Ti Haley is a beautiful woman with a kind and gentle spirit and was nice enough to share a part of her life with Little Rock Pride for this profile. She is an IT Professional who recently changed jobs.

Ti grew up in the Jonesboro area and moved to central Arkansas because she liked the larger city atmosphere, and there were more jobs in her field of work, and people are more acceptable to gays and lesbians in a large city, she said.

When asked about her work on gay pride issues in the community, Ti said she would be willing to if she knew what to do.

“No I haven't, but it's not that I didn't want to,” Ti explained. “I don't ever hear about anything gay or lesbian going on, hardly.”

We asked Ti what her thoughts were on where we stand as gays/lesbians and what can be done to better our world with rights and such?

“Why does everybody have to be prejudice against other people just because of their sexual orientation?” she pondered. “Just be happy for everyone in what they chose to do or how they want to lead their life whether it be straight, bi or homosexual. We just need to keep enforcing that gay/lesbian people aren't bad people. They care and have feelings just like anyone else, and if anything, usually show more compassion than other people. You have bad people in any race, gender, group, etc. Don't always make the gays/lesbians look so bad.”

We then asked Ti, “Was coming out difficult for you and can you offer any advice to others?”

“Yes, it was,” she said. “I never could tell my family, but after about 10 years of living the lifestyle and lying about being gay, my mother and sister went and asked my best friend's (who was a gay man) mother. I just about died, but it was the best thing that ever happened in my life.

“I hate to lie, and that was the only thing I ever lied about, and it weighed on me so much. I felt such a sense of relief after it was all said and done. My mother and I got along so much better. It was amazing. She had never understood me before, and then all of a sudden she did.

“She didn't put me down or anything. She actually started crying because she thought it was all her fault. I let her know that it had nothing to do with her, that this is just what I had chosen in life. My father was a former Baptist Minister, so you can imagine how that went. He never came out bluntly and put me down either, because he knew what I had been through growing up, being raped by two men at a young age, and men always trying to fondle me or take advantage of me.

“My mother and sister didn't blame me at all for my decision. They wanted to hunt down the men that took advantage of me though. We all cried about it, but it definitely was one of the best things that could have ever happened in my life.”

Profiles in Pride Questions

Date and place of birth? 4/6/61, Little Rock, Ark.

What is your favorite food? Mexican

What food will you not eat? Beets or Liver

What is the best job you've ever had? Systems Engineer with EDS (Electronic Data Systems)

What is your dream job? IT Professional/Manager or Director of IT with a Fortune 500 company

If you didn't have to work, what would you do with all of your time? Travel, and go scuba diving

Who do you admire most (living or dead)? Princess Diana

Who would you lunch with if you could have anyone (living or dead)? Princess Diana

Who has had the greatest influence on your life? The Lord Almighty

What one thing would you not have done if you could go back in time? Let my true love go!!!

What one thing would you have done if you could go back in time? Study more in high school so I could go to a university such as MIT, Harvard, Yale, etc…

What is your favorite word? Enthusiasm

Least favorite word?   F**k and GD

Favorite curse word?   Sh*t

What turns you on?   Someone who is intellectual

What turns you off? Someone who smokes cigarettes all the time, doesn't practice personal hygiene, and someone who is mean/rude to other people.

What word would others use to describe you? Caring/Fun/Nice

What word sums you up? Intelligent