I love you less, now that I know you.
-from The Dress, Blonde Redhead
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
"What Other People Think of Me is None of My Business"
It would seem that the 4th of July came a little bit early this year in Lexington as Main Street seemed to be flooded with homosexuals of all kinds out for a night on the town this past Thursday. If you've spent any length of time in the city, you know that the only two events that brings them out of the woodwork like that in this town are Halloween and the all-day 4th of July celebration. As it was hardly cold or dark enough to be October, I began to think that maybe the time had unknowingly passed me by by a month or two and I was in for a firework show at sunset.
But wait. That wasn't right. It wasn't quite hot enough. We hadn't even barely passed 80 degrees yet here in the city. There hadn't been an barbecues. The pools were't even open yet. Then I looked down at the ticket in my hand and was quickly reminded why we swarmed to the theatre that evening. That night, for one night only, we were graced with the presence of openly-gay actor Leslie Jordan!
"My Trip Down the Pink Carpet," said the pink perforated piece of paper in my hand. I really didn't know what to expect when I walked in, I just knew I supposed to be here. Fourth row center, I sat and applauded as he came on stage to a crowded theatre (which I was pleased to see) and began. Within seconds we were bowled over in our seats with laughter over stories of childhood crushes, Hollywood hobnobbing, and the adventures of a young gay man from the Midwest. Somewhere in the middle of it, though, suddenly I saw myself in this man standing before me on stage. Suddenly his story was almost too relatable: the shame of high school, the ever conscious effort to be more masculine (and therefore appear straighter) to those around us, the fears of encountering our first drag queen or entering our first gay bar. Suddenly this was all of our stories wrapped up into a short, funny man with gray hair and a sense of style.
On goes his story as he reveals more about himself, a journey through rehab and recovery, the darker side of self-hatred and his work with a suicide hot line for GLBTQ youth. Apparently, it's not all pink carpets and Hollywood parties. Apparently, there is more to us than that. The laughter stops for a moment and we are forced to look at the reality of who we are, what it means to be a gay man in the larger scheme of things, what it means simply to be a MAN.
Ah, yes, the moral of the story, the piece to take home and ponder. No matter how gay or straight, sissy of jock, short or tall we are; whether we lug around hammers and power drills or murses (man purses) and expensive cologne; above all else, we are men, simply MEN and can be proud to live life however we see fit and right.
Perhaps there should have been a fireworks display that night as we left the theatre in the crowd that we were, filling the streets with the diversity that we are. Congrats to Lexington, another step forward. But even if there were no bright lights in the sky that night, forever I will take with me the realization that I don't have to be any certain kind of man, I can be whoever I want to be and can be happy no matter what others think of me. "What other people think of me is none of my business," he said with a smile and a look that screamed liberation from the burden of living up to other's expectations. Freedom is what it is. Freedom to accept oneself openly and without fear!
Leslie Jordan is best known for his reoccurring guest spots on the television program 'Will and Grace' and his performance as a Tammy Wynette-obsessed drag queen in the feature film 'Sordid Lives.' His comedy show 'My Trip Down the Pink Carpet' played at Lexington's Kentucky Theatre on Thursday May 22nd to a delighted audience. Thank you Mr. Jordan!
But wait. That wasn't right. It wasn't quite hot enough. We hadn't even barely passed 80 degrees yet here in the city. There hadn't been an barbecues. The pools were't even open yet. Then I looked down at the ticket in my hand and was quickly reminded why we swarmed to the theatre that evening. That night, for one night only, we were graced with the presence of openly-gay actor Leslie Jordan!
"My Trip Down the Pink Carpet," said the pink perforated piece of paper in my hand. I really didn't know what to expect when I walked in, I just knew I supposed to be here. Fourth row center, I sat and applauded as he came on stage to a crowded theatre (which I was pleased to see) and began. Within seconds we were bowled over in our seats with laughter over stories of childhood crushes, Hollywood hobnobbing, and the adventures of a young gay man from the Midwest. Somewhere in the middle of it, though, suddenly I saw myself in this man standing before me on stage. Suddenly his story was almost too relatable: the shame of high school, the ever conscious effort to be more masculine (and therefore appear straighter) to those around us, the fears of encountering our first drag queen or entering our first gay bar. Suddenly this was all of our stories wrapped up into a short, funny man with gray hair and a sense of style.
