Deb Price from Creators Syndicate

One Very Gay Time for 06/02/2010

Wed, 02 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0700

"So tell me, America, how do I introduce Joyce?"

I posed that question back in May 1992 in the first column I ever wrote. That debut was an earthshaking breakthrough — a nationally syndicated, weekly column in mainstream newspapers about life from a gay perspective.

Over the next 18 years — and about 900 columns — I introduced my readers, mostly heter ...

Updated: Wed Jun 02, 2010

Martina, Always a Winner for 05/26/2010

Wed, 26 May 2010 00:00:00 -0700

This past Sunday, the kick-off day to the 2010 French Open, tennis legend Martina Navratilova was calling the shots on the Tennis Channel, spinning in a bit of philosophy with her hallmark no-frills, straight-to-the-point analysis.

"Confidence is so elusive," Navratilova told TV viewers like myself aghast at the wobbly start of Svetlana Kuznetsova, last year's French Open winn ...

Updated: Wed May 26, 2010

Elena Kagan: Supreme Poker Player for 05/18/2010

Tue, 18 May 2010 00:00:00 -0700

Elena Kagan is in line for a pivotal seat on the Supreme Court, the one being vacated by ardent gay ally Justice John Paul Stevens. She literally could decide which way the closely divided court tips on the next wave of gay cases.

How would she rule on whether Uncle Sam can deny federal benefits to gay couples legally married in their home states?

How might she rule on Don't Ask ...

Updated: Tue May 18, 2010

Pardon the Interruption for 05/11/2010

Tue, 11 May 2010 00:00:00 -0700

As House Education and Labor Committee Chairman George Miller opened a recent hearing, an activist interrupted him: "I am here with Get Equal to demand that you no longer delay markup of ENDA."

The activist, Robin McGehee, walked toward Miller carrying felt-tipped markers that symbolized her point: Until the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, gets marked up — that is, sh ...

Updated: Tue May 11, 2010

Punching Holes in the Pink Ceiling for 04/27/2010

Tue, 27 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0700

The gay community has a strong shot this year at punching another hole in the pink political glass ceiling: The breakthrough would be adding an openly gay non-incumbent to Congress in back-to-back elections for the first time in history.

Two years ago, Democrat Jared Polis of Colorado was elected, raising to three the number of out gay lawmakers serving in the House. In the process, Pol ...

Updated: Tue Apr 27, 2010

Justice Stevens: A Bold Ally for 04/14/2010

Wed, 14 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0700

In 2000, Justice John Paul Stevens powerfully dissented from the Supreme Court's 5-to-4 decision allowing the Boy Scouts of America to ban an exceptional young man — an Eagle Scout — from being a scout leader simply because he was openly gay.

Blasting the majority's reasoning as "mind-boggling" and "far-fetched," Stevens warned that the court was in effect ...

Updated: Wed Apr 14, 2010

For Rent -- Just Not to You for 04/07/2010

Wed, 07 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0700

A transgender apartment-hunter thought he'd found a perfect place in Baltimore. But when he showed up, the woman raised the rent by $100 over the advertised price, said she would only take cash and was clearly uncomfortable.

"She asked me if I was a boy or a girl, and after I explained everything, her tone noticeably changed. I then had a female friend of the same age inquire about ...

Updated: Wed Apr 07, 2010

Dear IRS for 03/31/2010

Wed, 31 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0700

The Internal Revenue Service often finds my family confusing, and this year is no exception.

Our federal pen pal recently wrote to my spouse Joyce, fuming that she had failed to declare $1,267 in interest on her last year's tax return. "You Must Return the Response Form by April 7, 2010," the letter warned.

The prospect of severe penalties was leveled at poor Joyce, guil ...

Updated: Wed Mar 31, 2010

Imagine no "Don't Ask" for 03/24/2010

Wed, 24 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0700

Imagine an America where an openly lesbian Navy officer is specifically reached out to by her ship's commanding officer to ensure she knows she's welcome to bring the guest of her choice to a party at his home, just like her shipmates.

The lesbian officer brings her partner. And they're warmly greeted by the ship's commander and his wife. The lesbian couple comfortably mingles with the s ...

Updated: Wed Mar 24, 2010

Wise Investments for 03/17/2010

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0700

Jetlagged on my first morning back in the real world, I struggled to grasp what one of my favorite Starbucks baristas was trying to tell me.

