HOMOSEXUALITY... and traffic tickets

What concerns should heterosexuals have towards homosexual human beings?

 None.

Is this going to be the shortest posting ever on here? Nope.

I just find it amusing and embarrassing that so-called normal people have such strong feelings on folks with a different orientation than them. I'll come right out and say I can't stomach the thought that our inept and corrupt government decides who can and can't be married or enjoy the benefits fully. They can't keep their own house in any order, why should they tell me how to live in mine? I had an experience years ago that crystallized my feelings on the subject.

I was living in Texas at the time and met a cool Trekkie fan we will call Ray, since his name was Ray. He was excited about the new movie coming out, Star Trek V – The Final Frontier. We talked a lot about many things beyond space, and I was happy to have someone to call a friend in this part of the country. I knew NO ONE except my step-sister and her husband, and it had gotten a little lonely. I had come to Texas because of a situation with my drivers license.

The statute of limitations has run out, so I can now admit that, while living in PA, I had an unfortunate series of events (speeding, evading and eluding, more speeding) that put my license in serious jeopardy. I'll take “suspended for a whole year” Alex. In looking back, I can feel lucky that all that happened in the old days, because if it happened TODAY, I wouldn't have gotten off so easy. The comical portion of the story was provided by the Police themselves.

I know we've gone far off track, but stay with me here....

I was riding my motorcycle one afternoon, and saw in my mirror, flashing red and blue lights... CRAP! Not again.... I happened to own the fastest motorcycle made at the time, and in one quick, stupid decision, I twisted the throttle and sped off, going well over 150 mph to keep from getting yet ANOTHER ticket. He wasn't going to catch ME. Well, it turned out he didn't NEED to.

He had a bunch of friends join in our little excursion. Unbeknownst to me, as I was rounding a curve and blowing past a bus, thinking I was home-free, this wonderful peacekeeper called in the troops. Usually, as I was told later, they are too busy to join the fun, but as my luck always seemed to run out quickly in those days, they were all available and eager to meet me asap, and explain the meaning of life going forward.

I was five miles or so down the road from where I took off and I exited where I thought was clear of any law enforcement – as usual, I was wrong. They must have laughed at this dumb dumb on a fast bike, thinking he could outrun a radio. I couldn't see risking any innocent bystanders out and about on these side streets so I just pulled over and figured I could outwit Barney Fife. Wrong AGAIN. They had gotten my license plate number and I was toast. The handcuffs came out, since I was obviously a hoodlum, they put me in the cruiser, and immediately realized, they had locked the keys in the car with me!

I had to laugh despite my rather gloomy circumstances.... They tried a number of ways to open the door but finally gave up and got someone to drive over to the station for the spares. I volunteered, but they didn't think that was too funny.

I had my license suspended before and couldn't stand the thought of not driving for another whole year, so I ultimately found a not-so-legal way of staying on the road – I moved to Texas. The Longhorn State, at THAT time, didn't share much information with others about driving, least of all mine. I could get a license in Texas, turn in my license in to Penn Dot, start the suspension, and keep driving down south until it was completed. Great plan right?

[note to self: if I get to go back in time, remind ME that my plans usually were el stupido.... and to invest in Home Depot in 1981]

Anyhoo....

Ray and I hung out a while, he showed me his garage that he was trying to convert into the bridge of the Enterprise (red flags SHOULD have been going off, but I was very naïve at that time, just recently coming out from momma's skirt). He was cool. He owned a business, had the latest gadgets, and we could relate on many levels.

We went to the sneak-preview of Trek in San Antonio, despite the fact we had no tickets! The local radio station was holding the event, so we just happened to show up while the line was forming and snuck in while no one was looking. We were real rebels. Unfortunately, our third wheel, who I later learned was actually Ray's boyfriend, didn't make the show. He either didn't go when we crept in or was too afraid to follow. Either way, he had to wait until the movie was over as Ray had been the driver. This didn't put him in a good mood, not only missing the show but having his special someone with a new stranger....

Of course, I was oblivious to it all. I had no clue, until....

 Ray wanted to take me to a bar that he said had a “mixed crowd”. I was looking forward to going since I liked to look at ladies in all shapes, sizes, and colors.... you know a MIXED crowd! I had my suspicions that he was not of the girl-watching type, but it didn't matter to me. He was cool. Well.... when we walked in to this club, and I saw the “mixed crowd” that Ray had talked about, it confirmed what I thought might be true. My new friend ray was gay. There was a mixed crowd for sure. Ladies hugging ladies, men hugging men. My eyes were wide open! This actually didn't matter at all to me until he started giving me the sales pitch – you know, “try it, you might like it”

..... uhhhhhhhh..... errrrrrrrr....

 Poor naïve me didn't have any other way to say that lifestyle was NOT me. I told him, “I like girls, even if they don't usually like me”.... Just like Ray preferred the people he was attracted to, so was I attracted to who I was attracted to. Not the same, just different. I wasn't going to take this for a test drive, and I wasn't going to be upset that someone would want me to. No big deal.

 Ray gave up after a bit and we lost touch, unfortunately, but I know he probably ended up happy and content, as he was that kind of guy. I doubt he stayed with the whats-his-name that I knew. They were quite a mismatch.

When I look back on this, my first real experience in knowing a gay anybody, it was very clear that it just wasn't important to me who they wanted to be with. If they were cool, they were cool. I also believe that, if they want to marry, they should be able to, without anyone or any thing standing in their way.

 I had the unfortunatality to be a witness to guys getting angry about someone possibly being gay in the lockeroom in junior high. It was quite a spectacle. I didn't have a clue why these couple of guys, the popular ones, would get agitated at the thought someone in there didn't like girls. How pathetic, even at 13.

Obviously the stupiditity remains as we are still dealing with a lot of misunderstanding from the gay community. It has seemingly gotten more accepted, but I am hardly someone who knows much about that. If you don't walk in someone's shoes, you can't really know how good/bad things are. I don't pretend to know.

I just hope to live long enough that we don't dislike, or fear, or hate anyone strictly by appearance or preference. That's the dumbest thing of all....