NFL Sunday…

There is something seriously to be said for sitting back and simply enjoying the NFL on Sunday. Now I have to admit that I am not the biggest football fan in the world (yes, I do own a Guy Card). A lot of the time I find myself ready to go out and do something – sometimes anything – when the games start to stagnate, but I also can simply revel in rooting for the Redskins or reviling the 49ers. That's fun. That's American.

Last night was the final performance of Hedwig. Well, except for the encore performance next Saturday night (already sold out with over 25 turnaways) last night was "officially" the closing of the show. It was a unique theater experience for me. Let me see if I can explain.

Mostly through theater, I have met and am friends with quite a few people who are gay, some openly and some not so much. I do not have any problems with this. I really believe this is an issue which should have no voice in a public forum, as it simply is a matter between two individuals. I do not believe anybody – ANYBODY – has the right to judge Paul because he is in love with Steve rather then Cindy. His feelings for someone else have nothing to do with anyone else (notwithstanding the ever present love triangles and jilted lovers), regardless of our own beliefs. If you want to play the "Moral God Card", I believe you can present your case to Paul and see if you can convince him of the "error in his ways", but it is not OK to try to force him to your way of thinking. We put people in jail for gay bashing. I believe all the effort going into pursuing legislation banning gay marriage and impeding the civil rights of gay and lesbians is nothing but a white collar version of gay bashing. We are trying to penalize others simply because of the way they feel.

Like I said, I have friends who are gay and lesbian, but I had never been in an environment which was predominantly gay and lesbian. I was suddenly in the minority, and though I was made to feel very welcome, it was a little discomforting at first. Why? I just explained my stance on homosexuality, and I stand by my convictions. I am not a naive person, so I was not suddenly entering a situation uninformed. Nobody was making any overt advances toward me. So why should I feel uncomfortable? As I write this, right this second it becomes clear to me: I am a 40 year old white guy who grew up in an All American family – Parents who are still married after 45 years, my father a retired Air Force First Sergeant and my mother a church going Southener, my last name is about as whitebread as you can get, and most of my friends are straight. This is truly the first time I have EVER been in the minority. It's that simple. And that was the discomforting part.

To the cast and crew of Hedwig, I salute you on a job well done! The show kicked some major tuckus. And to Kevin "Hedwig" Leonard I say a special Bravo! Actor to actor it was great to watch you command the role so completely you never broke character, no matter what was thrown at you. Awesome!

Next up for me: Being the percussionist for Garbeau's Christmas Show. Time to start getting my jingle bells warmed up.

Wow, that sounded... almost dirty.