Celebrating Pride:
June is Pride Month
And Pride Is All About Love and Inclusion
This is a month I wish we didn't have to celebrate. And that is because I am dismayed we are still about hate and exclusion in so many ways, despite being well into the 21st Century. I wish we had left the NEED to celebrate Pride back in the 20th Century.
But alas, that is not the reality. In fact, hatred and divisiveness had only gotten worse in "modern times," and especially in 2022. And having been born into a completely different, more accepting culture, this dismays me.
I was born in Greenwich Village in the mid-sixties, a few years before Stonewall. I had many folks who loved me in my life who just happened to be gay from the day I was born. And I never thought anything about that either way. I did not distinguish between "gay people" and "straight people." To me, they were all just loved ones and dear friends of the family.
Next to my Godfather, "Uncle" Charlie was my favorite adult. Charlie was an old Navy Buddy of my Dad's. He spent a LOT of time with me as a wee child, and I loved him dearly. I never wondered (or cared) why he always visited with a male friend. I was just happy to see Uncle Charlie and his current friend. Honestly, I was more concerned about my folks allowing Charlie to drive after too many drinks at the party than I was with who he brought with him to that party.
In 1970, my Dad co-produced the play "Gandhi," and Jose Quintero directed. Quintero was a very noted Director, even then. He was from Panama and was estranged from his own family. However, he was really a part of my own for a time, so that was never really a point of concern. Quintero's Dad had wanted him to become a doctor, as well as denounce who he was, or to stay in the closet, at the very least. I knew that estrangement had something to do with his "chosen lifestyle," but I always assumed that meant doing theatre rather than medicine. I never dreamed it could be because of the love and support he got from his life partner, Nicholas. All I cared about was that Quintero was a family friend I cherished and admired.
Later, when I was in middle school, my family temporarily moved to London, where my Dad once again turned to producing as a hobby. This time, he partnered with Mike Mansfield, who is well known as the one who brought the Smoke Machine into Rock and Roll, as well as for being the father of the music video. I loved Mike! And I kind of fell in love with Mike too. He was a physically stunning man, beautiful inside and out. And extremely sought after as well. Mike took me under his wing, and was one of the first people in my life to treat me like an adult.
