Well yet again I have to admit to being human, and I REALLY hate that.
But! I was just reading Richard Rothsteins blog over at Proceed At Your Own Risk and I was reminded that October is Queer History Month. How could I have forgotten? I used to go on and on ad nauseum about it to anyone who'd listen, which is probably the reason I forgot, there are fewer and fewer listeners these days.
He makes many excellent points as usual, and extols the virtues of knowing and remembering where we came from. All of which is spot on. I seldom read his posts without thinking "I wish I'd thought of that."
However, for our purposes here, I'd like to conduct a little experiment. I know there aren't many of you, maybe 20 or so. But you are scattered throughout the world. From the U.S to France, to Malaysia, to India. (Yes, I have google analytics now, so I know where you are.) But I know nothing else about you.
I want to know and document your queer experiences. I want to know what it means to you to be a homosexual in this world. So tell me. You can use the comments section here if you wish, or you can email me at: Hephaestion0526@gmail.com if you wish to remain anonymous. I will retain the right, without naming names of course, to publish excerpts here for purposes of my discussion on the subject.
I am fortunate enough to be the third generation queer in my family, and though it is something I know, I never heard any of the history, or the stories, from my uncle. He was incapable of discussing it. I shall regret not knowing that always. Frank Wiley didn't lead a remarkable life, but he deserves to be remembered and acknowledged as a queer who lived and died in the midwest in the middle of the 20th century. He worked as a laborer his entire life, and I have to wonder how it was for him. He never told me. I think we should tell others that we exist. If for no other reason than to comfort future generations of queers.
I think we need to keep records, I think, if there isn't one already, there should be a queer library, as it were. There is a wealth of music, art, literature that's relevant and in fact pertinent to our existence, and as we all know, no one will preserve it unless we do. I guess that's just the librarian in me, but there is always a successive generation that needs, in many ways, to know they're not alone, that we have passed before them, and suffered many of the same trials they will. So they will not feel so alienated. So they won't feel so alone.
I think we forget sometimes that there will be future generations of queers and that we need to make provision for their health and well-being. Particularly for their inclusion in a culture that all too often is forgotten shortly after the person in question takes their last breath.
Let's start keepng records for ourselves, let's start a diary, if you will. Let's leave a record of our existence.
Let's start with coming out stories. Tell us yours. If you haven't come out, tell us why and what you plan to do about it. Feel free to tell any queer stories you wish, just make them about life and living, there is enough gay porn in this world, let's gear this discussion toward living as a queer.
