Tag Archives: suicide

On Suicide Prevention Day

Posted on September 10, 2019 by Callen Harty

Trigger Warning: This post talks about suicide/ideation, child sex abuse, and depression. Please take care of yourself. If there is one thing in my life that I failed at that I’m happy about it’s suicide. When I was younger I … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged attempts, better, child sex abuse, depression, drug overdoes, drunk, heart, humor, Invisible Boy, love, meaningful life, pain, paranoia, peace, pills, razor blade, self-doubt, suicide, Suicide Awareness Day, survive, unloved, unwanted | Leave a comment

On the Child Victims Act

Posted on August 7, 2019 by Callen Harty

This morning, Wisconsin State Representatives Chris Taylor and Melissa Sargent and State Senator Lena Taylor introduced two bills at a press conference at the State Capitol. The first was the Child Victims Act, which eliminates the statute of limitations … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged abuse, adult survivor, alcohol, bipartisan support, child sex abuse, child sexual assault, Child Victims Act, Chris Taylor, civil suits, clergy, compassion, drugs, emotions, exemptions, flashbacks, helping professions, innocence, Legislature, male survivors, mandatory reporters, Melissa Sargent, recovery, secret, State Capitol, State Senator Lena Taylor, statute of limitations, suicide, survivors, trust, victims, Wisconsin State Representatives | Leave a comment

Proud

Posted on May 26, 2019 by Callen Harty

Twenty years ago I was working at OutReach, which is Madison, Wisconsin’s LGBT Community Center. I was also heavily involved at Broom Street Theater, a unique theater company that produces nothing but original works. I was an actor, director, and playwright … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged actor, age, angst, Art & Soul Innovations, audiences, Brian WIld, Broom Street Theater, bullying, changed lives, coming out, confusion, Crown Point, director, Eau Claire, emotion, equality, family, feelings, first loves, friends, gays, Green Bay, harassment, hate, ideas, identities, Indiana, joy, laughter, lesbians, LGBT, LGBT Community Center, LGBT rights, life, love, Madison, mentor, mentors, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, non-profit, opinion, OutReach, performance, Platteville, plays, playwright, Pride Youth Theater Alliance, Proud Theater, queer, queer youth theater, reality, River Falls, sexual assault, shyness, skit, Sol Kelley-Jones, stage, suicide, Sun Prairie, Sunshine Jones, survivor stories, teen years, theater, transgender, Wausau, Wisconsin, wonder, youth | 2 Comments

On Suicide

Posted on June 9, 2018 by Callen Harty

Trigger warning for suicide/suicidal ideation. When I was living in my dorm in college one of the men at the other end of the long hall on our floor killed himself. In retrospect it was not a sudden thing. … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged abused, acquaintance, alcohol, alone, angels, best friend, child, choice, crisis line volunteer, depressed, depression, despair, drugs, emotions, family member, feeling, friend, gift, healing, hope, human being, human connection, Invisible Boy, light, love, minister, molested, pain, prostitution, protection, self-abuse, sex addiction, silence, suicidal ideation, suicide, survivor, teacher, touch, trust, turning point, whole person, worthless, wounded child | Leave a comment

The Gift

Posted on April 18, 2018 by Callen Harty

April 18, 1989. A gay bar in Denver, the Triangle. A can of beer in hand, cigarette in the other. I was there alone, so I wasn’t there to be with friends, I wasn’t there looking for someone for the … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged alcohol, alcoholic, bar, beer, blackouts, childhood, cigarette, Colfax Avenue, Denver, depressed, downward spiral, drink, drugs, drunk, emotions, faith, gay bar, gift, good will, hair of the dog, hangovers, human, human rights, insecure, Irishman, jobs, joy, just laws, life, love, mistakes, mixed drinks, numbness, pain, pleasure, public speaking, rock bottom, sobriety, social drinking, sorrow, stubbornness, suicide, theater, trauma, Triangle, understanding, Wisconsin, worthless, writing | Leave a comment

Signs of Possible Sex Abuse

Posted on April 29, 2017 by Callen Harty

As we near the end of Sexual Assault Awareness Month I’ve been thinking about something helpful I could write about it. One of the things I talk about when I share my survivor story to general audiences is … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged abuse, alcohol abuse, anxiety, becwetting, boundaries, bullying, child sex abuse, depression, drug abuse, fear, grooming, nightmares, physicality, predators, Pregnancy, runaway, SAAM, self-confidence, self-harm, sex abuse, Sexual Assault Awareness Month, sexual behavior, sexually transmitted diseases, signs, suicide, survivor | Leave a comment