On goes his story as he reveals more about himself, a journey through rehab and recovery, the darker side of self-hatred and his work with a suicide hot line for GLBTQ youth. Apparently, it's not all pink carpets and Hollywood parties. Apparently, there is more to us than that. The laughter stops for a moment and we are forced to look at the reality of who we are, what it means to be a gay man in the larger scheme of things, what it means simply to be a MAN.
Ah, yes, the moral of the story, the piece to take home and ponder. No matter how gay or straight, sissy of jock, short or tall we are; whether we lug around hammers and power drills or murses (man purses) and expensive cologne; above all else, we are men, simply MEN and can be proud to live life however we see fit and right.
Perhaps there should have been a fireworks display that night as we left the theatre in the crowd that we were, filling the streets with the diversity that we are. Congrats to Lexington, another step forward. But even if there were no bright lights in the sky that night, forever I will take with me the realization that I don't have to be any certain kind of man, I can be whoever I want to be and can be happy no matter what others think of me. "What other people think of me is none of my business," he said with a smile and a look that screamed liberation from the burden of living up to other's expectations. Freedom is what it is. Freedom to accept oneself openly and without fear!
Leslie Jordan is best known for his reoccurring guest spots on the television program 'Will and Grace' and his performance as a Tammy Wynette-obsessed drag queen in the feature film 'Sordid Lives.' His comedy show 'My Trip Down the Pink Carpet' played at Lexington's Kentucky Theatre on Thursday May 22nd to a delighted audience. Thank you Mr. Jordan!
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Recent American Television With Gay Content
Following up to "Enough Already" here's some recent television content with gay subject matter.
The Gay Soldier's Kiss - Grey's Anatomy
As a follow-up to "Enough Already," here is a clip from recent television including gay content.
Quote of the Week #1
I have stumbled upon a new recording artist this week, Landon Pigg. I have decided to include a new relevant quote from popular media each week on this blog, and I thought perhaps this would be a good one to start with:
There's a difference between living and livin' in your head...Don't let life pass you by.
-from 'On The Other Side,' Landon Pigg.
There's a difference between living and livin' in your head...Don't let life pass you by.
-from 'On The Other Side,' Landon Pigg.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Is A New Age Dawning?
Today, for the first time, we have a guest writer, Heather Johnson, who has submitted an article for inclusion on this blog. Always eager to hear the views of others, I am glad to include it. Please enjoy.
As I'm sure you all know, the state of California has just overturned its ban on gay marriage. (For a complete PDF copy of the Supreme Court ruling, click here.) This is a major score for the United States as a whole and not just the gay community. Although states have broken this ground before, California is a powerhouse that should further the cause like nothing before.
Marriage license officials are already prepared for a huge demand in the coming months. In fact, many county clerks have reported that their phones are ringing non-stop for appointments. However, gay couples will have to wait at least 30 days from the date of the ruling. This is common with any high court decision, however, as the counties must receive instructions from the state.
More specifically, all official marriage documents must now be revised to be gender neutral. The words "bride" and "groom" are certainly archaic in today's time and will be removed. As you can imagine, this involves a lot of red tape and bureaucracies are not known for their speediness. However, these are just footnotes on the bigger picture and should not deter anyone from celebrating the decision.
Good news for the world, yes? However, there could be a catch. Although thousands of happy couples are now awaiting their federally legal nuptials in California, hate groups are gathering their forces and are expected to ask the Supreme Court to rehear the case. Absurd that this could be happening in the 21st century, no doubt, but it is still a harsh reality for the gay community… the new ruling may not stick. At the very least, this request from opponents of gay marriage could delay couples from being legal for at least another 90 days.
So, while this is a great moment in modern American history, now is not the time to rest for a breather. It is more important than ever that sane and sensible people from all communities rally together to ensure this decision is permanent. I highly recommend everyone in this great nation to refer to the ACLU's Activism Toolkit and make their voices heard!
Heather Johnson is a regular commentator on the subject of top dating sites. She welcomes your feedback and potential job inquiries at heatherjohnson2323 at gmail dot com.
As I'm sure you all know, the state of California has just overturned its ban on gay marriage. (For a complete PDF copy of the Supreme Court ruling, click here.) This is a major score for the United States as a whole and not just the gay community. Although states have broken this ground before, California is a powerhouse that should further the cause like nothing before.
