On These Shoulders We Stand
Wow! Maya and I went to a free movie screening at the LGBT center in San Francisco yesterday for an absolutely awesome documentary called On These Shoulders We Stand. Lots of people know about Stonewall and Harvey Milk, but this film focused on the movement for LGBT equal rights that was growing in Los Angeles even before Stonewall. The film focused on 11 people who discussed their experiences during that time. It was amazing to hear not just about the discrimination, violence, and stress of the time, especially at the hands of police, but also about the incredible resilience, determination and undying pride that all of them possessed in overcoming such extreme and often what seemed liked hopeless situations. They truly are the people on whose shoulders we stand! They paved the way for others just by refusing to accept that they could not be themselves and love who they loved.
The film dealt a lot with the 1897 law that was adopted in response to Continue reading »
Filed under From the Life, LGBTQI Families | Tags: acceptance, courage, empowerment, films, history, lgbt, neighborhood | Comment (0)Happy Pride: Forty and Fabulous!
Here in San Francisco pride weekend has finally arrived! The glitter and sequins and boas…the rainbow flags flying high along Market Street from the Embarcardero all the way up to the Castro…the giant pink triangle adorning the top of Twin Peaks. Yup, it’s Pride in San Francisco and the culmination of an entire month of Pride! This year’s theme: “Forty and Fabulous”
We are marching in the parade this morning with Zai as usual waving to the crowds of people lined along the street to watch the 40th annual Pride celebration. Many other cities across the country have been celebrating their own Pride events and we too have been attending many events in our own neighborhood, attending lots of really superb films and performances, like Frameline 34 and Fresh Meat, and just generally being and feeling proud.
It is the festivities of Pride that often make us appreciate the value and importance of reflection in our world. For a whole month the world has a few more rainbows in it! Be Out! Be Proud! Be Fabulous!
Filed under From the Life, LGBTQI Families | Tags: celebration, family, festive, fun, holiday, lgbt, pride | Comment (0)Snow Play
Well it seems that this year has been a white, white winter for most parts of the country. Even in San Francisco where we live, it’s been unusually cold and rainy, fluctuating from wet and chilly one day to bright and sunny the next and back again. 
Yet for Maya, Zai and I, usually the Winter’s not complete until we make at least one trip to the snow even if we have to drive to it!
For me, growing up where “snow days” were always a welcomed possibility for that extra time off from school, I find that now I just can’t let Winter go by unless I see some real SNOW! I have to touch it and play in it, sled and snowboard, otherwise I’m just not ready for Spring and resent any sort of hot weather until I feel that cold, cold of snow FIRST!
Living in San Francisco where the seasons Continue reading »
Filed under From the Life | Tags: family, fun, play, season, winter | Comment (0)A Heart in the Dark: Wintertime
Monday was the darkest day of the year, the Winter Solstice. We are now at the deepest point of winter. I love knowing that. I can feel the season turning. 
At our house we’ve been filling our dark hours with Christmas crafts and keeping our windows steamy with lots of baking. Our tiny apartment is severely, profoundly decked out and we’ve got 6 different Christmas radio stations on our Pandora. Although I love absolutely any excuse to make things and decorate, it’s taken me a few years to fully receive 
the gift of Christmas brought to me by Matthew and his father and their profound love of the holiday. I’ve needed to go on a little Christmas journey.
When I was 20, my family disowned me at Christmas for being queer. Now so many years later, I rarely ponder on it. We have very little contact. But for years, Christmas served as an anniversary and was re-colored by the experience. The whole season became bittersweet. Over time, I looked for ways to finally Continue reading »
Filed under From the Life | Tags: celebration, Christmas, family, festive, fun, holiday, light, season, Solstice, winter | Comment (0)Fall Cornucopia
The dark. As a child I loved the coming of the dark. I grew up in the desert and the sun was merciless until Fall came when it lowered its head and seemed to rest a moment. Because of this the Fall had a cozy, homey feel to me. I was very aware of the quality of light in the Fall, low and intimate. The sun was now mine, not some distant burn up high, far away being out of my reach. It was up close and personal. It warmed me instead of burning me. This made the whole world feel more like my living room, my home and I belonged exactly where I was. I too could rest. Settle in. Daily ritual kicked in as school held a steady pace of week in and week out.
This was a time of certain smells coming from the kitchen; baked puddings replaced the peach-y pitch of summer. Caramels melted in a big pot and round, red apples dipped in. A parade of holidays commenced beginning with Halloween and Continue reading »
Filed under From the Life | Tags: altar, Fall, holiday, project, season | Comment (0)
