Reply #29: Tuck, I gotta thank you again

[Karenina]

for NAILING it. When it comes to sexism, men need to SHUT UP AND FUCKING LISTEN. When it comes to racism, whites need to SHUT UP AND FUCKING LISTEN. When it comes to sexual orientation, folks need to SHUT UP AND FUCKING LISTEN.

My dear pal, Robert, an incredibly gifted and talented pianist, explained homosexuality to me when we were 18. I HAD NO IDEA about such things. We went dancing together on 7th Avenue South regularly, got shitfaced together and he carefully taught me HOW to spot LIARS because he LOVED ME AS MUCH AS I LOVED HIM and wanted to "protect" me as much as I had this base instinct to "protect" him but didn't really know from what. He shared the intimate details of his family life with me, having always been rejected in the small town in Texas from which he came, for being "different." We often slept in the same bed together as friends who simply loved each others' spirits. He committed suicide after coming out to his family. HE DIDN'T BLOODY FUCKING CALL ME FIRST. I cannot say that I ever "recovered." He told me how it wasn't a "choice" for him. It became a "first question" for me as I met other homosexual men. "I've always known I was different, but that had nothing to do with my sexuality. How old were YOU when you realized it?" The answers were ALWAYS, 3 or 4 years old. Today when I hear people going on about "lifestyle choices" I want to grab them by the throat and bang their heads up against the hardest surface I can find.

In my life the same is true. The "stealth" racism is rampant. I've learned not to get angry, it only eats MY soul. I've been asked by people who KNOW I have a degree from a Conservatory, "But... can YOU read music?"

Some weeks ago Noiretblu and I double-teamed Forrest Gump, to whom I must give :loveya: credit. He was able to SHUT UP and LISTEN. I cannot express what a wonderful feeling it was to simply be HEARD. He also posted about the "Odd man out." I'll go back through my bookmarks now and try to find and repost it.

And on a tangent, the "gay" priest who was voted in as a bishop... Someone please correct me if I am mistaken, but I somewhere got the impression that he and his partner lead a CELIBATE lifestyle.

I'm ready to SHUT UP and LISTEN.