Marriage license officials are already prepared for a huge demand in the coming months. In fact, many county clerks have reported that their phones are ringing non-stop for appointments. However, gay couples will have to wait at least 30 days from the date of the ruling. This is common with any high court decision, however, as the counties must receive instructions from the state.
More specifically, all official marriage documents must now be revised to be gender neutral. The words "bride" and "groom" are certainly archaic in today's time and will be removed. As you can imagine, this involves a lot of red tape and bureaucracies are not known for their speediness. However, these are just footnotes on the bigger picture and should not deter anyone from celebrating the decision.
Good news for the world, yes? However, there could be a catch. Although thousands of happy couples are now awaiting their federally legal nuptials in California, hate groups are gathering their forces and are expected to ask the Supreme Court to rehear the case. Absurd that this could be happening in the 21st century, no doubt, but it is still a harsh reality for the gay community… the new ruling may not stick. At the very least, this request from opponents of gay marriage could delay couples from being legal for at least another 90 days.
So, while this is a great moment in modern American history, now is not the time to rest for a breather. It is more important than ever that sane and sensible people from all communities rally together to ensure this decision is permanent. I highly recommend everyone in this great nation to refer to the ACLU's Activism Toolkit and make their voices heard!
Heather Johnson is a regular commentator on the subject of top dating sites. She welcomes your feedback and potential job inquiries at heatherjohnson2323 at gmail dot com.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Changing, Always Changing
If only things could stay the same for a while. If only once you found a comfortable moment in this life, one in which you had a partner you loved, a group of friends you could count on, had the most important people in your life near you and with you that it could stay that way for a while if not forever. It would be like achieving a goal of some kind, building each peace a little at a time, finding a great friend here, building a great relationship there, having a child, getting a dog, growing in a loving family. And once you reached that goal, that life that included everything and everyone you needed and you were happy, then that would be it. You would be there and be happy forever!
Oh, if only it were that simple. If only things really did stay the same. But of course the only thing we can be sure of in this life besides the fact that we will leave it someday, is that it will not stay the same, that the flux and change from day to day will forever be present. Things will never stay the same no matter how hard we try. Even within committed relationships, deep and lasting friendships, and family ties, there is always change. Our roles slowly evolve, our interactions vary and deepen or disappear altogether as we grow apart. We lose people to illness, relocation, disinterest. Always there is something different.
So if it is an unavoidable fact that things will always change, where do we go from there? Well, really, we have to make a choice from there whether to fear the change, dread it, worry about it and let it take over our anxieties; or to embrace the change and accept the challenge of changing with it and savoring the adventure of it. How often do we hold on to a job that we do not enjoy or hold on to a friendship that has gone stale or stay in a bad relationship because we fear the immediate change that it entails? We fear the unknown beyond the point of making that decision to leave and stay because of that fear. Suddenly we have to look at things in a different perspective: how will we find another job? how will we make it alone? what will it be like going out without him at a restaurant or bar? how will we split the furniture? who will get the dog? what would be like not to live here anymore?
So often we doubt ourselves in these situation. We question our ability to cope, or ability to start over in a new job, a new city, a new relationship (or lack of), and don't make the change because of it. It takes a leap of faith to do it. It takes guts. It takes courage. It takes an embracing of the fear we have and a faith in the fact that eventually things will get better no matter how bad it is in the meantime.
The thing about change, after all, is that we don't evolve as people without it. There would be nothing new to learn, nothing more to experience, there would be a finite amount of life to live and it would be over all too soon. Without change, life might just get a little boring.
Oh, if only it were that simple. If only things really did stay the same. But of course the only thing we can be sure of in this life besides the fact that we will leave it someday, is that it will not stay the same, that the flux and change from day to day will forever be present. Things will never stay the same no matter how hard we try. Even within committed relationships, deep and lasting friendships, and family ties, there is always change. Our roles slowly evolve, our interactions vary and deepen or disappear altogether as we grow apart. We lose people to illness, relocation, disinterest. Always there is something different.
So if it is an unavoidable fact that things will always change, where do we go from there? Well, really, we have to make a choice from there whether to fear the change, dread it, worry about it and let it take over our anxieties; or to embrace the change and accept the challenge of changing with it and savoring the adventure of it. How often do we hold on to a job that we do not enjoy or hold on to a friendship that has gone stale or stay in a bad relationship because we fear the immediate change that it entails? We fear the unknown beyond the point of making that decision to leave and stay because of that fear. Suddenly we have to look at things in a different perspective: how will we find another job? how will we make it alone? what will it be like going out without him at a restaurant or bar? how will we split the furniture? who will get the dog? what would be like not to live here anymore?
