Former Member

I used to work with a woman who identified as Lesbian. She preferred wearing men’s clothes (because they're made to last longer and they had pockets!). She had conflicts with her family who was part of one of those cultish religions that knocks on your door trying to recruit you (not the LDS, the other one). She preferred Playboy and Penthouse over Lesbian porn because of the emphasis on images rather than text. I now wonder if Joanna might be Trans or non-binary on some level or another…

[Well that’s an interesting addition to the Reactions that they just added!] I’m glad that the kids aren’t all flawless ‘teenagers’ out of central casting. Having kids with issues beyond/aside from being LGBTQ+ will keep Greg and Mason on their toes. Depending on how Progressive that particular Alabama police department is, Greg & Clay may have gotten some training in how to deal with some of those issues (but I’m not holding my breath). Much of it is grounded on what you were taught in kindergarten: to share and to treat other people nicely, the way you want to be treated. ;–) At least Mason didn’t verbalize anything that might have offended Patrick before he knew! That should probably be a lesson to use they/their rather than gender-specific pronouns most of the time. Just a few slight adjustments will help make everyone more comfortable. ;–)

Manbuns and lumberjack-style facial hair forests are desperate attempts to look butch and manly by insecure heterosexual men. ;–) In the Seventies, it was Castro Clone mustaches and shirts unbuttoned to expose hairy chests (eg Freddie Mercury, the Village People, and the guy who raced around Hawaii in a Ferrari 308 GTS ‘investigating’ without suspecting, for six years at least, that ‘Higgins’ is actually Robin Masters [and driving impossible, or at least wildly improbable, routes around Oahu just like Hawaii Five-0 before it]). ;–)

Yes, but mine’s a link! ;–) Another useful organization is PFLAG (originally: Parents and Friends of Lesbians And Gays), a support group for LGBTQs, their friends, and families – a great group to refer confused and struggling parents to, with chapters across the country. For young LGBTQ+s in the US who need to talk to someone, there’s The Trevor Project. Named after Trevor, this is how IMDb describes the short film (incorrect punctuation corrected): ;–)

I guess ‘Theo’ is short for the very old-fashioned name, Theodora? (As opposed to Dora or Dory? I suppose it’s better than a cartoon explorer or a terminally forgetful cartoon fish with a terrible case of ADD!) ;–) With all the gender neutral and gender-bending names, I think your next story should feature a few non-binary and gender fluid characters! ;–)

I had wondered what the title meant! ;–) Most of us experience sadness when we first Come Out. It’s usually balanced with the joy that comes from not having to hide anymore (and the sex, if you’re lucky like Jack). But things really do get better over time: when you meet other LGBTQ+ people, when you find friends who love you for who you are, when you begin to love yourself (including all your strengths and shortcomings), when you’re no longer reliant on possibly homophobic parents… ;–) Parents dream about what their children will do in the future. They see us as we explore the world and discover the things we enjoy. They project where they think those strengths and talents will take us. But they can’t see inside us (no matter how much they think they understand us from watching us from birth) and they don’t always know everything about us. They sometimes misinterpret our motivations, especially when they don’t understand what LGBTQ+ is or have been taught that LGBTQ+ is wrong. It takes time to adjust to change. Some parents accustom themselves quickly. Some slowly. And some never do. There are always going to be things within a family where members don’t agree. There’s a reason why many families don’t talk about politics and religion. Some families even argue about sports teams! But somehow life goes on and families usually reach some sort of accommodation for all the foibles and idiosyncrasies of each other. It gets better. ;–)

I didn’t notice a need for an editor per se. I did seem as though English might not be your first language. There were some unusual word choices and untypical phrasings. I suppose it could also have been due to the use of a thesaurus. ;–) You’ve introduced us to an interesting cast of characters with some hidden, and some known, agendas. I’m curious as to where you take us. Your story has generated quite a few Comments for each of the four chapters you’ve posted so far, so I thought I’d take a look. (I see a couple of my friends here too!) ;–)

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! When you say things like that they think they need to include them after every single chapter! It’s like summoning a demon! ;–)

At least Matty isn’t worried about where he will go and how he will take care of himself on his own. And he and his father got closure. It wasn’t perfect, but many people struggle with things they never got to say to their parents.

I would think that the different news organizations would be a little more strategic about who they sent to Makarovia. Sending someone who comes across as homophobic isn’t a particularly smart decision. I would have expected them to send young, pretty, homo-friendly men or at least homo-neutral men and women who might have an advantage in getting the young, Gay couple to speak more freely. There are plenty of untalented, pretty faces on TV, women as well as men. ;–) A wedding isn’t an occasion for in-your-face snarkiness.

