Dear Reader, Are there glimmers of hope on the horizon for a return to normalcy? Who knows? I’m trying to celebrate all the situations that are still functional in lockdown. Especially my marriage. And I can always write. And do. Maybe I can’t go to the gym, but I can Read more…
Dear Reader, I had forgotten that July 4 follows so quickly on the heels of Pride Month. Independence. A heady concept, indeed. Essential, and yet such a new idea in the history of civilization. Today I’m pondering the blessings of independence. I don’t usually work up a whole lot of Read more…
Dear Reader, LGBTQ pride is an everyday thing. And yet it is right and fitting to assign it a unique month. June always feels special to me, because each day reminds me of the great progress made in the struggle for equality. And the fight for essential rights still not Read more…
Dear Reader, It is fitting that the new Supreme Court ruling called Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission should have been decided during Pride Month. Like most Americans, all I knew about the case was the mainstream media pronouncement, “The Baker Won.” Well, not so fast. I turned to Read more…
Dear Reader, The world lost a great crusader this week, Mathilde Krim. Dr. Krim was one of the most important warriors—arguably the most visible heterosexual—on the front lines of the battle against AIDS. She recognized the epidemic early on, and helped to found, in 1983, the organization that would become Read more…
Dear Reader, It’s election day. Not in New York—we’ve already been there twice this fall—but in Alabama. Alabamians have a choice between two candidates to fill a vacant senate seat. They can choose between a reasonable adult White man and a racist, pedophilic, homophobic good-old-boy clown. Except I’m not laughing, Read more…
Dear Reader, I confess I don’t listen to much radio these days. The World Wide Web pulls me in other directions, mostly. But just this morning I tuned in to WBAI. I wondered what sort of programming they are airing these days (and whether promoting You’re Sure to Fall in Love might Read more…
Dear Reader, I was talking with a writer friend this week, and, inevitably the subject of Vietnam came up. Inevitably, because we are about the same age, and went through similar journeys around the draft. His situation was more perilous than mine, because his birthdate was chosen #15 in the Read more…
Dear Reader, This week has been particularly creative, and I’m delighted to report that the second volume of my Love Trilogy, LOVE AND THE EPIDEMIC, is taking shape. Just as when I was writing YOU’RE SURE TO FALL IN LOVE, characters show up in my head and start talking to me. And Read more…
Dear Reader, As I look back on last week’s deadly protests in Charlottesville, Virginia, I am, again, filled with gratitude for the men and women who show up and put their lives on the line in the battles against the forces of hate and bigotry. Their courage stands out in Read more…