So often we doubt ourselves in these situation. We question our ability to cope, or ability to start over in a new job, a new city, a new relationship (or lack of), and don't make the change because of it. It takes a leap of faith to do it. It takes guts. It takes courage. It takes an embracing of the fear we have and a faith in the fact that eventually things will get better no matter how bad it is in the meantime.
The thing about change, after all, is that we don't evolve as people without it. There would be nothing new to learn, nothing more to experience, there would be a finite amount of life to live and it would be over all too soon. Without change, life might just get a little boring.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Enough Already
Ok, so I’ve been adamantly preaching the importance of supporting establishments and events that cater to the gay community. I’m sure you’re tired of hearing me talk about it. I have to admit, I’m a little tired of talking about it. While I do think it is important to support each other, I think there is a limit at which point it becomes too much.
Let me try to explain what I mean. It shouldn’t come to the point that you are going to a bar, buying a movie, or eating at a restaurant just because it is gay owned, gay friendly, etc. If the food is no good, or the movie sucks, or the bar has horrible service, it doesn’t deserve the patronage. The simple fact that something has a gay character in it or waves a rainbow flag outside its door doesn’t automatically translate to something worth experiencing. It should have to earn its reputation just like anything else.
I am not sure quite what has brought this sudden “over it” feeling. I was watching a movie on the Logo channel the other day about a bisexual man and his two lovers, and I couldn’t hardly get through the whole thing I found it so, well frankly, unentertaining. Perhaps it’s the recent over-saturation of gay characters on television that has overloaded my capacity for the subject. I sat down to watch several of my favorite programs a few evenings ago, and 3 out of the 4 of them included a major gay issue in the plot line ranging from gay marriage to gays in the military and on and on. And these were not “gay” programs, but programs that are widely watched by the general public in this country. Not that that’s a bad thing. These are important issues and I am glad to see mainstream media and programming featuring such topics; but at some point it’s like, enough already!
At some point, after you’ve gotten through all the issues and dealt with being who you are, it sort of falls into the background and you realize you’re just one more of the billions of people on this earth. It doesn’t really matter who you sleep with. I just want to be me. I want to like what I like and do what I do because I enjoy those things. They don’t have to be gay friendly. They don’t have to be about gay people. They don’t have to be about sexuality at all.
I guess I can’t expect everyone to have gotten to that point, though. There is still a lot of progress to be made on the issue of acceptance, and it’s good to see gay characters as abundant as any other on television and in the movies. The eventual goal would be that they eventually just become characters, though, not just gay characters; that restaurants just become restaurants, not gay restaurants; that bars just become bars. Eventually, ideally, we’ll all just be mixed in together in a giant pool of humanity and our sexuality, race, religion, or gender won’t make the slightest bit of difference to anyone.
Let me try to explain what I mean. It shouldn’t come to the point that you are going to a bar, buying a movie, or eating at a restaurant just because it is gay owned, gay friendly, etc. If the food is no good, or the movie sucks, or the bar has horrible service, it doesn’t deserve the patronage. The simple fact that something has a gay character in it or waves a rainbow flag outside its door doesn’t automatically translate to something worth experiencing. It should have to earn its reputation just like anything else.
I am not sure quite what has brought this sudden “over it” feeling. I was watching a movie on the Logo channel the other day about a bisexual man and his two lovers, and I couldn’t hardly get through the whole thing I found it so, well frankly, unentertaining. Perhaps it’s the recent over-saturation of gay characters on television that has overloaded my capacity for the subject. I sat down to watch several of my favorite programs a few evenings ago, and 3 out of the 4 of them included a major gay issue in the plot line ranging from gay marriage to gays in the military and on and on. And these were not “gay” programs, but programs that are widely watched by the general public in this country. Not that that’s a bad thing. These are important issues and I am glad to see mainstream media and programming featuring such topics; but at some point it’s like, enough already!
At some point, after you’ve gotten through all the issues and dealt with being who you are, it sort of falls into the background and you realize you’re just one more of the billions of people on this earth. It doesn’t really matter who you sleep with. I just want to be me. I want to like what I like and do what I do because I enjoy those things. They don’t have to be gay friendly. They don’t have to be about gay people. They don’t have to be about sexuality at all.
