Author. Marine captain. Porn star. Fundamentalist survivor. Addict in recovery. Advocate for the unrepresented.
Rich Merritt has lived every one of those lives. Jennifer Egan profiled him on the cover of The New York Times Magazine in 1998, in a story about gay service members under Don't Ask, Don't Tell. His new novel Trials of a Legal Junkie and the second edition of his memoir Secrets of a Gay Marine Porn Star arrive October 6.
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Bio
Rich Merritt was raised in a strict fundamentalist Christian community in Greenville, South Carolina, and educated from elementary school through college at Bob Jones University before transferring to Clemson. He served in the United States Marine Corps from 1985 to 1998, leaving as a captain, and earned his law degree from USC in 2001. He has practiced law in Los Angeles, Atlanta, and New York, and written for the Navy-Marine Corps Times, California Lawyer, and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He lives in Palm Springs, where he works as a public interest lawyer and co-hosts a video podcast on recovery, sex positivity, and the impacts of white Christian nationalism.
Titles
Trials of a Legal Junkie
Available for Pre-order Summer 2026
Secrets of a Gay Marine Porn Star
(Second Edition)
Available for Pre-order Summer 2026
Spiritual Probation
Available now
Contact Rich
Feedback? Questions? Reach Rich directly.