Brave "New" World

Times change, people don't usually. It seems to me though that there are many opportunities afoot.

In the wake of last week's election (was it really only a week ago?!? Yup!), the change in the White House is precipitating change everywhere. A very new leader in our pantheon has children of all ages pondering what's truly possible.

Black American children can ponder the option of the Presidency, and feel its truth, for the first time. And American children of all colors and circumstances of birth can see that whether they are boys or girls, options exist for them to make a difference both individually and together. But not all is rosy.

California voters of ALL descriptions handed their LGBTI fellow citizens a bitter, though not lasting, defeat. For all the heterosexual mixed race couples who feel free holding hands and marrying - Asian and Black, White and Asian, White and Black, Latin and Black, etc., have you forgotten (or perhaps are entirely ignorant) of the 1968 Supreme Court decision in Loving v. The State of Virginia that guaranteed YOUR right under the constitution to equal protection in whom you love? Equality is no different for the hue of your skin in the eyes of Whomever you believe in, so why should the gender of whom I love make a whit's (or a wit's) difference to you?!?

The Mormon Church and the Catholic Church and several Pentecostal and Evangelical Churches poured MILLIONS of dollars into encoding, for now, discrimination into the constitutions of California, Florida and Arizona. But these houses, divided among themselves, cannot stand. First, those MILLIONS of American dollars in this dicey economy could have greater effect in creating jobs for the jobless, homes for the homeless, food for the hungry, and literacy for those who can't read. It could help immigrants become legal citizens and help runaway youth avoid the pitfalls they encounter on the way to their new lives or back to resume the ones they've left.

More important is the fact that all of these hate-mongers hiding behind the symbol of their religion are not heeding the New Testament teachings they claim to embrace. And the victory they've bought, yes BOUGHT, is Pyhrric since the discrimination they are trying to encode violates the full protection clause of the US Constitution. Under full protection, I believe that DOMA and Don't Ask Don't Tell will also be repealed, but not without OUR fight.

Here's what we do - grass roots organizing to change minds one by one. Tell each person why Marriage Equality is part of full equality for every person. Whether or not they feel marriage is important - whether they are married, single, divorced, gay, straight, bi, etc. We all deserve full equality. And when we HAVE that, we still can't rest - because we have to fight to KEEP our rights. Look at Roe v. Wade.

Bottom line - learn about your neighbors, co-workers and friends and be part of the greater family. Sleeper cells and terrorism exist in places where we are separated from one another, disenfranchised and don't give or receive the opportunity for understanding.

Once we start work on this, we are on our way to the Brave New World.

The Amazing Ra(s)e or Adventures in the Meat Rack

This past September 21, my dear friend Jade Esteban Estrada was coming to the Community House in Cherry Grove to perform his one-man show ICONS, The Lesbian and Gay History of the World, Volume II. And what an adventure it was.

First, Jade left his home in San Antonio on a 6:30am flight to Atlanta. Layover. Flight to LaGuardia then cab to the Long Island Railroad. Who knew there were two branches? Unfortunately, Jade took the North Branch, when he wanted the South. He switched trains at Hicksville and went to Ronkonkoma. Cab to Sayville to the Ferry Stop. Here it gets even MORE interesting.

Jade was dropped off at the Ferry and saw a lot of gay people, so it seemed he was in the right place. Turns out, he was on the boat to Fire Island Pines. The boat to Cherry Grove is immediately adjacent on the Sayville side, but separated by a wooded area on the Fire Island side popularly know as The Meat Rack.

The Meat Rack is located between the Pines and Cherry Grove and is a place where like-minded men rendezvous for alfresco relations. There are certain well-marked paths where people who want to get from point A to point B will remain, but there are many little trysting places for those who are interested. Back to our story.

I got a text message from Jade at about the time I was meeting the Cherry Grove boat that he was not on. It was about then he realized he was in the Pines. At the end of the season there are very many fewer water taxis, and there would not be another until 7:40pm. The time was now 6:55pm and we were rapidly losing daylight. Jade determined he'd hike through the Rack.

I high-tailed it down Bayview Walk to the end of the Grove and started in, asking the one-two-three men emerging whether they had seen a man with two large suitcases. The third man had seen two large suitcases about 100 yards apart, but no Jade. Now we were getting close.

I started down the forest path, the only one I am familiar with, and when I encountered the first suitcase, I started calling "Jade" in the failing light. Jade responded and I met him in one of the sandy areas in the center of the Rack.

It happened then, that three men were walking home from the Pines Pantry. I approached the tallest of the three to ask for their help - and Jade said "Paul...?" and Paul said "Jade...?" and we had help! Paul manfully shouldered the super-heavy suitcase containing half of Jade's show and carried and dragged it through the shifting sands to the end of Lewis Walk. Now we just had to find the second suitcase...

Jade had wisely started to stage his bags in a relay - carry one forward 100 yards, carry the other forward 200, and ultimately the sloggy leap-frog would pay off until the cavalry arrived (c'est moi). Unfortunately, the twilight was upon us and in the forest all the greenery was becoming black - complicating the search for the second black suitcase.

Angels smile on fools and theatre people and we found the bag. We met up with Paul and the other bag at the end of Lewis Walk and Jade and I took off for the Community House. Clackity-clack all the way from one end of the Grove, past the Ferry Dock to the nimbus of light (dare I say "halo") surrounding our destination. Jade said "Sherr, what time is it"? "7:30pm", I replied. "Sherr, we beat the Water Taxi!"