Full Circle

Posted on April 16, 2017 by Callen Harty

Trigger Warning: This post is about child sex abuse and also suicide. Please take care of yourself first and foremost. Since coming out publicly as a survivor of child sex abuse about seven years ago I have written articles, blog … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged abuse, alcohol, child sex abuse, come out, Doyle Center, Family Advocates, gay, MaleSurvivor, memories, New Jersey, Platteville, sexual assault, Sexual Assault Awareness Month, suicide, survivor, UW-Platteville, UW-Platteville Counseling Services, UW-Platteville Dean of Students | Leave a comment

Letter to Donald Trump on Transgender Guidelines

Posted on February 21, 2017 by Callen Harty

2/21/17 Dear President Trump, I have heard reports that the White House is considering rescinding Department of Education guidelines regarding transgender rights for school districts across the United States. I am pleading with you as an adult who works with … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged adolescence, Born This Way, bullying, Department of Education guidelines, discrimination, Donald Trump, harassment, hate violence homicides, Human Rights Campaign, identity, LGBT, LGBT students, National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs, National Transgender Discrimination Study, NCAVP, police violenc, police violence, sexual violence, suicide, teen, transgender rights, transgender women, transgender women of color, White House, Williams Institute | Leave a comment

Silver Anniversary

Posted on May 31, 2016 by Callen Harty

In May of 1991 I had just moved back to Madison, Wisconsin after four years in Denver, Colorado. Denver was beautiful and I loved it and had made many friends there, but it was never home. I had also recently … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged AIDS, Broom Street Theater, cancer, connection, couple, dementia, Denver Colorado, disagreements, gay politics, Happy Birthday, hold hands, Hotel Washington, I love you, kiss, life partner, love, Madison Wisconsin, Milwaukee PrideFest, movies, music, philosophy, politics, Proud Theater, relationship, religion, Rod's Bar, sober, suicide, support, theater | 1 Comment

Wisconsin Justice

Posted on April 6, 2016 by Callen Harty

Inexperienced, unqualified, bigoted, highly partisan, and beholden to rich supporters. This is Wisconsin justice in 2016. As a gay man, as a citizen of this once-great state, as a person whose family has lived here since 1827, I am so far beyond … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged abortion, AIDS, anti-Democrat, anti-women, Camille Paglia, conservative Governor Scott Walker, Constitutuion, contraception, corporate shill, discrimination, faggot, gay, gay rights, Holocaust, homophobic, Joanne Kloppenburg, jurist, Justice Patrick Crook, lesbian, Milwaukee County Circuit Court, non-partisan, pedophiles, personhood, precedent, queer, rape, Rebecca Bradley, right-wing, sexual abuse, slavery, suicide, victim blaming, Willie Horton, Wisconsin Club for Growth, Wisconsin Court of Appeals, Wisconsin Justice, Wisconsin Right to Life, Wisconsin Supreme Court | 1 Comment

Blake, Ash, and Skylar

Posted on March 28, 2016 by Callen Harty

Note: Someone reposted an article from a year ago and I didn’t notice that it said 2015 instead of 2016, which caused me to write this blog post. I have revised the post a bit due to that. Today I … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged activist, anti-discrimination bill, Ash Haffner, bathroom bill, bigots, bisexual, Blake Brockington, Charlotte NC, Constitution of the United States, equal, gay, God, hate, hatred, law, legislators, lesbian, LGBT, Madison, minority, queer youth, queer-identified, rights, self-expression, Skylar Lee, suicide, transgender, transgender youth, Wisconsin | Leave a comment

A Gift

Posted on March 15, 2015 by Callen Harty

Over the last several years I have spoken to a lot of groups about child sex abuse. Typically I relate my own survivor story and then open it up to questions and answers. I am not clinically trained or a … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged abuser, alcohol & drug abuse, apology, child sex abuse, compassion, forgiveness, healing journey, human connection, pain, promiscuity, self-care, self-hatred, shame, suicide, survivor, trigger warning | 1 Comment