I went to my 20th reunion this weekend

[dsc]

Maybe you can go home again. I come from a small town whose county voted about 60/40 to ban same sex marriage and civil unions and about 55/45 for John Kerry. This is a blue collar type of place. As I said before, it wasn't a picnic in school for me. But I decided to go as I wanted to see some of my friends who I lost contact with and because I wanted to be honest about my personal life.

The reunion went surprisingly well. Not a bad reaction among the people who showed to either me or a friend of mine who showed up with his partner. They made a super cute couple.

It is easy to get down and wonder what the future will bring. But things are changing. If you would have told me in high school that someone would bring a male partner to the reunion and not get his ass kicked I would have told you you were deluded.

Victory is never a straight shot, nor is it by any means assured. But even small town Ohio is getting a little better, one brave couple at a time.

[Maraya1969]

1. Thanks for the nice story. People are indeed changing.

[Renew Deal]

2. Did you go to your 10 year?

Did more people show up? How was the atmosphere. I heard the 20 is better than the 10.

A funny thing happened at my 10 year. I was talking to this girl that I thought was cute in HS. All night it seemed like everyone was in a relationship and/or married. I said, what's up with you? Do you have a boyfriend? She said she had a girlfriend. The after party was at a lesbian bar. The good news was that it was full of women. The bad news was that they weren't interested in me and I had a girlfriend. :loveya:

It was a fun and surprising night.

[dsc]

3. I went to my 10th

In our case the 10th was a formal one and the 20th an informal one. Our class officers abdicated their responsibilities. Thus my reunion would have supported your contention but it may well be unique circumstances. I was still pretty closeted back then and that friend didn't show.

[dsc]

5. cool

I actually got majorly hit on, by some poor blind deluded woman I would think, at this reunion. We were at a bar and the woman was not in the reunion. I thought about how ironic it would be if I had gotten my ass kicked by her biker boyfriend after coming out to my former classmates. Fortunately I escaped with both dignity and teeth intact. Glad you had fun at yours and that you liked the lesbian bar.

[Sapphocrat]

4. Glad to hear it, dsc!

My 30th is in 2009. I won't go unless my partner can be there with me.

Which means I probably won't go until 2079 or so. LOL

[dsc]

6. I hope that can be solved in 2009

with a Democratic President and a Democratic Congress. I don't think they would pass marriage but altering our immigration laws I actually see as a possiblity.

[Sapphocrat]

9. Honestly, sweetheart...

I don't. It's a double whammy, gay rights + immigration rights.

But from your mouth to God's ears, regardless!

[dsc]

11. I have been known to OD on optimism

but I actually think we can get the public behind that issue as one of the 'OK' marriage rights.

[Sapphocrat]

13. Well, it's optimists like you, dsc...

...that keep the rest of us from jumping off the nearest bridge. :)

I honestly hold little hope now. We went from over 100 co-sponsors of the Uniting American Families Act (a.k.a. Permanent Partners Immigration Act) a couple of years ago down to 9 co-sponsors this session. And even the ACLU doesn't see the point of endorsing the UAFA at present.

But I'm going to count on optimists like you to keep me from jumping off that bridge -- figuratively, of course.
:toast:

[dsc]

14. The current make up of Congress probably does make it pointless

but that is going to change. LGBT voters will be a part of that winning coalition and should be able to exact some booty. I figure ENDA, hate crimes, and uniting American families are the three things we should get. But that is admittedly predicated on a good result in 2008.

[foreigncorrespondent]

7. Ohhhhh...

...knowing your partner as I do, I am sure she will demand you go. But I am also sure she will try and be there for you. :)

[Sapphocrat]

12. If you know me...

...as well as you know my partner, then you know I won't show up stag. She can demand all she likes. ;)

No partner, no me. Take one, take the other.

I do appreciate my partner's sentiments, but.

[foreigncorrespondent]

8. Glad to hear it all went well, dsc...

...we need to hear good stories every now and then. :)

[dsc]

10. true enough

I was so proud of, and totally happy for, my friend. His partner was nervous but he was so charming. They are a perfect couple.

[sui generis]

15. I'm an overseas closed-highschool military half-breed

half-kraut who never lived any place more than three months, so no reunions for me. :(

But, went to my SO's 20th with him - also his "coming out" event in a tiny little town up in the middle of Washington state.

Only one comment the whole weekend, from the photographer who didn't want to take our "couple" picture, but who was almost tarred and feathered for it by everyone else, so we have a decent picture after all.

His son was my SO's best friend in highschool, although nothing ever happened there, but Mr. Firefighter and his wife from Yakima were freaked too and very stand-offish; other issues I guess.

Everyone else was as normal and comfortable as can be. Well, that and we won "Best Looking Couple" at the dance.

I wasn't worried about violence and would have gone even if. We're big strapping lads, and you have at least one picture of one of us right in front of you, and both of us share the same profile hobby. ;)

The fact of the matter is that much of the aging boomer gen doesn't care for us. By the time they're older and have been re-married half a dozen times and have gay children of their own and are "secure" in their identity, they don't care so much, and neither do their grandkids.

Isn't that odd? Yeah, no straight shot at all; we just have to outlive the busybodies who are out there generally fucking it up for everyone anyway, since they want everyone else to be just as miserable as they are.

[dsc]

16. I wasn't worried about violence

I figured everyone would have self preservation if nothing else. The Biker in the bar wasn't one of my classmates and I just figured he was pissed but not sure who at. That said, I was prepared to hear fag this or gay that. I was pleasently surprised not to.

[One Sweet World]

17. My 10th is coming up next summer

and I think it will be great. Thanks to myspace, many friends have "discovered" me through my page so it will be easier to relax at the event itself. I will have to report back this time next year. I would never have imagined they would be so accepting even 10 years ago. Things are moving, slowly, but moving.

[dsc]

18. It really is amazing

I had fallen out of touch so I didn't have the ability to let them know before hand. I told both organizers when I called as they asked the usual are you married stuff. When they were OK I figured what the Hell.

[dbackjon]

19. Good to hear

I was single when I went to my 20th - so looking forward to taking my partner to 30th in a few years!