I guess I can’t expect everyone to have gotten to that point, though. There is still a lot of progress to be made on the issue of acceptance, and it’s good to see gay characters as abundant as any other on television and in the movies. The eventual goal would be that they eventually just become characters, though, not just gay characters; that restaurants just become restaurants, not gay restaurants; that bars just become bars. Eventually, ideally, we’ll all just be mixed in together in a giant pool of humanity and our sexuality, race, religion, or gender won’t make the slightest bit of difference to anyone.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Sensitivity and the Straight Man
I was sitting on an old friend’s back porch this past weekend on a visit back to my hometown smoking cigarettes in the dark and recounting stories of the romance in our lives over the past nine months or so since we had seen each other. It was becoming quickly apparent that she had more to tell than I did as she had, in this time, gotten engaged and subsequently broken that engagement, began and ended several attempts at sustaining a relationship with the father of her children, and was in the process of feeling out yet another potential mate that she had just recently met on the internet. Not that that sort of story is anything new to my ears or of any shock value. If anything, this sort of back-and-forth, in-and-out of romance story has become the norm for most of the people I call friend, including myself. No, that’s not what made this particular conversation stand out in my mind, but rather the way she was describing the actions of the men in her life, the fragility of their emotions, the absurd sensitivity and the irrationality of their behavior. All these things so often traditionally attributed to the supposed emotionally weak-minded female and stamped onto gay men in ridicule. All these things so traditionally scorned by the masculine man suddenly flying out in the open like so much dirty laundry as if to say, well, I guess we aren’t that different after all.
Let’s take straight man number one. This one has apparently moved in and out of the house on at least three different occasions if not more, the last time involving such a balling fit of overwhelming tears, snot, and blubbering nonsense that she could not understand a word he said in his plead to let him stay. Over and over again he would leave the house with words like, ‘I know you don’t love me, so I’ll leave,’ or ‘I know when I’m not wanted,' all of which even the most naïve of people has to question the motives behind. And when he’s calling on the telephone not ten minutes later apologizing and rationalizing his way back to try again, it only confirms the fact that the whole emotional blow-up was no more than an effort to invoke a response from her that would stop him, profess her love for him, make him feel wanted. Nothing more than petty emotional games. If you have to go to those lengths to pull out an ‘I love you,’ from your partner, can you ever really believe that it’s true once it’s said? I know I only got one side of the story, but if even only half of what she was true, it would seem that the idea of the strong, emotionally-devoid straight man has been blown out of the water.
Well, I would probably have just blown that off as an isolated occurrence, but the stories continued. It would seem that the father of her children has repeatedly tried to convince her as of late that they should marry and try to be a family, including bringing a child of his from a previous relationship into the mix to be one big happy family. Over and over at a birthday party the previous day, she recounted how he tried to stroke her arms with affection and attempted to play the loving partner for the benefit of her and all the rest of the guests at the party, all the time telling her how nice it would be to be a family and how they should try to make it work. Of course, there is nothing wrong with that in my book, but when did straight men suddenly become so sensitive to the issue? And on and on she went with stories like this: dates in which the men were more concerned about the monogamy of the relationship than she was, men who actually called to apologize for not spending more time with her, men who fretted over going out with their friends over spending the evening on a date with her. Well into the night she continued, past my bedtime when I had to cordially excuse myself to my car and home for the evening.
Not that I claim to know very much if anything about the world of dating in the straight realm of society but it would seem that everything I thought I knew about how men and women were supposed to behave towards each other has been completely turned upside down. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, though. I have long preached the value of the individual, the value of the unique and nonconforming aspects of the human being. I guess if I wish not to be placed in a cookie-cutter mold myself, then I can’t really put other’s in one either. That would, of course, make me a hypocrite. What it really means to me, though, above all else, in some twisted way, is that we are more alike than we think whether we care to admit it or not: male, female, straight, or gay. Sensitivity seems to have broken the barrier into the realm of the straight American male.
