I’m going to share with you a little trick we columnists use. When we don’t want to deal with the issues of the day, or during holiday times when we want to keep the mood joyous, we turn to writing about an event that was uplifting to us in the previous week.
For me, that’s pretty easy, since the event that meant the most to me was attending the LGBTQ+ Hall of Fame Awards ceremony organized by Councilmember Rue Landau, in association with The Museum of the American Revolution.
Those being honored were Angel Alameda, Chivonn Anderson Anderson, David Acosta, Chris Bartlett, Jacen Bowman, Tyrell Brown, Andre D. Carroll, David Fair, Sappho R. Fulton, Essex Hemphill, Alba Martinez, Bee Ruiz, Naiymah Sanchez, Aisha Shahidah Simmons, Tyrone Smith, Paul Steinke, and yours truly receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award.
For me, this was very special on many accounts. It was held at The Museum of the American Revolution, where I had engaged in conversations with their staff to ensure that LGBTQ+ people were included in the story of the American Revolution. The Museum’s Scott Stephenson heard that call for inclusion, and Baron Frederick Von Steuben, George Washington’s Inspector General of the Continental Army, who most historians believe was gay, was recognized.
That day would have been my mother’s birthday, so I included the following in my remarks:
“On a personal note, one thing we all have in common is the experience of coming out.
“For me, it was my mother telling me she still loved me but was worried that I’d be lonely in my old age.
“Mom, I’m now old. Mom, I’m married — legally married. And Mom, if you could only meet my husband, Jason. You’d fall in love with him as I did. Thank you, Jason, for answering my mom’s prayers and for making my dreams come true.
“I accept this award on behalf of all those who have traveled this road with me, and my husband Jason, who brings inspiration, joy, love and happiness to me every day.”