Wednesday, October 20, 2010
What Will You Do After Purple?
Thanks to the efforts by the folks at the It Gets Better Project, many people are sharing their stories – true stories that often start in pain, yet end in joy and beauty. Tomorrow, after you take off your purple and put it away, you still have a job to do: Share your stories. You may not be gay or ever have been bullied, but I know you have a story to tell that will help someone out there. It’s time for us to reach out.
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It didn’t take a genius to figure me out in high school. Let’s see, I was in Band, Orchestra, and Choir. I was Drum Major in the Marching Band. Not only was I in plays and musicals IN school, but I also performed with the local community players. Then there was Student Council, Scholastic Quiz Bowl, Forensics Team, and Computer Club. I was so uptight, I practically squeaked when I walked. (Oh, and a B- was nearly the end of the world…)
I knew I wasn’t like my friends, and I’d known that all my life. At 14, I finally found the words to say it to myself, and did what I considered a very brave act. I had a cassette tape recorder – some of you may have to Google that – and every now and then, I’d record the following …and then “pretend” to forget that it was on there.
“I am gay. What am I going to do about it? ...........Nothing…”
Of course, I never did forget to erase it; it was just a stupid game. Stupid, but somehow it got me through. Even if it wasn’t truly brave, it felt brave to me – and that’s all that mattered. This was the early 1980s in very rural Northern New York State; being gay was NOT something you talked about with anyone, except as crude locker room jokes at the expense of others.
Sure enough, I got called every imaginable name in high school, and sure enough, it hurt like hell. But somehow, I managed to hold onto hope and the knowledge that someday - not too far in the future – I’d be able to get on with life. (College isn’t perfect, but it’s a hell of a lot better than high school!)
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Thanks to the incredible outpouring from breathtakingly fabulous people, YouTube is now packed with hundreds of stories of survival, of anguish and support and love and friendship. Rather than dwelling on just how awful high school is, there are some essential things we need you to know.
It gets better. I know it must seem cliché now, but I have to tell you – looking back, I could never have hoped that life would turn out this well. There will be wonderful, deep abiding friendships that last longer than you’ve been alive so far. You’ll make mistakes, you’ll be terrified of admitting you need someone to lean on, and you’ll be wildly passionate about a hundred different causes. You’ll visit places where you’ll feel truly, madly, deeply at home in a way that you may never be able to articulate to anyone. Some of your friends will become the best family you could ever imagine – and some of your family will become your most ardent supporters. And you’ll find your own way of getting through.
Oh…and there will be love. You’ll fall in love – and you’ll get your heart broken. And you’ll fall in love again. And along the way, you’ll find out how remarkable it is to love and to be loved, just for being you.
Posted by Ambassador at 4:33 PM 11 comment(s)
Tags: acceptance, beauty, fabulous friends, family, friendship, gratitude, homosexuality, hope, joy, kindness, love, parents, perserverance, survival
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Sad, but still Marvelous
Mary Travers was a big part of my early music life - we had the Peter, Paul & Mommy album. I'm surprised we didn't wear it out.
I knew every song by heart, all the lyrics and all the parts. It wasn't until much later in life that I realized how extraordinarily well-crafted these songs and arrangements were/are. And one of the most magical things about them is how truly effortlessly they sang these songs.
Infused with humor, yearning, giddiness and pathos, these songs grabbed hold of me and never let go.
I Have a Song to Sing, O!
Puff, The Magic Dragon
Day is Done
Going to the Zoo Tomorrow
But. The one that has always been the best, my most favorite, is the one that makes me well up with tears, despite never having had children of my own.
The Marvelous Toy
The last verse just gets to me.
So, today we celebrate the life of a lovely singer who touched the lives of a lot of people for several generations.
Mary, you will always be Marvelous to me.
Posted by Ambassador at 8:04 AM 6 comment(s)
Tags: art, death, music, performing, singing
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Walking, Soles United!
There was only a 70% chance of rain...but it had been raining pretty much all the time, every day for that last 10 days. This had us concerned.
Anyway, next Sunday is the NO/AIDS WALK - if you are in the New Orleans area and want to show your support, come on down to Audubon Park before the kick off at 10AM. It's always a lot of fun and it's for an incredibly important cause.
