I Cannot Be Held Responsible For My Actions If I See A Black Balloon, Be Warned
I turn 40 today, which brings with it all of those tropes and feelings about getting old.
As was the case when I was approaching 30, I have spent nearly the entire year overanalyzing every aspect of my health, reflecting on my life thus far, buying moisturizer in bulk, and reiterating to friends that I an not bluffing, and will not behave if someone tries to throw me an “Over the Hill” party.
I’m a Millennial — of the first generation making less than our parents — we may never reach the top of that hill.
Friend, LGBTQ+ Activist, and Democratic Organizer, Don Davenport, Has Died
On Monday morning, a friend and fellow board member with the LGBT+ Democrats of Virginia for a decade, Don Davenport, died after a long illness. He is survived by his wonderful husband Chuck.
Don gave the best bear hugs, was enthusiastically kind to everyone, and he showed up more than anyone. Our community and world are better off because of him. We’ll never have another Don, and I’m so grateful for having known him.
As a result, today I’m not preoccupied with worry about growing old. Instead, I’m just hoping that, when my time comes to leave this mortal plane, I can look back at a life containing even a fraction of the good deeds of Don Davenport.
Yesterday I took some time to transcribe his talk at an event commemorating 50 year after the Stonewall riots of 1969 in which he was a participant. Those words can be found on the News-Press website.
Reconciling Ministries Network Takes Well-Deserved Sabbatical
On Monday the Reconciling Ministries Network — an organization formed in 1984 to advance justice and inclusion for all LGBTQ+ people in the United Methodist Church (UMC) and beyond, announced that the organization would be taking a one-week sabbatical.
Last Friday marked the end of the UMC’s biannual general conference in Charlotte, NC, an event that sees church leaders from around the world gather to discuss policy.
Last week I shared the massive changes to UMC policy so far, noting that a debate on the biggest change — recognition of gay marriage — was still to come.
Well, on Friday it did. As the conference neared its close, the body met the 2/3 voting threshold to officially adopt the new, more inclusive definition of marriage.
Pending the ratification of regionalization at this year’s annual conferences, the “three R’s” of reconciliation — goals of regionalization, repeal, and revision — have all been achieved.
Show Up Saturday To Ensure Lovers Continue to Outnumber Haters
Last Saturday, counterprotesters lined up outside Freddie’s Beach Bar (the only gay venue in Northern Virginia), creating a barrier between protesters and the children and families attending a drag story hour. Last month the same event was disrupted after a bomb threat forced Freddie’s to be evacuated while a bomb-sniffing dog cleared the premises.
Here in The Little City, Drag events held at Clare and Don’s Beach Shack (130 N. Washington St., Falls Church) have also been protested, by a group at least partially tied to a Christian nationalist group, The American Society for the Defense of Traditional, Family and Property. Legally incorporated as The Foundation for a Christian Civilization, the group is comprised of conservative Catholics in opposition to the Pope’s more inclusive views.
This Saturday marks the return of Miss Evita’s Drag Lunch, with doors opening at 11:30. Show up decked out in rainbow pride to block protesters from view.
Boy Scouts Announce Rebrand, Will Become Scouting America in 2025
On Tuesday the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) announced that they would be changing their name in early 2025 to Scouting America, saying the change reflects the organization being for all.
The organization, which since its founding in 1910 has had over 130 million young participants, has been rapidly evolving over the last decade or so.
In 2013 they began allowing LGBTQ+ youth to join. In 2015 they reversed a ban on gay scout leaders. In 2019 they opened their programs to girls. And next year they will drop the gender label.
The change comes five years after researcher testimony in a sexual assault claim against the organization revealed internal files identifying at least 12,254 child victims of sexual abuse from 7,819 scout leaders.
At Some Point, We Should Really Acknowledge The Pattern Here
Also in last week’s issue were new reports on 1990s sex abuse claims at F.C. Episcopal. I took the time to read a great deal of the evidence from the report.
Jeffrey T. Taylor, the former youth minister accused of numberous allegations of overt and covert sexual abuse of youth in his program.
It’s notable that, when the Episcopal church ordained a gay bishop in New Hampshire, Taylor led the defection of more conservative church members, who opened up the F.C. Anglican Church.
Account after account describe a Taylor who repeatedly and aggressively bombarded male students with discussions of masturbation, sexual morality, and sexual acts. In the case of at least three of the students, sexual abuse was found to have been “significantly more overt” than other cases, the full number of which are not known, but number at least in the dozens.
False concerns about LGBTQ+ “groomers” are continuously being raised by conservatives, while those trying the hardest to control sexuality — the most vocally anti-LGBTQ+ — seem to be the actual ones harming children.
Those worried about child abuse may want to focus on those exhibiting extreme homophobia, as this seems to actually be a reliable warning sign, unlike being LGBTQ+.
