Former Member

We are much more worried about the wildfires they might spark!

What’s worse is the person on transit who thinks their packages deserve a seat more than another passenger! Equally as bad are those who sprawl across two seats or those poor souls whose testicles are so swollen (or smelly?) they are forced to spread their knees 120° apart. All bad behavior because they don’t want someone to sit next to them. Last week I was riding home on the train after I left Frameline for the evening. I repeatedly asked someone if they could move their bags so I could sit down. That person pretended to be asleep to avoid having someone next to them. A young woman gave up her seat for me, in part because she noticed I was wearing a Frameline t-shirt. I told her she didn’t need to do that, but she insisted. As fate would have it, she got a seat after the very next stop and we talked about the film festival since her seat was just behind the one she gave up.She and her friend had seen a different movie at the festival that evening. It gives me great hope for the future! ;–)

For me it’s not so much that I push people away as I just don’t get out much. Clearly my friends think so. Because my friends keep making those comparisons? ;–)

What do you think? ;–)

Fireworks are illegal throughout California. We used to watch professionally run, government sanctioned events. In my county, even the so-called safe-and-sane non-explosive types are prohibited. Unfortunately, there are a few cities in the Bay Area where the non-explosive types are legally available, including a few just across the county lines. There are no residency requirements for sales*. And there are people in my city (and other locations like San José and Oakland) who somehow acquire professional-grade fireworks and create their own (illegal) shows! * Like the California Lottery that followed it, sales benefit kids (Little League Baseball, schools, etc). I’m surprised they didn’t link recreational marijuana sales to taxes for schools too. They like connecting bad-for-us things to ‘innocent’ children so we can justify bad behavior by claiming to want to help kids.

Some of my friends would consider this to be a warning tale to scare me into changing my life to avoid becoming an ‘Eric’! They’d draw crude parallels with my tendencies and Eric’s curmudgeonly habits. They’d point to his isolationist behavior. They did it in the past, comparing me unfavorably with a mutual friend who needed help with housekeeping and other basic tasks. ;–)

It amuses me when I learn ‘British’ terms that are taken straight from French – and unheard of in the US! For two countries that have been warring adversaries more than they’ve been allies, you certainly incorporate a lot of their language. Even moreso than the US which counted France as an ally from our very founding. ;–)

I think it’s important to acknowledge that we are not aware of the situation for everyone around the world, but we are not expected to have first hand knowledge. We are individuals, not spokespersons for the entire community, We need to be open to continually learning and expanding our concept of who our community is. We can be allies of those who are not like us by being respectful and learning as much as we can. We can never know what it’s like to be someone else, but we can empathize with their struggles and assist when and where we can. Sometimes listening is all we can do and more than others have done.

Those were the reaction sounds I remember from watching fireworks with my parents. It was one of my mother’s favorite activities: bundle up the kids and have my father drive us all out to a hilly street with a great view of the explosions. As far as they were concerned, the best part was that they were free! ;–)

There isn’t always a lot of room for discretion when it comes to the legal requirements for a therapist when it comes to sexual molestation, sexual assault, and rape. In the US, therapists and psychologists are legally required to report certain categories of illegal behavior as well as suicide ideation. I don’t know what the penalties are for not reporting those things, but it’s not just a slap on the wrist.

It’s good that Max and the elves will destroy Mohenja to prevent its technology from being exploited by anyone. While some of those technologies could be useful, deciding which ones have military uses and which ones are harmless could be problematic and contentious. Numerous ideas have peaceful uses as well as dangerous exploits.

