Gay Glitter & Manly Mylar

A while ago my fourteen-year-old and I passed a bejewelled dude resplendent in mylar and sequins on Church St. We smiled, waved and high fived and I think how great that my kids live in a culture where individuals are accepted and celebrated, (there’s still a long way to go, but we’re moving in the right direction). Then I hear the question…

“Dad, are you ever going to be that gay?”

Before I could answer we ran into friends and there were hugs, laughs and a lot of “When did you get so tall?”. Later wondered what they meant by “that” gay. Was it about degrees…as in “are you ever going to be as gay as them?” because my khaki shorts, T-shirt and sneakers don’t make me less gay than their glittery spandex. Or was it: “are you ever going to be that type of gay?” that’s a different conversation. One that goes a little deeper and brings up issues of labels and our need to stick people in niches. This gay as opposed to that gay? What type of gay are you? Are you gay, or bi, or straight, or poly or trans, or a man, or a woman, or, or, or, or, or? Why do the labels matter and why do we have them? Is it how we organize the world so we can make sense of it, or are we trying to figure out who all the players are so we know how we should act around (and to) them? And what does that say about us? This is going to need more thought and hopefully a good chat or two with my youngest.

I’m thinking about banning labels from the house except on the spice rack…and I’m pretty sure some of them are wrong. I’m also thinking about adding some spandex to my wardrobe. Would that work with the khakis?

OK, rant over. I promise tomorrow’s blog will be sexier. 🙂