Hey you guys?! What'd I say? I've only been briefly checking in the last few days - busy w/bringing Mom home, getting the sitter oriented, getting the house acceptable for a stranger to be in residence,etc... - and I find ya'll talking 'bout a post of mine!??
From what I've gleaned, juneaux, you're feeling called to more of an activist lifestyle? I am supportive of you 100%. It's one of my goals which will eventually get noted on my blog when i get to that point. I'm trying to take care of some immediate familial needs first before reaching out for doing more in the community. I'm trying to look at my goals as stepping stones - commit to one for several weeks until it becomes a 'habit' then move to the next one. And I think you have to focus on the personal before you can reach out effectively. In general, things are moving along so well...when I think about being too frustrated or tired, I go back to that safe Ennis/Jack place and find my spirit renewed.
So count me in with respect to this activist work. For 5 years in the Boston area I was associated with a non-profit related to suicide prevention. I don't know the #'s off the top of my head, but a substantial number of people (teens, in particular) seeking help about suicidal ideation were struggling with sexual orientation issues. This experience led me to pflag which is a tremendous organization and does amazing work. I don't know how much is available outside the more major cities. Here in middle-of-nowhere-TN, the answer is essentially 'nada'.
Juneaux/Nancy- let me know what/any ideas you have about this activist business. I think I posted elsewhere about a contemporary writer, Suzanne Brockmann, but I'll restate here: Her son is gay and she is closely involved in PFLAG and Boston area gay-rights groups. She started out as a Harlequin writer but now is writing in hardback. One of her principal characters, Jules Cassidy, is a gay FBI agent. There has been quite a good response from her readers to her publishers about wanting Jules to have a 'happily ever after' of his own. This would be a first in so-called 'women's fiction'. He has a significant subplot in Hot Target that was very well-received and I recommmend it if you enjoy reading romantic suspense. BTW, Suzanne Brockmann was the 2nd(?) mainstream writer for the Harlequin line to feature an African American couple (Harvard's Education). She is having a reader's weekend in Atlanta this summer, which I'm planning to attend. I'm sure that if questioned she would have some good ideas about places people could make a difference with respect to this issue.
Good night, my friends...more talk tomorrow.
Love,
Lynne