Oh, things like that go on every day here in the very Progressive and wealthy Bay Area too! Here we have a bunch of tech companies and their employees who never look up from their screens. Police collaborate to push the homeless out of the sight of the wealthy and influential. Only a few are willing to put their money to use to help solve the crisis. Some will volunteer during high profile occasions, but ignore the need the rest of the year.

When I was referred to the rescue mission, I was given some good advice that, while simple, was very helpful. The social worker who was helping me told me that she had once moved into a new neighborhood that was very different from what she was used to. She decided to treat it as a sociological experiment and asked lots of questions. So I did as she suggested and people were very helpful. I also noticed how some of the other transients acted, always complaining and never satisfied with what they were being given – they complained about how rude everyone was everywhere. I decided I didn’t want to be like them and I talked to everybody! I’d talk to people waiting for the bus. I talked to people on the bus. I talked to the Mexican and Salvadoran guys who were ignored by the others staying in the mission. My experiences in the city I’d never before lived in were positive. ;–) I made lots of friends because I didn’t reject anyone. Of course there were people who were rude to me, but they were outnumbered by the ones who were helpful. I made it my mission to pass on the information that others had given to me. I don’t think I’m particularly street smart. I grew up in the suburbs. I may have lived in a sketchy neighborhood in one of the cities in the Bay Area with the highest crime rate, but I was still very naïve. I just did what I had to do to survive. I think I was in shock pretty much the entire time I was homeless. ;–) My having clinical depression and generalized anxiety was only part of the reason I became homeless, but it didn’t help (except with the Social Security Disability case).

I was homeless for a little over two years. I managed to stay in shelters the whole time, but it was extremely difficult at the time and would be impossible now. With the massive increase in homelessness in the an Francisco Bay Area, there is a vast discrepancy between the numbers of people who need shelter and the number of beds available. To ration the available space, there are time limits on how long you can stay at the various shelters. The rules vary at different shelters and the restrictions have been tightened even over the time I was staying in them. While the rescue mission is convinced that everyone forced to stay there is a sinner who is an alcoholic, crack-addict with a heroin and meth habit, there are many people who have become homeless due to things like medical bills, fires, and job losses. Certainly, there are addicts. Most homeless people have mental health problems. There are many Vets. And there are others who are on probation or parole. Many people suffer from falling into multiple categories. Once you become homeless, it’s very difficult to climb out of the hole. I was able to do so about six years ago only because I won my Social Security Disability case. About half of the homeless people in the Bay Area are employed, but cannot afford to pay for housing. Minimum wage jobs do not pay enough to allow someone to rent even the smallest apartments in the Bay Area – even if you have more than one full-time minimum wage jobs. Many people cannot save up the deposit plus first & last rent required. Most homeless people do not look like the stereotype of the smelly guy in raggedy clothes pushing a shopping cart filled with all his worldly possessions.

California residents can now download a free app, MyShake, from UC Berkeley that might be able to give them a few seconds warning of a temblor. Fewer seconds if the epicenter is nearby, more time if it’s further away. It’s available now for iOS (iPhone/iPad) and might be available for Android. It’s being officially launched tomorrow, the anniversary of the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake (the one that interrupted the Bay Bridge Series between the Oakland A’s and the San Francisco Giants, the 1989 Baseball ‘World Series’ that the A’s eventually won).

You know, it seems like Greg should have done some publicity and advertising before the campgrounds opened. At a minimum, I would have recommended advertising the grounds in the San Francisco BAR (Bay Area Reporter newspaper). Getting an article into a few newspapers and The Advocate Magazine would have been good too. Maybe they could have gotten Michelle Meow (who has a weekly primetime show on the SF UPN station – Sundays, 10:30pm, KBWB/44) to interview Greg about the campground. ;–) Are they just expecting that people will drive by the sign and decide to stop? ;–)

So you can write an additional sequel featuring young Orson! ;–)

Sequel? ;–)

So, Little Boot: Caligula in Latin. ;–)

TMZ and the ’news’ departments of the big networks are very disappointed with you! ;–)

My first thought when I saw the subtitle was, ‘Mork calling Orson!’ And then, demonstrating my advanced age, Orson Bean. And demonstrating my complete lack of appreciation for classic movies, I did not think of Orson Wells. ;–)

I wonder how discreet everyone in the clinic will be. This will be a test of their resolve since Jeremy is a coworker and all the signs are right there in front of them all. I understand the need for the rule, but would making an exception be appropriate in any case? It’s a slippery slope… ;–)

;–)

I still like my theories on the source of the name better! Especially the village. Commemorating fond memories of holidays or something… ;–)

There definitely are people like Bill out there. Deeply suspicious and ungrateful, always demanding more no matter how much they are given. Terminally unhappy and wanting to spread their unhappiness as far and as wide as possible. Almost certainly suffering from a diagnosable mental illness (paranoid schizophrenic seems likely), but unwilling to talk to a mental health professional.