Mitchell Gold has been active in many efforts from furniture to founding Faith in America. His furniture company, Mitchell Gold and Bob Williams, is one of the fastest growing companies according to Inc. Magazine. Mitchell Gold and Bob Williams also supports many LGBTQ nonprofits including Campus Pride where he made a fantastic appearance at Campus Pride's Summer Leadership Camp. His most recent effort is the publication of Crisis: 40 Stories Revealing the Personal, Social, and Religious Pain and Trauma of Growing up Gay in America. The book details many struggles that shine light on how there is still progress to be made for LGBTQ equality.
______________________________________________________________________________________________
Interview Begins.
CP: Thank you so much Mitchell for fielding these questions and for all you have done for Campus Pride and for the LGBTQ community. So, Mitchell, what do you hope college students will get out of reading Crisis?

MG: That no matter what they are going through, they are not alone. Others have had the same feelings and experiences; many people their age, especially in parts of the country outside the “bubbles” of places like New York and L.A., are still going through it. Crisis can be a gift for them to give their parents to let them know the kind of pain they have been put through. And hopefully start to put it to an end.

CP: Crisis certainly highlights those ideas. Often, while reading these stories, the theme of acceptance came up many times. Do you feel there has been a shift in culture towards acceptance of being gay?

MG: Yes, of course, it is a truly wonderful thing to see acceptance growing, especially when looking back to what I experienced growing up—and I was, by far, one of the lucky ones. But there is still much work to be done, and as I said, there are many areas of the country, such as small towns in North Carolina where I live and many other places, kids are not getting the acceptance they deserve. They still have to lie, even to those they love most, about who they are every day. Sometimes people tell these kids to just hold on and wait till they can go away to college or move to a big city. But many of them love their families and their churches and want nothing more than to remain part of the place they grew up. Why should they have to move away from everything they know to be able to live? And college is still not the answer. Even if you find acceptance there, you may still not be able to tell your parents who you are. Acceptance is a part of love—how can you live without that?

CP: You raise a lot of interesting points. Belonging also came into the picture many times, with belonging to a religious community, gay community, or family. How do you feel a sense of belonging has impacted the LGBTQ community?

MG: Culturally, I believe it is causing some changes for the better that will benefit both the LGBTQ and the heterosexual communities and help our society evolve. It will expand everyone’s visions of who they can be, rather than being limited by societal stereotypes of what it means to be a man or a woman. And I hope that in the future we as a community will not have to spend so much of our time, talent, creativity, and money fighting for our rights, but instead turn our energy toward helping solve some of the world’s problems—poverty, hunger, illiteracy—there is so much else to be done.

CP: Yes, it would be nice to spend more time fighting some of those world problems you mentioned.
Granted all of the struggles mentioned in the stories, some of the stories detail people who support them in hard times. Whom do you look for when life gets hard?

MG: I am blessed as they say. My partner, Tim, is always there for me, as I am for him—having this is truly something that makes life worth living. And I couldn’t ask for a better business partner than Bob Williams. My family is also always ready to offer support—and being able to be myself with them and share all aspects of my life including my love for my partner, is so great. And over my years of working for the LGBTQ community, I’ve met so many wonderful people who have made my life so much richer—I’d recommend that to everyone—by giving of myself, I’ve gotten so much back.

CP: That's a great sentiment. Do you have anyone you look to as role models?

MG: Oh yes. One that comes to mind is the Reverend Gene Robinson, a very brave, wise, and dedicated man who, in addition to being a role model, I consider a sort of spiritual advisor—even though I’m Jewish! He handles himself beautifully on TV and has helped me to learn how to do media better.

CP: Awesome! So, certainly you have made quite a change in many ways for the LGBTQ community including through this book, what do you think college students can do to change their campus communities, as well as, the larger LGBTQ community?

MG: Be out in thoughtful ways—research shows that people who know LGBTQ people personally are much more accepting and more likely to welcome us into their churches and vote in favor of legislation supporting us. And vote yourself—don’t say I’m not political, or I’m too busy, or I’m not sure how this affects me. Be committed to making a difference—be aware of campus policies that discriminate and work to change them.

CP: Cool. Thanks! Also, how do you think the most recent hate crime legislation will impact the LGBTQ community?

MG: It sends a message to the country that LGBT people are valued....it “normalizes” us and says to people that it is not ok to hurt us.

CP: Onto a topic that is quite popular across the country, how do you feel social networking, such as Twitter, Facebook, Blogs, etc. will impact, to use your language, growing up gay in America?

MG: It is such a gift. Kids who are isolated can at least have a connection to other people going through the same things they are going through. They can learn about services that will help them. It truly helps them have a life. But an online life isn’t enough, right? We’ve got to make the world as wonderfully supportive as the safe spaces you find online.

CP: Social networking and technology certainly connects people for sure. On a lighter side note, do you have any creative residence hall decorating and design tips?

MG: Actually, a few of the same tips you’ll find in our new decorating book coming out this fall, The Comfortable Home, will apply. 1.) Make it comfortable. Even something like soft new sheets in a great color can give your room a lift. Or maybe just some clean sheets in some cases? :-) 2.) Get organized and cut back on clutter. Keep things as simple as you can to make a small space feel bigger. And not that I did this when I was in college, but I know now that being able to walk across your room without tripping and being able to put your hands on the notes you need to study quickly really does improve your quality of life. :-) Don’t use harsh primary colors to paint a wall or the whole room, but rather soft and soothing colors.

CP: Excellent! Thanks for the tips. Any advice for our college students?

MG: Don’t accept it if anyone tells you that you can’t be what you want to be in life because of the way you were born. The contributors to Crisis are living proof of this. I’m living proof of it. My partner, Bob Williams, and I have been able to create a highly successful furniture manufacturing business in the rural South while living our lives as openly gay. People of all orientations and religious faiths are part of the Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams family. What you want to do, you can do. What we all have to do is work together to take any remaining ridiculous obstacles out of the way.

CP: Wonderful. Any final thoughts?

MG: One way we’ve found Crisis has been very helpful is in changing people’s hearts and minds. If your parents or clergy or teachers or friends aren’t accepting, giving them a copy of the book so it can help start a conversation. It gives people insight into what it feels like to be discriminated against, what it feels like to be emotionally and spiritually harmed. People in your life may not know the harm they cause by things they say or do—from an off-hand comment to the way they vote. On the< /em>Crisis website it’s even possible to send someone an anonymous gift of the book.
Please let us know your thoughts about Crisis and about your own experiences in dealing with religion-based bigotry. Let us know if we can help-- You can contact us through our website for www.faithinamerica.com or our website for Crisis.

CP: Finally, a Campus Pride tradition, how do you define "pride"?

MG: Loving who you are. Feeling comfortable and safe enough to be yourself. Being accepted, but also being accepting of all people. And, understanding that diversity is truly a gift in life.

CP: Thank you, Mitchell!