The coming out of an anthology.

So happy to announce that the LGBTQ anthology will be coming out next June, just in time for Pride. Creating this with the participation of amazing people and contributions from many of the most gallant leaders in our community has been a joy. There are never-before-revealed stories about 20th century legends (e.g., Josephine Baker) and historic pieces on Stonewall, for example, testimony from Miss Major Griffin-gacy, one of the black transgender folk who led the charge from oppression to liberation.

Miss Majors and Stonewall

I'm happy to announce that trans activist Miss Majors, who was an out front participant at Stonewall (and who got bashed in the head by a policeman and arrested) will be writing the chapter on Stonewall for my upcoming anthology, due out in a year from Cleis Press.

Miss Majors continues her mission today as the Executive Director of the Transgender Gender Variant Intersex Justice Program in Oakland California, and was just nominated to be/come the Grand Marshall for the upcoming Pride Parade in San Francisco.

To have such a person contribute to the book is an honor and to have one who so centrally involved with the uprising at Stonewall is everything that this editor might wish.

Talking With Judy Shepard

Judy Shepard gave me the honor of being interviewed
for my upcoming book. It was so hard to ask her the things
I had to ask her, about Matthew's death, about her family, etc.
Knowing that- possibly, hopefully- her statement in the book,
and the book itself, may help save a life or give some strength
to a young LGBT person is what allowed me to continue.
She was amazing: clear, open, beautiful, strong- everything
one might expect from someone who had the ability to turn
a tragedy like that into an act of service and love. I salute her.

Rita Mae Brown and Diana Nyad

Another stellar moment: celebrated author Rita Mae Brown
just sent a chapter essay on her lifelong friend- Diana Nyad,
who amazed the world by swimming from Cuba to the U.S.,
the first person to do so.

Yippeee!! The book is coming together every day!

Matthew Shepard Foundation

I'm proud to share this news:

Judy Shepard- Matthew's mother and a heroic activist- will be
interviewed by me for the book I'm working on with Cleis Press
about LGBT/Intersex activism.

This follows the interview which Brenda Knight and I just did
with Barney Frank on December 13th. And more is yet to come.

It is an honor to be associated with such wonderful people.

Barney Frank, Brenda Knight, Cleis Press and moi

So! The stars are in alignment and thanks to Cleis Press giving me
a chance, the new anthology on LGBT activism is well underway.

All this is because Brenda Knight- the publisher- is open to creative
thinking and isn't one of theseshut-down myopic people

the magic keeps expanding

On my street in San Francisco, there are roses and bottle brush trees,
lemon trees, orange trees and banana palms. Neighbors have created
lush gardens on the sidewalks right in front of their brightly painted
Victorian houses.

Dolores Park is two blocks away: a sloping green with magnolia trees
and palm trees and the city skyline, clearly visible. Downtown is a mile
off. This is where I take my puppy- A "Eurasier" dog- part Chow-Chow
and part wolf. Though his genealogy is a bit more complex, it boils down
to Chow and wolf. As such, "Tarquin" looks like a small gingerbread bear.

To the park we go, morning and afternoon- and, puppies being puppies,
Tarquin is a sensation. It's fine. He needs to be well socialized to people
(and to dogs). If not, the wolf thing will come out and he could be/come
too protective.

But the other day as he was romping happily with other dogs, a flash
of red, yellow and blue went by and someone cried, "Look at that!"
And someone else shouted, "Oh my God! I don't believe it!" 

Two giant Macaws were flying freely over the park. Three feet long
from their head to the tip of tail feathers, they were zooming around
before coming to light on the arm or shoulders of their trainer/friend.
I grabbed Tarquin and walked up the hill- unable to belueve my eyes
for, though I've lived in this area for many years, I never saw anything
so surprising or so wonderful (and- trust me here, folks- that's saying
a lot when it comes to San Francisco's Castro District.)

The bird handler- a young fellow of Chinese descent, named Chan-
was patient in answering questions as "Rudy" and "Bella" flew in
or flew out again. Chan explained that he'd trained them the same way
people train falcons and, indeed, when at one point Bella didn't return
but chose to linger in a palm tree two hundred yards away, Chan told
Rudy, "Go get Bella." Just like that, Rudy flew off, circled Bella,
cawed a few times and they both flew back to Chan.

If you want to see this on video, you can Google: "Chan the bird man"
and there it all is. Or go to his website chanthebirdman.com  It's really
an amazing sight and, for me, an expansion of my world or the sense
of my city that, in San Francisco, brilliant red green and yellow parrots
fly free, circling overhead and adding to the brilliance of this world.