We’ll know that the virus is unstoppable when Max is tempted. ;–)

Ooooo! Aaaaaaaaah! Ooohhhhh! ;–)

I try to apply what I learn at Frameline film festival and teach others what I can. There are some who think their own personal experiences are universal. Because they believe they have achieved equality, they think the fight is over. They forget that there are still US states where two men (or two women) can many each other on Sunday and legally get fired from their jobs, lose their housing, and not be served at a restaurant on Monday just because they’re Gay, They forget that Transwomen of Color are being murdered, particularly in certain states, just for existing. They forget that LGBTQ+ kids get bullied and harassed daily in schools across the US. And then there’s the wildly varying situations in other parts of the world where there are still a couple of countries where you can be sentenced to die for being LGBTQ+. One of the best documentaries I saw at Frameline43 was State of Pride, which had a young man visit several Pride events across the country. In each city, he met someone who he would be attending the event with and learned what Pride meant to them. There was a nice sampling of geographic, event age, and event size diversity. Not only is Pride still alive and thriving, but its value and importance has not changed for attendees. (I got an autograph from Raymond Braun, the subject, and briefly spoke to him.) We don’t all need to celebrate Pride the same way. I no longer attend the SF Pride Parade, but I did for many years – marching with the AIDS Project of the East Bay and Pacific Center for Human Growth (Berkeley’s Gay community center that was founded in the early Seventies and given a generic name due to hostility towards the LGBTQ+ community that still existed at the time). I celebrate Pride by watching LGBTQ+ movies at Frameline and then watching the SF Pride Parade stream online. ;–)

Several of my GA author friends would assure you that bisexuality exists! ;–)

Bobby’s reaction to the kiss suggested he was straight. Has Bobby been infected already? Mike seems to have a natural immunity though… ;–)

I’ve actually had people tell me that. But not with the same conviction that you’ve had to deal with. They just couldn’t reconcile their stereotypes with what they saw in me. It was a faint echo of what you describe.

How behind are they if the elves can retrieve them instantly? ;–) Poor Mike. He gets a new hetero buddy, but Bobby doesn’t solve his other loneliness problem! Because I know you won’t resort to the Gay Virus cure. ;–)

I am aware of at least some of the privilege afforded me as cis-gender. One glance at a picture of me and people know my gender. My voice, while high, is clearly male too. It is only my behavior that caused a few to question my gender in high school in the Seventies and only because they pretended to be unable to distinguish between gender and orientation. I believe the vast majority of educated people in my area are at least aware of the difference. We are still working on gender issues, but in 2002, the Bay Area began to be educated on gender identity when Gwen Arajo was murdered and her killers were placed on trial. The Bay Area got a three year lesson on Trans 101 as the cases were tried and retried. Initially, the media dead named Gwen, but gradually her gender and chosen name began to be used consistently.

I don’t know what the male equivalent is to ‘girling,’ but I’ve had to deal with not conforming with US society’s concept of masculinity. I am not coordinated or muscular so I am lousy at all sports. I am not interested in many of the things that boys are supposed to be fascinated by. I do like the visual aspects of cars, but have never been as interested in the mechanical bits and pieces. But I have long been interested in various types of crafts. In the Seventies, long before personal computers, I was very interested in fonts. But that’s pretty much the extent of my artistic abilities. I’m definitely not your butch, macho, hyper-masculine alpha male. But I’m not particular effeminate either. The perception of my masculinity (or lack thereof) has been less of an issue as an adult than when I was in school. I live in an area where differences are more accepted because diversity is valued. ;–)

Someone is a railfan. Is there a model railroad layout also? (And what scale?) ;–)

I agree that NewYork is a foreign empire. With very, very few exceptions, I’d be thrilled if New York and its residents disappeared into the far reaches of the galaxy. As long as there was a golf course available, at least one New Yorker would never notice. ;–)

Doctor Who came up with the idea of an alien wearing obnoxiously clashing colors. Of course, they paired the clothing with a matching personality. Charlie, Kippy, and company don’t match that description! ;–)

How else will you explain the fact that only Redacted survives to sit on the Iron Throne! Plausible deniability. Oops, wrong story! ;–)

Bad news. GRRM is ghostwriting this story. No one is safe! ;–)