"Our cultural balance is ideal, to say the least. I'm East Indian, born in New Delhi, and always aim to strike a balance with the best of both Indian and American culture. I'm a Sikh, but more spiritual than religious. Paul is also very spiritual; we can pray to God together." -- Harnik and Paul, Seattle, Washington<br /><br />The images are from "Gay in America" by Scott Pasfield, published by Welcome Books last year.
Scott Pasfield's 'Gay in America' —
"Our cultural balance is ideal, to say the least. I'm East Indian, born in New Delhi, and always aim to strike a balance with the best of both Indian and American culture. I'm a Sikh, but more spiritual than religious. Paul is also very spiritual; we can pray to God together." -- Harnik and Paul, Seattle, Washington

The images are from "Gay in America" by Scott Pasfield, published by Welcome Books last year.
<strong>"</strong>My father had enough. He put me in boxing classes and told me to stop being so passive. I spent the whole summer learning to defend myself. On the first day of tenth grade I got in a fight and made an example of the kid. If anyone insulted me I would curse them out so bad that they'd never want to utter another word to me. I became a bit of a bad ass, but I was happy because people stopped bullying me and started looking up to me." -- Jakoury, Chester, Virginia
Scott Pasfield's 'Gay in America' —
"My father had enough. He put me in boxing classes and told me to stop being so passive. I spent the whole summer learning to defend myself. On the first day of tenth grade I got in a fight and made an example of the kid. If anyone insulted me I would curse them out so bad that they'd never want to utter another word to me. I became a bit of a bad ass, but I was happy because people stopped bullying me and started looking up to me." -- Jakoury, Chester, Virginia
"The discussion of marriage has been tossed around on numerous occasions, but since it's not yet a legal option in Georgia, instead of adorning shiny bands of commitment, we share personalized military dog tags around our necks to symbolically represent our union." -- Rob and Keith, Atlanta, Georgia
Scott Pasfield's 'Gay in America' —
"The discussion of marriage has been tossed around on numerous occasions, but since it's not yet a legal option in Georgia, instead of adorning shiny bands of commitment, we share personalized military dog tags around our necks to symbolically represent our union." -- Rob and Keith, Atlanta, Georgia
"Our life's hope is that we touch people's lives in a way that they might reach acceptance and understanding of the reality of being a gay man, and realize that embracing diversity really is fine." -- Nile and Jim, Palm Springs, California
Scott Pasfield's 'Gay in America' —
"Our life's hope is that we touch people's lives in a way that they might reach acceptance and understanding of the reality of being a gay man, and realize that embracing diversity really is fine." -- Nile and Jim, Palm Springs, California
"Cameron and I were always very close; he never had any hang-ups about my sexuality. When he was diagnosed with brain cancer, it was devastating for me. He fought it for over two years. After exhausting all conventional means of treatment, we tried Eastern medicine, traditional Chinese and Ayurveda, to help his body cure itself, but ultimately nothing could save him." -- Henry and Scott, Minneapolis, Minnesota, with Henry's son Cameron, center
Scott Pasfield's 'Gay in America' —
"Cameron and I were always very close; he never had any hang-ups about my sexuality. When he was diagnosed with brain cancer, it was devastating for me. He fought it for over two years. After exhausting all conventional means of treatment, we tried Eastern medicine, traditional Chinese and Ayurveda, to help his body cure itself, but ultimately nothing could save him." -- Henry and Scott, Minneapolis, Minnesota, with Henry's son Cameron, center
"I've lived in Ohio since I was 14, and have been out and proud since I was 18. I'm 44 and a sober alcoholic. My partner Jonathan and I have been together 21 years. We have three boys with a lesbian couple from Columbus—6-year-old twins and a 10 year old. My partner Jonathan is the biological father of the twins." -- Jonathan and Paul, Columbus, Ohio
Scott Pasfield's 'Gay in America' —
"I've lived in Ohio since I was 14, and have been out and proud since I was 18. I'm 44 and a sober alcoholic. My partner Jonathan and I have been together 21 years. We have three boys with a lesbian couple from Columbus—6-year-old twins and a 10 year old. My partner Jonathan is the biological father of the twins." -- Jonathan and Paul, Columbus, Ohio
"Knowing I was gay but vowing to keep it a secret when I entered West Point about 3,000 miles away, I suppose you could say I was a bit nervous. But after watching the Steven Spielberg film 'Saving Private Ryan' I was encouraged by the military ethos of teamwork, sacrifice, and selfless service. From our first moments at the military academy we took the Cadet Honor Code to heart: 'You will not lie or tolerate lying.'" -- Dan, Cambridge, Massachusetts <br /><br />The images are from "Gay in America" by Scott Pasfield, published by Welcome Books last year.
Scott Pasfield's 'Gay in America' —
"Knowing I was gay but vowing to keep it a secret when I entered West Point about 3,000 miles away, I suppose you could say I was a bit nervous. But after watching the Steven Spielberg film 'Saving Private Ryan' I was encouraged by the military ethos of teamwork, sacrifice, and selfless service. From our first moments at the military academy we took the Cadet Honor Code to heart: 'You will not lie or tolerate lying.'" -- Dan, Cambridge, Massachusetts

The images are from "Gay in America" by Scott Pasfield, published by Welcome Books last year.