Let’s take straight man number one. This one has apparently moved in and out of the house on at least three different occasions if not more, the last time involving such a balling fit of overwhelming tears, snot, and blubbering nonsense that she could not understand a word he said in his plead to let him stay. Over and over again he would leave the house with words like, ‘I know you don’t love me, so I’ll leave,’ or ‘I know when I’m not wanted,' all of which even the most naïve of people has to question the motives behind. And when he’s calling on the telephone not ten minutes later apologizing and rationalizing his way back to try again, it only confirms the fact that the whole emotional blow-up was no more than an effort to invoke a response from her that would stop him, profess her love for him, make him feel wanted. Nothing more than petty emotional games. If you have to go to those lengths to pull out an ‘I love you,’ from your partner, can you ever really believe that it’s true once it’s said? I know I only got one side of the story, but if even only half of what she was true, it would seem that the idea of the strong, emotionally-devoid straight man has been blown out of the water.
Well, I would probably have just blown that off as an isolated occurrence, but the stories continued. It would seem that the father of her children has repeatedly tried to convince her as of late that they should marry and try to be a family, including bringing a child of his from a previous relationship into the mix to be one big happy family. Over and over at a birthday party the previous day, she recounted how he tried to stroke her arms with affection and attempted to play the loving partner for the benefit of her and all the rest of the guests at the party, all the time telling her how nice it would be to be a family and how they should try to make it work. Of course, there is nothing wrong with that in my book, but when did straight men suddenly become so sensitive to the issue? And on and on she went with stories like this: dates in which the men were more concerned about the monogamy of the relationship than she was, men who actually called to apologize for not spending more time with her, men who fretted over going out with their friends over spending the evening on a date with her. Well into the night she continued, past my bedtime when I had to cordially excuse myself to my car and home for the evening.
Not that I claim to know very much if anything about the world of dating in the straight realm of society but it would seem that everything I thought I knew about how men and women were supposed to behave towards each other has been completely turned upside down. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, though. I have long preached the value of the individual, the value of the unique and nonconforming aspects of the human being. I guess if I wish not to be placed in a cookie-cutter mold myself, then I can’t really put other’s in one either. That would, of course, make me a hypocrite. What it really means to me, though, above all else, in some twisted way, is that we are more alike than we think whether we care to admit it or not: male, female, straight, or gay. Sensitivity seems to have broken the barrier into the realm of the straight American male.
Monday, May 5, 2008
The Power of Family
Last Tuesday found me at our local downtown art movie house of sorts for a one night screening of the film, "For the Bible Tells Me So." Rarely is our city granted such public access to a film with this subject matter, so naturally I jumped on the opportunity to see it.
What was the subject matter? Well, really, more than anything else, it was about families. In fact, one of the families featured in the documentary was from the local area and was in attendance to support the screening of the film along with a surprisingly large audience. Several families, mostly deeply religious families who had been taught for years that homosexuality was wrong, were featured. All of them had one thing in common: a gay son or daughter. Through the progression of the film were learn how these families have dealt with this reality (or not dealt with) and been able to either accept them for who they are or not. It was really amazing to me to see how some of the families were even able to turn the experience into something overwhelmingly positive, even taking to the streets to challenge the church's notions of what is right and wrong in regard to sexuality.
I have been fortunate myself in the fact that my family has not turned its back on me because of who I am; and, although the road has not been without its bumps and potholes, for the most part there has been little turmoil because of my sexuality. If nothing else, this film has reminded me of how important my family is to me and and how important it is in general that we stick together as family, even if it is only the families we have created ourselves with relationships and close friendships. I applaud the local family for having the courage to do the film and to be present for the local screening, and I hope that every family with a gay son or daughter would have the courage to stand by their children no matter what their sexuality may be.
What was the subject matter? Well, really, more than anything else, it was about families. In fact, one of the families featured in the documentary was from the local area and was in attendance to support the screening of the film along with a surprisingly large audience. Several families, mostly deeply religious families who had been taught for years that homosexuality was wrong, were featured. All of them had one thing in common: a gay son or daughter. Through the progression of the film were learn how these families have dealt with this reality (or not dealt with) and been able to either accept them for who they are or not. It was really amazing to me to see how some of the families were even able to turn the experience into something overwhelmingly positive, even taking to the streets to challenge the church's notions of what is right and wrong in regard to sexuality.
I have been fortunate myself in the fact that my family has not turned its back on me because of who I am; and, although the road has not been without its bumps and potholes, for the most part there has been little turmoil because of my sexuality. If nothing else, this film has reminded me of how important my family is to me and and how important it is in general that we stick together as family, even if it is only the families we have created ourselves with relationships and close friendships. I applaud the local family for having the courage to do the film and to be present for the local screening, and I hope that every family with a gay son or daughter would have the courage to stand by their children no matter what their sexuality may be.
