

This all originated from a tongue-in-cheek retweet that included a Grindr screenshot (for the unaware, Grindr is primarily a hookup app for gay men). My editor for The Washington Post at the day saw the tweet and was interested in what I had to tell.

In October, the story was greenlit by my editor. From there, I started researching, writing, and interviewing sources. And while The Washington Post decided to pass on my narrative a month later, I didn’t want to just give up on finding it a residence.

There are two takeaways from this:

1. A niche topic can still be worthy of a story; gay men obsessed with Delta were prevalent in my social circles (and adjacent social circles) for years. But a story for a major publication? It neve
   
   

   Saving Lives with Understanding,
   Caring and Inclusivity

   Our Mission

    

   Delta Pride is an organization whose purpose is to enrich the lives of those who detect as LGBTQIA2S+ and to aid in a safer environment.   

   Our vision is to promote equality within the community.  Creating a secure place to nurture the development of LGBTQIA2S+ youth and their families.  Providing resources for the LGBTQIA2S+ community in a rural area can be difficult.  With education and support, we can change the minds of those around us.   

   Values

   • Providing a protected environment to educate the public.

   • Assembling resources for Queer mental and physical health in a rural area.

   • Inclusiveness within the community.

   Our Story
   
   Delta Pride was founded by Xavier Saenz. A transgender male who was born and raised in Delta Colorado.  As a youth not understanding why he felt different than those he was categorized with, Xavier vowed to build Delta a finer safer place for youth like himself. In 2013 Delta Pride put on the first Movement Day in Delta County. Delta Event has been growing and changing perspectives in a harmonious non-violent way an
   

   LGBTQ+ Resources

   The Association of LGBTQ Journalists Scholarships
   NLGJA offers both awards for excellent journalism and scholarships for communications students.
   www.nlgja.org/scholarships
   

   Colin Higgins Foundation Youth Courage Awards
   For LGBTQ+ individuals who have “transformed their experiences with bigotry” into positive action, this award includes $10,000 and a paid trip to a major conference.
   colinhiggins.org/yca
   

   Gamma Mu Foundation
   Offering funds and scholarships to the Homosexual community, especially those in rural areas, this charitable nonprofit also offers other kinds of conduct services.
   gammamufoundation.org
   

   Great Lakes Bay Pride Scholarship
   Great Lakes Bay Pride (formerly Perceptions) is the resource, education, representation, and networking corporation serving the Diverse and ally collective throughout Michigan’s Excellent Lakes Bay Region. The scholarship will be awarded to a Michigan resident who has demonstrated a passion for promoting mutual respect and acceptance for all through engag
   

   Who are the Delta gays? How the airline became a haven for the LGBTQ community.

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   Chris Dong |  Special to USA TODAY

   When Ben Baxter listens to Viola Davis’ deep yet melodic voice – one that extols the benefits of seeing the world on Delta – he can’t assist but be mesmerized. Davis, the iconic Academy Award-winning actress, has been a voice for Delta’s ads on and off since 2017. 

   “Gay men have an acute sense of identifying and latching onto ‘star quality,’ and that is also so palpable once you set foot on a Delta plane,” Baxter told me. 

   Then, there’s Ryan Scheb, a Fresh York City-based teacher who popped the question to his now-fiance, Phil Tuzynski, inside the LaGuardia Delta Sky Club. 

   “I've always loved Delta; my first flight was on the airline back in 1995, and I just thoughtful of always found them to be a step above,” Scheb said. 

   Baxter and Scheb belong to a group known as the “Delta gays,” as I contact them. They are a fiercely loyal and very vocal contingent, especially on social media. For years while living in Unused York and now, Los Angeles, I observed – both in person and online – how Delta became the favored airline in the circles of queer , male-identifying (and