Posted by Ambassador at 7:31 AM 1 comment(s)
Tags: AIDS, fabulous friends, generosity, gratitude, hope, kindness, love, New Orleans, rain, volunteers
Tuesday, September 08, 2009
Of Rants and Racism and Presidential Speeches
While I do agree that the accompanying lesson plan was not crafted in the most well-thought out manner, I am having a hard time getting all the stains out of the ceiling tile from each time my head has exploded over the last week, listening to the unfathomable brouhaha.
Here in Louisiana, it is optional from parish to parish. Public schools in New Orleans are all viewing the President's speech, while the suburbs (to which all the white flight occurred) are making it optional and at the superintendents’ discretion. Some schools are offering alternative assignments and giving parents the option to have their kids not watch it.
What I want to know is this: how long are they estimating this speech to be? Tops, 10 minutes, right? After all, how long are kids going to really pay attention?
The argument that it disrupts the curriculum for the day is specious at best. It takes longer to wrangle students for a bathroom run. And how much is this costing in administration and extra labor hours to provide the alternative activity and more teachers/substitutes to watch the kids who are not viewing the speech?
And finally (sorry for the soapbox moment), if the righties really fear this as a piece of potential indoctrination, why not let the President go through with it as originally planned? At that point, a righty could then step back and say, “See. This is exactly what we were talking about. He is Satan/Hitler/Mussolini/Easter Bunny Killer.”
The stupid. It burns.
Posted by Ambassador at 8:40 AM 5 comment(s)
Tags: fearmongering, New Orleans, sarcasm
Monday, September 07, 2009
We Heard A Rumor
This, of course, leave Monday - Labor Day - for recovery.
Southern Decadence now draws more than 100,000 folks to New Orleans every year - and despite Hurricane Katrina squashing the big events, a rag-tag bunch still wandered about the French Quarter on Sunday, September 5th in their own version of the parade.
Alas.
This year, we started hearing buzz about a new entry in the parade.
A Gay Marching Band.
Really, what could be more fabulous?
- 9 Lesbians playing bass drum
- 112 piccolo players
- 53 color guard
- and 26 queens fighting to be Drum Major(ette)
We could not have been more wrong - and all jokes aside, they were sensational.
The group - Lesbian & Gay Band Association - is in New Orleans this weekend for their annual national conference, and offered to play in the parade. Nearly 200 strong, they had a huge brass section, lots of percussion and woodwinds - and to be fair, only 3 drum majors, 5 flags and 7 piccolo players. (There were several lesbians playing drums...)
This is Paloma - one of the Grand Marshall's for 2008 and 2009. She and her co-Marshall, Tittie Toulouse, reigned again this year after not having the chance to fulfill their duties last year. Paloma is so sweet, photographs really well and can walk in killer shoes - but let's just say that lipsynching is not her strong suit...
It was a wonderful parade - and despite some very heavy downpours, the timing for the parade was perfect.
There is a lot about Southern Decadence that gets less than flattering press...
So, the Beau and I were both a little misty-eyed with pride when the band came by - at a time when horrible things are being said about gays and lesbians here and around the world, it was so very important to see them.
Just people. Making music. Making other people happy.
Is there a better gift?
Posted by Ambassador at 12:32 PM 6 comment(s)
Tags: Gay Gay Gay Gay Gay, music
Wanting Something
But.
I melted.
And now, for Monday Music, here's the more contemporary song that holds that place - no one has ever sung this to me.
Aaron Lazar and Katie Clarke,
Performing "Love to Me"
from Adam Guettel's The Light in the Piazza
Posted by Ambassador at 12:01 AM 3 comment(s)
Tags: art, Music Monday, performing
Sunday, September 06, 2009
Techno-wow!
I saw this online months ago and saved it, intending to write some insightful post about technology outpacing humanity's ability to understand, utilize and cope with it.
Instead, I think you ought to just watch this and marvel at the shear brilliance.
Un-freaking-believable...
Posted by Ambassador at 1:24 AM 2 comment(s)
Saturday, September 05, 2009
Ranting & Rambling in New Orleans
- Ambassador
- Doing what I can to keep New Orleans alive - and in the minds of those who love it but can't always be here.
The Book Shelf
- The Queen and I
- When You Are Engulfed In Flames
- A World Without Us
Favorite Quotes
This is reaching for it
This is wishing that a moment would arrive
This is taking chancesT
his is almost touching
What the beauty is...
"The Beauty Is"
from The Light in the PiazzaBy Adam Guettel