"It's great about D.C., the pictures, you know," she sweetly said as she turned to fill the "Venti drip, no room" that she knows I always drink.

"What? Sorry. Total jetlag fuzz brain. Just back from Hawaii," I re ...

Updated: Wed Mar 17, 2010

Maryland Wades in for 03/03/2010

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Summer has set dates, I'm told, but for me, summer is always defined by when my favorite outdoor lap pool is open. It's in Montgomery County, Md., which is my home.

It's there I taught myself flip turns, applying what I'd learned from books and from watching masterful swimmers to my weekend liquid laboratory. The pool is beside a wooded bike trail, so I also used it to train for my only ...

Updated: Wed Mar 03, 2010

A Nice Place to Work for 02/24/2010

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0800

The young worker sheepishly asked my friend, a senior manager, if they could talk privately.

"How did you come out to your parents?" asked the young worker, confiding that she's gay and eager to break free of the closet.

That question sparked a touchingly personal conversation. My friend described being frank with her parents and their loving response. She explained that ...

Updated: Wed Feb 24, 2010

Openness Driving Nation Forward for 02/17/2010

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0800

What's the difference between "homosexuals" and "gay men and lesbians"?

Turns out a lot — a whopping 14 percentage points of support, a New York Times-CBS News poll released on Feb. 11 revealed.

Only 44 percent of adults support the idea of "homosexuals" serving openly in the military, while 58 percent favor allowing "gay men and lesbians ...

Updated: Wed Feb 17, 2010

House of Cards Collapsing on Opponents of Gay Soldiers for 02/10/2010

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0800

The absolute worst nightmare of diehard defenders of Don't Ask, Don't Tell has become reality: They're now fighting the Pentagon, including the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

"Speaking for myself and myself only, it is my personal belief that allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly would be the right thing to do," Adm. Mike Mullen said in riveting, military-man eloqu ...

Updated: Wed Feb 10, 2010

A Cheat Sheet for Straight Allies for 02/03/2010

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0800

"So what's the big deal?"

That was the question from a young colleague when the issue of gays in the military came back up.

Those of us who're gay hear that response more and more often from heterosexual coworkers, relatives and friends.

What's the big deal about gays in the military? Marriage? Gay people being out at work? Telling kids not to call other kids anti ...

Updated: Wed Feb 03, 2010

Finally at the Starting Line? for 01/20/2010

Wed, 20 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Shortly after Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin announced he'll soon hold high-stakes hearings on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," the top House Democrat on military matters signaled there's still trouble ahead.

Explaining his opposition to repealing the law, House Armed Services Chairman Ike Skelton pointed on C-SPAN to the U.S. involvement in two major conflicts. &q ...

Updated: Wed Jan 20, 2010

A Couple's Trophy for 01/13/2010

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0800

When would the rain come? Would it be a brief and all-but-forgotten downburst? A daylong deluge?

My first memory of falling in love with Wimbledon is of being curled up in front of the TV with Joyce at a Delaware beach house, trading weather forecasts as we watched the unrolling of the giant mats to keep the grass dry at the queen of all tennis championships.

Years begin to blur. ...

Updated: Wed Jan 13, 2010

A Gay Celluloid Gem Not to Be Missed for 01/06/2010

Wed, 06 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0800

College English professor George Falconer, the lead character in the poignant new film "A Single Man," suffers from an all-too-common, devastating illness: a broken heart.

George had achieved something quite enviable at any time, let alone in the conformist years after World War II, when a snickering aside that someone was "light in his loafers" could torpedo a career ...

Updated: Wed Jan 06, 2010

The 2010 Forecast: More Delays for Gays for 12/30/2009

Wed, 30 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Imagine looking up at an airport monitor. Next to the list of flights scheduled for departure is "delayed," "delayed," "delayed."

Got the image?

Then you have a fairly good feel for how gay Americans ended 2009, a year in which Democrats ran the control towers. Long-promised flights toward equality were, well, you got it, largely delayed.

Lots ...

Updated: Wed Dec 30, 2009

Houston Victory Ushers in the Future for 12/16/2009

Wed, 16 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Early in her victory speech, Houston Mayor-elect Annise Parker addressed the pink elephant in the joy-throbbing room, the history she'd just made as an openly gay candidate for the top office in America's fourth-largest city.

"All right," Parker said on Dec. 12, as her partner of nearly 19 years beamed at her side, "let's get this out of the way. Here's the announcement th ...

Updated: Wed Dec 16, 2009