I was sad to hear that George Carlin “expired” yesterday. He was one of my favorite comedians of all time. Motherfucker. Cocksucker. Shit. Piss. Cunt. Fuck. Tits.

This post brought to you by the new media, censorship free. RIP George.

You’ve probably never heard of Edith Macefield but she’s a local hero around here. She turned down a million dollar plus offer from developers for her 108 year old home in Ballard. High rise development rose all around her but her last wish was granted when she passed away on Sunday, at 86, in her own home.

It’s rumored that, having no family, she left the property to a construction superintendent who had been taking care of her. There’s no news yet on what will happen to the property or if she left a will.

Her longtime friend, Charlie Peck, had a wonderful idea: Read the rest of this entry »

Today, Californians celebrate (despite various protests) the first full day of gay marriage. I stayed up too late last night and cried looking through the slideshows of beaming couples waiting to proclaim their devotion. I contemplated the long journey of 87 year old Del Martin and 84 year old Phyllis Lyon, who have shared the joys and trials of each others lives for over 50 years.

Photo Credit Justin Blanton

We have a print of this image that was taken the day of their first ceremony in San Francisco, back in 2004. It’s hard to believe that 4 years have passed since the excitement of that day. It was then that the validity of our relationships would be thrust into the national spotlight for debate. I can’t even explain the feeling it left in my gut to see our lives pawned as a political tool. The saddest part is that it seemed to have worked at the time. It lured out the rural masses to vote in the name of hatred, and many states responded with DOMAs. And just look where all that hate has brought us now… desperate for a change in our country.

The print we have says “Justly Married - San Francisco, February 2004″. I can only hope that in another four years, today won’t be a faded photograph on the wall, signaling the memory of a legal union for all. Only time will tell if the voters will reinstate the marriage ban in November but for now, it’s one sunny day in California.

My glasses are speckled with tears for a beautiful woman that I’ve never met. In the five years that I have been with Lach, she’s fondly reminisced the goddesses of Tahoe many times. We’ve repeatedly discussed making a trip to visit and after the fires last summer decided that this was finally going to be the year that we made it happen.

Regret for the things we did can be tempered by time; it is regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable.

It pains me to no end that we didn’t make the trip sooner… that the cards of time have fallen the way that they have. All too often, hindsight is indeed 20/20. For the first time, I am beginning to understand the sorrow that Lach went through during the week following Joe’s death. The desire to be near those we love in times of heartache, is enough to rip your soul right through your skin.

The more people that pass through our lives, the less that I seem to come to terms with it. For all the bright souls that have left way too soon… may peace be with you, and somehow eventually with us.

He’s bobbed and weaved in and out of some tight spots through the years. He’s made us scream in both exhilaration and in utter frustration. Unfortunately, last season was more of the latter as he struggled through multiple injuries. It was obvious that he tried to push himself to continue… even when his casted body parts should have been healing on the sidelines. None the less, he’s been a large part of our team and our city and I have to wish him the best in all that he does… unless he plays for an NFC rival and then I might have to reconsider. But no matter what jersey he wears, I think he’ll still have a little Seahawk in him.

It’s no doubt that we are a media based society and yet for decades prior to this wealth of information age, our communities had thrived only in a secretive underground culture. I recently watched the documentary, Before Stonewall and it reminded me of how grateful I am to live in a political age that, though not perfect, -only a short time ago- would have seemed impossible. Despite that the documentary was released the year I read my first book (1984), it didn’t seem dated as I had expected it to. It was a fascinating glimpse into the lives of many men and women who experienced the bar raids and humiliation of the McCarthy Era.

Within my lifetime shows like Ellen, Queer as Folk (and so many others that followed) have brought gay and lesbians into the limelight of Hollywood. In my opinion, portrayals in the media have simultaneously destroyed and padded stereotypes- depending on the source. Of course, the majority are fictional characters and I think at times, some people take them too personally. I was reading an article this morning claiming the L Word twists up bisexuality and misrepresents the group. Afterwards I wanted to scream at the monitor that this is ALICE’S story… not yours. I guess in a way, people want to see their lives represented so badly, that they are hurt when scripts turn out actually to not be about THEIR lives. We all have different stories of how we came to be who we are and the challenges and triumphs that came in between. That’s much of the beauty of life, the individual stories that each of us wear in our wrinkles and in our scars. Read the rest of this entry »

Since that last post was difficult to write I thought I should share some happy queer news for today.

Congrats to Melissa and Lindsey who are tying the knot at Women’s Week in P-town tonight!!

I have known Melissa (on the left) since I lived in Chattanooga and it’s driving me crazy that I can’t be there for her special day. Perhaps it’s for the best considering that every wedding I’ve ever been involved in has ended in divorce and the one time that I was in charge of the bachelorette party, I slept through the actual wedding. It was one hell of a party tho!

Anyways, their honeymoon will kick off with the Melissa Ferrick concert tonight so if any of you (Ah hem, Sassy) see them there, show ‘em some love!

Bruce, MS is a small community where my grandmother worked in a garment factory for over forty years and where my grandfather worked in the sawmill for most of his life. My grandmother still resides there, in the same house where she raised her three children.

As kids, my aunt used to drive my mom crazy talking on the phone for hours while she made mom and her little brother, Charlie, do all the chores. One of the people that she used to talk to was a tough guy they all called Larry Dean. He grew up in a little house all grown up with weeds and his family was poor. He was raised by his elderly grandparents, who survived on a mere $33 a month and welfare staples. They heated water on the stove for baths and used an outhouse. Poverty is no stranger to the south but Larry Dean’s story certainly wouldn’t end there. Read the rest of this entry »