June 28, 2013

Do You Believe in Love?

We were ecstatic to be a part of The Stonewall Rally... it was a truly memorable day for all of us in NYC. The rally was held outside of The Stonewall Inn - the landmark bar where The Gay Rights Movement began. Edith Windsor (the lesbian who took on DOMA) gave a touching & powerful speech as the crowd cheered. Love was in the air on this hot, humid historic day. The streets were filled with a diverse crowd celebrating with signs, flags, big smiles, hugs & tears. There were news reporters, photographers & a sea of people all wanting to capture & relish this special moment.

It's so ironic for us that The Marriage Equality Act was passed in NY when we were in CA & that California's Prop 8 was struck down when we were in NYC ! What's that about?


Outside of The Stonewall Inn
Either way, the fact remains that DOMA was overturned on Wednesday 6/26/13 & that it is a federal ruling. We are now "all equal" - so why don't I believe it? We know that this may drag out (no pun intended) & get flack (I'm not talking Roberta). I won't get too tacky, but a governor from across the Hudson already started opening his fat mouth filled with moronic statements.

The 
local newspaper called to ask us for our reaction to the ruling for their story. I said "...it took a long time for people to realize the world wasn't flat also..." and my husband said "we are finally just 'as good' as everyone else..."


The Rally on Christopher Street
How great that the decision happens to coincide with NYC's Gay Pride celebration & whatta extra special celebration it will be this year! It's so perfect that Cher (one of the gayest icons) will be performing at this year's NYC Pride Dance on the Pier. So yes, Cher we do "Believe" &  "Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus."


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June 20, 2013

Breaking it Down

Douglass & I want to keep you updated with what is going on in our Suburban life or our "Green GAYcres" as we refer to it.

Whatta week it was! We were interviewed by the newspaper for an article about Marriage Equality, since this is a timely issue especially for California. We were a little nervous about being OUT there, but felt the need to help break down stereotypes & hopefully broaden some peoples minds who can't think outside the box. We're assuming you know the world is not all black & white, there are millions of shades of grey & don't forget that ever present rainbow!

Douglass & I were very excited to be asked back again this year to the annual Women's Power Strategy Conference, the brainchild of Patricia V. Davis. Last year I was a guest blogger & this year we were both speakers on a panel. The panel was called "Gay Like Me" a conversation about breaking down stereotypes. At first we thought it would be like a crash course in Gay 101 for the audience but of course it wasn't that at all. It was funny to think of it that way & we had our Gay checklist all ready to go. At the conference, we were also surprised & honored to receive an award for our work as advocates for Alzheimer's & Caregivers through our blog Dementia-Mama-Drama along with our role of helping break down Gay stereotypes.

It was interesting to see how everyone on the panel was "normal" - no stereotypes here. None of us had horrendous or dramatic stories of growing up Gay & coming out. Just goes to show you that you can be caregivers for a parent with Alzheimer's (as we were) or raise your wife's children (as if you gave birth to them yourself) like Sally Kuhlman or Cynthi Stefenoni & send them off to college just like everybody else... Straight or Gay.

For two years I thought, what were men doing at a women's conference? Once again stereotypes & agendas were not relevant. When you break it down, we are all the same & we can all benefit from some positive reinforcement. There were some great panels we were able to attend such as "Making Stress Work for You" with  Mary O'Neill , "YouTube & Your Brand" with Laura Berg, "Owning Your Story, Shaping Your Public Image" with Lorna Garano & of course the inspirational keynote speaker Zakiya Mackey who is the Internship Program Coordinator at Girls Inc. & a filmmaker!

So here we are in Suburbia sharing our lives with the world & what better time to do it then during Gay Pride month. Gay Pride a time to remember that we're not all drag queens, leather daddies or dykes on bikes. There are many types of us GLBT(XYZ) people & we cannot be put in one category, except maybe one... Fabulous!

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June 10, 2013

Happy Birthday Judy Garland... or Was that Mama ?

I couldn't let today go by without acknowledging Judy Garland's birthday. I thought I would finally out myself & come clean. Growing up, I always thought that Judy Garland was my mother. Okay, I'll give you the back story.

As a child my parents had many Judy Garland albums & listened to them often. I loved them, even though I only knew her from "The Wizard of Oz". But I somehow always felt a strong connection to her & that voice. When I found out that my brother had a different mother from my father's first marriage, I assumed I had a different mother too. It had to be Judy Garland, that would explain it. I started singing like her & began to wear out my parents albums. I would play the albums singing at the top of my lungs with our front door open & my Carnegie Hall was the echo in the hallway of the apartment building. I'd go to bed at night & try to stay awake when my parents had company, because I thought Judy & my half sister, Liza would be visiting. (They never showed up... this went on for years).

My mother had always said to me as a child that I was a "miracle baby". She & my father wanted to have a child, but she had trouble getting pregnant. She'd tell me that she'd go to church, light candles, say novenas & pray for a child. One night, after many years of trying, she awoke from sleeping on the couch watching television (maybe that's why I wasn't born sooner). She told me she had a vision of the Virgin Mary. It was a sign & my mother knew she'd soon have a child. I was born late in Mama's life, I was definitely the "miracle child".

I would sing "Over the Rainbow" in kindergarten, so maybe it wasn't that outrageous that I assumed Judy Garland was my "real" mother for many years. Happy Birthday Mama... I mean Judy.


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