WOOT!

[BikerGoddess]

I just wanna know who's wearing the dress and when's the Spi-gre larva due. 

That's a scary image.

[GEEZER]

Ewwwww!

[johnc]

I just wanna know who's wearing the dress and when's the Spi-gre larva due. 

again, you must ban yourself ... or ask big ian to do the banning. 

[mstevens]

I'll just make some comments, apropos of no particular political things in particular...

My dad was a proud lifelong homophobe. Perhaps the fact that he had practically none of the racism and sexism typical of his generation meant some prejudice had to come out somewhere else.

My best friend during my residency was a gay man in a long-term relationship with a viking. Miguel was an Eagle scout, a Yalie, and a doctor, but he couldn't serve in the Air Force, which he wanted to do. My dad thought it was weird and inappropriate that I was in Miguel's and Kenny's wedding (and you could always hear the quotation marks around "wedding" when my dad mentioned it).

When my daughter was dying, Miguel's partner Kenny let all sorts of members of our family crash at his place near MD Anderson Cancer Center. That included my dad, despite his professed "nervousness." Miguel and Kenny were among the few we trusted to watch her when we were too worn out to.

Months later, after Kenny had died of AIDS, and Miguel was starting to go, my dad called Miguel's mom to ask if there was anything at all my parents could do for him or for her. After Miguel died, my old cold-warrior dad couldn't make it to the funeral. He wanted me to read the message that it had been his hope to wear his USAF colonel's uniform and announce that if Miguel Ochoa wasn't good enough to serve in the Air Force, he couldn't imagine anyone who was. He was pleased as punch when we named our son Michael and said he hoped he'd be the sort of man his namesake was.

A few days ago, my dad called me. "Did you hear? I wish Miguel and Kenny were around for this."

People can change.

[herm]

^awsome^

[mostrobelle]

It's funny how an abstract idea can seem very unpalatable on its own, but when you plug a person that you know and like into the equation it doesn't seem so bad.

[mstevens]

It's funny how an abstract idea can seem very unpalatable on its own, but when you plug a person that you know and like into the equation it doesn't seem so bad.

Absolutely.

The problem, of course, is getting to know someone you fear.

[somegirl]

Great story mstevens, thanks for sharing.

[Jaman]

Great story mstevens, thanks for sharing.

+1!

my story is boring in comparison.

I used to be just about the biggest homophobe
best friend in HS, came out in his early 20's
told me it was harder/more afraid to tell me, than his own parents, told me he had nightmares about telling me.
talked about it at length, answered all my questions
opened my eyes that it is not simply a choice that one makes (he fought it for 10+ years)
everytime I see/talk to him, he sounds happier than he has ever sounded, and that makes me happy for him.
Unions should be about love, not gender. 

[Desmostro]

w00t is spelled,  w, zero, zero, t!
w00t!

If you don't know that you are not a geek and can not marry other geeks.

[Popeye the Sailor]

w00t is spelled,  w, zero, zero, t!
w00t!

If you don't know that you are not a geek and can not marry other geeks.

You mean l33t.

[Spidey]

wOOt!  Again.

[ducnymph]

 

[enzo]

...aaaand a brief moment of enlightenment clouds over.

[Desmostro]

You mean l33t.

whatever.  You married another geek and are breading geeks. You can call it whatever you want. Your kids are going to be like pure blood geek royalty. They'll have reserved  parking spaces in Silicon Valley, and get scholarships to everything just based on race.