Too late for long story short, but Jade is the consummate professional. While we did his sound check, he set his stage, we set his mirror and the curtain was at 8:15pm! Jade later said, "It was like the Amazing Race, but there were no cameras!".

At no point did either Jade or I believe we wouldn't make the show. There is no limit to what anyone can do - you simply need to believe that it's possible.

What are we doing in this handbasket?

I was born and raised by depression-era people who taught me the value of hard work and a dollar. Over the past, oh, half of my lifetime I have seen the value of hard work and a dollar erode due to the so-called economic conservatives.

I don't know how I became such a blue-stocking, except that both of my mother's parents were intensely individualistic. We are a hard-headed family, each in a different way and bound by love. But it was only after my grandparents had both passed away that my mother dropped bombshells that I would have liked to have heard her parents' side of the story.

Nonetheless, it is now in 2008 that I will now be (further) subsidizing people both above and below me on the economic scale. No one learned in the Savings and Loan crisis to not let any of the Bush boys near money, I supposed. Neil Bush was one of the smarter kids too - frightening, isn't it?

Watching the Presidential "town hall" format debate the other night, I was struck very forcefully by the visual comparison of old man/young man. McCain has had it and Palin is not the one to prop him up. Obama was serene and composed - but he showed plenty of fire when McCain tried to pull a fast one on the viewing public.

More important, however, is that Obama has substance and McCain looks like one of the muppet hecklers (Waldorf, is that you?), especially when he thinks he's landed a bon mot.

Lord, Lord, Lord, not here - not now! Why have all of these troubles happened - the post-modern plagues of AIDS, HPV, Economic Woes (standing in for locusts) and others happened? It's time to STOP looking for the great Parent (in the sky or in the government) to make things better - it's time to START taking matters into our own capable hands.

Start with the vote. Be aware of your surroundings. Connect to your community. The benefits are out there.

Bloodied, but Unbowed

"Out of the night that covers me, black as the pit from pole to pole
I thank whatever Gods might be for my unconquerable soul".

My high school Psychology teacher required the memorization of "Invictus" and its recitation as one of the exams he put us through during the term. I've never forgotten it, and our present political situation brings it to mind.

There are real opportunities for change here in the United States in this November's election. It remains to be seen whether the "swifty" that the Republicans pulled in nominating Sarah Palin for vice president will bear the strange fruit for which the RNC hopes.

One of the great opportunities spawned by this misbegotten selection is for thinking people to band together. I attended a discussion group last night where we talked about the insidiousness of nominating a woman whose primary qualification for her post is that she's a good foot soldier for the Repugnant, I mean Republican, party. Gods, guns and gays uber alles, right? Oh, and according to Donny Deutsch, she's the kind of woman a man wants at his side - she's pretty, and the kind he'd want to wake up next to every day. What tripe!

There is still discrimination in this country for everyone who is NOT a white male. And unlike wolves, we're not declaring open season on white males and shooting them from helicopters, are we Ms. Palin?

And what about Bristol Palin? We can certainly see how well "abstinence only" works in a "strong family" with "values" right? And while Levi is not the marrying kind, when your mother-in-law to be can pop timberwolves from a helicopter with a custom-made Austrian rifle, then your philosophy changes, doesn't it?

What's good for the American people will be what's good for ALL American people. We can't have programs just for people with money, or influence or luck. This country was founded on the notion that hard work and guts will elevate men and women to the place where the can enjoy the fruit of their labors. There shouldn't need to be a have-not class for the haves to feel good about themselves.

America - START THINKING! Vote YOUR issues, don't vote for Old and Pretty. Vote for Smart and Experienced.

Forgive me Reader, it's been 30 days since my last post

Could everyone just get along? Sometimes it's difficult to keep your head when everyone around you seems to have taken their Grouchy Pills. What's up with THAT?

There's so much beauty in the world - it's atypical August weather here in NJ. This means low humidity and temperatures in the mid to upper 70's. Yeah, I'll take it!

There's a lot of hope for what's happening in November. I'm educating myself on the people who will be our choices, all of the people, and where they stand on my issues. The Internet gives us unprecedented information at lightning speed. Use it, and let's make some change together we can all appreciate.

Be well

Who Knew?!

I have just recently completed the largest Art Show I've ever done. Modestly sized, there were about 14 artists there, but easily 5 or 6 of us are photographers. Luckily the competitive aspect was not really there as one photographer was a locally noted portrait artist, another specialized in landscapes, etc. My work is pretty eclectic and while I have elements of some of those, I don't fit neatly into a category.

I took an intentionally limited inventory as the show is on an island you can only reach by ferry and no one drives. In this section of the island, you can't have a vehicle (not even a bicycle!) unless you are emergency personnel. It's also not *that* but, but I didn't want to port too much in. That was smart as when we took the show down, indoors though it was, it was raining buckets outside.

Too late for long story short, but I had a successful outing and I'm sufficiently encouraged to go on. Many thanks to dear friends Tom B, Benn, Matt, sister Deb, partner Bonnie, other twin Susan and the great staff where my prints are made. I feel like I'm truly Sharing Vision.