First published at Between the Lines News on July 9, 2009 Some years ago I attended a seminar on charitable giving in the GLBT community. The event was aimed toward affluent donors, and judging by the cars in the parking lot, it hit its target. (I drove an old Nissan at the time, and was […]
Luxury vs. Charity Read More »
First published at 365gay.com on July 3, 2009 “What do you think about my having sex with an 18-year-old?” a thirtysomething friend asked. What do I think? Tread carefully. Notice I said “Tread carefully,” not “Run in the other direction,” which was my initial gut reaction. So let me fill in some background. The legal
Dangerous Campsite? Read More »
First published at 365gay.com on June 12, 2009 So, Adam Lambert comes out in the latest issue of Rolling Stone, and you’re thinking, “What’s next? Rolling Stone announces ‘Water is wet’”? I get where you’re coming from. But there are deeper lessons to be gleaned. First, notice how Lambert comes out—in a music magazine, with
Why it Matters that Adam Lambert Came Out Read More »
First published at Between the Lines News on June 11, 2009 A recent New York Times Magazine article spotlighted a shocking vestige of our nation’s racism: segregated proms. It focused on one school in Georgia’s Montgomery County, though the practice is common across the rural South. I say “shocking” even though I personally wasn’t surprised.
That’s How I Was Raised Read More »
First published at 365gay.com on May 22, 2009 At the risk of stating the obvious, let me say that Adam Lambert is going to be just fine. I’ll say it anyway because, barely minutes after Kris Allen was announced as the “upset” winner of American Idol, my Facebook feed was loaded with status updates declaring
Adam Lambert’s “Loss” Read More »
First published at Between the Lines News on May 21, 2009 This column hits the internet on the eve of my fortieth birthday. Forgive a middle-aged columnist for indulging in some reminiscing. Little reminders of my age keep creeping up, like the fact that I had to re-word the last sentence after initially writing “This
Growing Older, Gratefully Read More »
First published at 365gay.com on May 9, 2009 Sunday will be Mother’s Day, and I’ll be thinking about various mothers in my life. My own mother, with whom I have a great relationship. She and my father live in another state and will be coming to visit me several days later. My two grandmothers, who
Hoping for a Warmer Mother’s Day Read More »
First published at Between the Lines News on April 2, 2009 March 31 is Transgender Day of Visibility. I’m supposed to participate in a panel that day. I’m a bit apprehensive. Like many gay people, I tend to tiptoe around transgender issues. This surprises some straight people I know. They say, “But as a GLBT
Transgender Day of Visibility Read More »
First published at 365gay.com on March 23, 2009 Recent discussions of various civil-union proposals have revived some familiar questions, including “Why limit such recognition to couples, as opposed to larger groups?” and “Why limit it to romantic/sexual couples, as opposed to other interdependent relationships?” Such questions come from various quarters, including both friends and foes
Why Not Plural Marriage? Read More »
First published at 365gay.com on February 13, 2009 Two decades ago, when I first came out of the closet, my mother had an irritating habit of referring to my boyfriend as my “friend.” You could almost hear the scare-quotes around the word as she would speak it. “This is John’s, um, ‘friend.’” When I complained
The Power of Words Read More »