Aaron's Guide to Texas!

My name:  Aaron M Stewart
My age: 31
My profession: Linguist (student)/ Barista
City/town: Killeen, Texas
Relationship status: Single
Sexuality: gay

If someone came to your town for just four hours, what is the one thing he should do?

Obviously he should come visit me at Starbucks.  I will make him/her an extraordinary cup of coffee.  Then this person should check out the Height Plaza where he or she can eat at places like Cheddar's (excellent) or the Cracker Barrel and shop at some fancy-for-this-area places such as ULTA or whatever. 

They can check out a movie in our mega cinema and then visit the army base and see the museums on post and such.  It's a small town so there isn't a great deal to do, but the night life is not completely atrocious and there are actually three gay clubs in the area to enjoy one's self at.

Are any famous people from your town?

If there are they are most likely famed in the military as Ft. Hood is a well known army base that is situated right here in Killeen.

What are some of the things you love most about your town?

Killeen is growing a lot and is surrounded by four or five other smaller towns that are also growing.  It's kind of like this massive city entity that bleeds into one another.  People get excited because we are about to open our 3rd Starbucks (not counting the not-real stores in Barnes and Noble, Target and on base) and that makes me smile.  A small town mindset has its amusements and I think there is much to learn from the people around here.  Life in a big city is so fast paced, and here it's more patient and there is more time to think about what you do (not that people do, but there IS time for it).

What are some great restaurants for a night out with gay friends? 

Cheddar's is a fine restaurant and very gay-inclusive.  There is a Big Gay Dinner that happens around here every other month and it usually circulates around to various restaurants but Cheddar's was definitely the MOST inclusive as far as having a massive amount of gay people in one place.  They were wonderful.  The Olive Garden was the same way.  We have an Outback Steakhouse and one should definitely check out McAllister's food as well as some of our ethnic restaurants that include a mess of Chinese buffets, one Indian cuisine restaurant and various Mexican restaurants as well.  (Rosa's Cafe offers Taco Tuesdays which are AMAZING in case you visit on a Tuesday!!)

What are some great restaurants for a romantic gay date? What about these restaurants appeals to you?

This area is one of those small-town-Texas cities so it doesn't cater to the openly gay individual in the sense that people expect to see gay men and women walking about.  But as with any small town, the "underground" gay scene is enormous.  Gay people are networked and although there is no set "community" here it's not hard to figure out where everything is.  Once you meet one gay person you're likely to be introduced to a great many others.  If one is trying to be romantic, then the Outback Steakhouse (which employs several openly gay people), Cheddar's (which is also one of those restaurants that attracts the homosexual) and The Olive Garden (which also employs several openly gay staff) have excellent policies concerning alternative sexualities and would be a good place to take a date.

What are your favorite gay bars and/or dance clubs?

Generally I visit Austin if i'm going out, but should I not have time to prep and then drive an hour to the bigger city, I usually show up at Partners in Temple (which is about 15 min from Killeen) or Club U and I which is here in Killeen.  I know, I know the names are silly but the atmosphere is great and the people are good people. 
What are your favorite gay parties or events in your town, if any? What is the crowd or scene like at those places? The only gay parties that happen here are the ones the gay people actually throw themselves. 

Where is the best public place for a gay person to make out there (or isn't there one)?

Hahahahahahahahhahahaha!!!

What is the gay community like there? Do you consider yourself to be part of any particular "scene?"

The word community is something I would use VERY loosely for what happens around here.  Gay people aren't really in any type of community with one another.  Gay.com is utilized but the room is hardly ever full, and other websites which cater to the less relationship oriented types are also visited, but even those are not exactly full.  Killeen is a town that is absorbed into the military vibe.  Therefore, the openly gay men are usually extremely flamboyant and the openly gay women extremely scary. 

On the other end, there are a GREAT many closeted people, and a large amount of married men who are gay.  This is because it is a small town and being gay is not really an acceptable lifestyle here.  It's not completely closed minded of course, but an openly gay person will definitely receive bizarre looks and maybe some comments, and it wouldn't surprise me if they were harrassed a little by the less educated people around here.  It's changing every so slowly, and there is a growing number of people who are tired of the "hooked up with everyone, may as well do it again" mindset that seems to be here, so they are looking for friends and actually starting to build what looks like a community.  It's a work in progress but the process is fascinating to me.  I've never actually gotten to see how a community is built before.

Where do you shop for clothes?

I tend to shop online for clothes.  The big clothing place here is Wal-Mart and Abercrombie and Fitch/Hollister and those places are horrendous.  So I just order things off line.  People don't know what the word "couture" means here but that doesn't mean I won't wear it anyway.  They might not appreciate it but I certainly do.

Where do you go for other forms of entertainment -- live theater, concerts, movies, art exhibits? Are there any local gay performance groups, bands, or artists that you're a fan of?

The community theatre scene here is actually pretty amazing.  There is a cesspool of talent that is remarkable.  A recent production of Cats was actually compared to the touring performance of Cats by people who actually know what they're talking about and that is really saying something.  There have been excellent performances of "The Full Monty", "The Glass Menagerie" and next season Killeen's theatre is putting on a production of Chicago which looks to be excellent.  The live music scene here lends itself to punk/metal/etc type bands, but the karaoke scene is pretty amusing and so much fun to listen to.  People really enjoy themselves when they go out.

If you had gay friends visiting from out of town for the first time, what are some "must-dos" you'd recommend?

There isn't a lot of "must do" stuff here.  There are things to see (the museums on base, some of the parks) but it's a small town so there really isn't a "you have GOT to see this old oak tree over here!!!" going on. 

Is there a local cocktail that's popular in your town?

I don't think this town is that sophisticated.  I doubt a great many people here even know what a cocktail is.

Where do the hot boys in your town tend to hang out?

On the army base, or with each other.  haha.  Or at Starbucks which is wonderful. 

Has your town ever had a "gay scandal?" If so, describe it -- but don't use names!

I have never heard of one.  I personally find a lot of the gay people here scandalous though.

Do you have a hometown crush? If so, describe (but don't name names).

I do, I do.  There is a military guy here who works in Military Intelligence and he is REALLY cute.  He comes into the store a lot and although he did take me out to dinner twice now, he insists that he's not gay and even showed up to the store with a girlfriend which I thought was cute.  Maybe he is and maybe he isn't, but I can't help but crush on him.

Learn more about Aaron by clicking here.

[Editor's Note: To find out how to submit a Reader's Guide about YOUR town, click here -- you'll be happy you did...].

Comments

[Sammy & Marc]

hey myself & Marc arrive in Killeen on the 5th May 2009 we're stayin for 6 days at the Rodeway Inn & was wonderin if u could give us the heads up ie the best places to go out

[Stuart Brooks]

Hey Aaron wondered if Club U & I is still open? I was trying to find a club where I can meet some soldiers. Is it still there?