I am listening to my son doing housework upstairs. It warms a mother’s heart. So does this week’s news about same-sex marriage in the United States. It has been a long time coming but heartwarming all the same. For too long, many parents have felt embarrassed, ashamed, or ambivalent about their gay and lesbian children’s sexual […]
My roommate was catching up on one of the gazillion shows that she DVR’s and got excited when she saw two gay characters kissing. Gasp! Gay men kissing! On national TV! I was, admittedly, a bit curmudgeonly about this and said “What’s the big deal?” I have seen in the UK and Canada several TV […]
The other day, someone was asking me about my family and if I had any grandchildren. At first I said “No.” Then I said, “Well, kind of…” I’m a common law step grandparent, and yes, I just made up that title. My son’s life partner has a son whom I have met maybe ten times. […]
When women go through the change of life in menopause, everyone they know goes through it too. When your co-worker keeps adjusting the thermostat in the office, you suffer right along with them. When your life partner suddenly develops insomnia, you both lose sleep. If your sister is uncharacteristically irritable, you are upset and disappointed. […]
I’ve gone into a men’s washroom only once. It was at a theatre during an intermission. The lineup for the women’s washroom was enormous, but there was no lineup for the men’s. One enterprising woman enquired of a man who was leaving the facilities whether or not there was anyone else in there. When he […]
It would be easier to learn a complete new language than it is to learn to refer someone by a different pronoun. Calling Jamie “he” is turning out to be far more difficult than I would ever have thought possible. It’s not that I object to the idea, but the word just won’t come out […]
One of my children has outed me on Facebook. It was not exactly a secret, but at the same time I wasn’t quite yet ready for everyone in my world to know that I am the mother of a transgender adult. The big story, of course, isn’t mine. If this were a movie, my part […]
Snowbird of Paradise 