Here we have Reichen (above) and Austin (below) from the Logo reality show ‘The A-List’ (of which only half of one episode I was able to stomach). However, I can appreciate a beautiful male, and the only question is whose butt is better? I usually go for the underdog in these things, but this time I’m torn…
There, in the heart of Copley Place, right between the Public Library and Trinity Church, is a plaque, with words that have echoed in my head since the first time I noticed it over two decades ago:
“It was in my heart to help a little because I was helped much.”
– Kahlil Gibran
Whenever I walk by and read that, it makes me feel better. There’s something grandly Dickensian about it, putting me in the mind of secret and not-so-secret benefactors. The sentiment is pretty grand too, reminiscent of the words of Velma Kelly: “I Simply Cannot Do It Alone.”
“In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.
I’ve always considered myself a rather reluctant gay activist. My main contribution to the cause is living my life openly and unabashedly. Granted, it’s in a way that most people would not dare to do, but I still don’t consider it all that much of an effort. This is me, take it or leave it, and fuck you if you don’t like it. That has made for some strides, but only within my close circle of friends and family.
To take it to a larger level requires much more time and effort, and a commitment that I am far too admittedly selfish to make. It requires an altruism and selflessness that I cannot even fathom, yet there are those who make the sacrifice, and do so when they seemingly have no personal vested interest in the cause.
These are our straight allies – those people who recognize that to deny the rights and equality of one person is to deny and diminish the rights of all. That takes a great deal of generosity, an understanding of our social standing in the world that I have but begun to touch. It is, among a great many other things, the ultimate act of humanity.
It humbles me in ways too numerous to mention. It lifts my heart and spirit in a way that little else does. It gives me hope and faith in a humanity that too often seems to let us down. I myself cannot claim half as much resolve and determination in helping others. I do not have what it takes to be such a giver. Yet because of them I want to be a better person. I want to try harder, I want to make the world a better place, I want to believe that together we can make it happen.
COMING SOON: The Straight Allies ~ A Series of Profiles
A flickering point of light, enough for a little room, shifts shadows across the wall. How strange, that light can move such mountains. The candle glows no matter how cold it grows, its flame a last refuge from the loneliness of darkness.
… but he’ll always come back. This weekend I shall return to my beloved Boston for a winter break, to discuss party plans with JoAnn, and enjoy a brief respite from upstate New York.
Everybody needs some time on their own…
This is the latest work by my pal Paul Richmond. Entitled “Time For Me To Fly”, it is a fantastical self-portrait, the first in a series of works inspired by circus, sideshow, and burlesque themes – fertile artistic ground indeed – and I cannot wait to see where this leads. (‘The Circus Project’ was one of the most fun and artistically-rewarding projects I’ve ever done.)
This piece will be on display at Richmond’s summer show at the Lyman-Eyer Gallery beginning July 6.
Let’s face it: we are in the midst of a cultural war. As the political year gears up for another Presidential race, as gay marriage slowly becomes legal state-by-state (and occasionally then illegal – California), as ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ crumbles, the fight for gay equality has never been as vociferous, and hotly contested, as it seems to be today.
Thankfully, the tides appear to be turning slowly in our favor. Great cultural shifts don’t happen overnight, but in the last few years the strides have been enormous, and largely unthinkable as recently as the 90’s. The good thing is that we have not had to do it alone – because we couldn’t.
The revolution, if we are to fully realize a revolution, is going to depend largely on our straight allies. There simply aren’t enough gay people willing to put themselves out there and fight for it. Luckily, the enlightened straight people are taking up that challenge, fighting just as hard and valiantly for equality, as they recognize that to deny the rights of one person is to diminish the rights of all of us.
The more I thought about it, the more it struck home. All of my best friends – the folks I’ve held close to my heart for fifteen, twenty, thirty years – are, across the board, straight. Granted there aren’t many – I can count on two hands the number of life-long friends I’ve maintained – but they are the people who matter the most – Suzie, Chris, Missy, JoAnn – they know who they are – and they have been there for all of it. Unconsciously, I’ve surrounded myself with straight allies all my life.
While the villains often get more notice, the good guys wage a quieter, more dignified fight – and they pay for it with less fanfare and bombast. I’m guilty of it myself – you’re more likely to see a rant against a homophobic person than a congratulatory message on someone’s efforts toward equality. In an attempt to rectify that, I’m going to make a concerted effort to feature those who are working to make the world a better place, instead of those aiming to divide and destroy.
In the coming months, I’m planning to do a number of profiles on Straight Allies – those who have fought in their own way against homophobia, and for a better world of equality.