For Frying Out Loud (2 page)

January 2007

GOING TO EXTREMES

The terrorists have won. They've turned the once exhilarating adventure of airline travel into an excruciating ordeal. Between terrorists and Big Business, air travel is now an extreme sport.

I recently attended a conference in Seattle (and Bonnie came along, not realizing travel was no longer fun) and I have never, ever, had a worse travel experience, including the time my ass fell asleep on a 25-mile bike trip. (I know, what was I thinking?)

But the very act of getting from Philadelphia to Seattle without going insane was as extreme as it gets.

From the Al Qaida security handbook:

1. Liquids, gels and aerosols must be in three-ounce or smaller containers.
Rolled up toothpaste tubes are forbidden. Is a terrorist likely to commandeer a plane by strapping himself with Crest Whitening gel?

2. Liquids must be placed in a single, quart-size, zip-top, clear plastic bag.
I can't seal ziplocks correctly with leftovers in them, so you can imagine how well I do trying to zippity do dah in front of armed guards.

3. Each traveler must place their plastic, zip-top bag in a bin for screening.
My shampoo gets an MRI and I get to toss my shoes, wallet, keys and phone into a bin and watch it get sucked into a black hole – while I step through the metal detector and get felt up by a security worker and her explosive detection device.

Those people have a tough job. If they're looking for sweaty, suspicious-acting terrorists, we're all sweaty and suspicious, praying we'll get our valuables back before somebody else does.

All this happens barefoot of course, ever since that goofy-looking schmuck tried to blow up a plane with dynamite in his shoes. Now we have to remember to spray Dr. Scholl's foot
powder in the morning so we can get barefoot without causing a concourse evacuation.

I was relieved to read you can carry breast milk onto the plane. I've got to assume they mean outside the body. And all of a sudden tweezers are okay again. The Homeland Security police must have been confronted by an angry mob of menopausal woman threatening to grow goatees on long flights.

Yet, you'll be pleased to know that while a whole list of things are banned from carry-on luggage, it's perfectly alright to carry spear guns, meat cleavers and ice axes in checked luggage. Look around when you get your bags off the carousel; you could be standing next to a psychopath wielding a meat cleaver.

Once harried travelers emerge from the strip-search it's time to run to the gate. If you stop to gaze at the departure screen, don't take your hand off your luggage. Like the eternally looping announcement says, airport police can swoop in and detonate your unattended suitcase.

Hell, I am now forbidden from packing anything important anyway – just a magazine, my three ounces of toiletries and extra panties in case my checked luggage winds up some place other than I do. I can see them blowing up my carry-on and having to duck and cover from exploding underpants.

So we get onto the plane and immediately everybody heaves their carry-on up into the over-heads. Of course, the man ahead of us clogs the whole boarding process by trying to stuff a bag the size of a cello over my head. Hey, Pablo, check the damn thing.

Then we notice that despite paying $44 each to purchase five extra inches of leg room we're still crammed in like sardines. Umm, we actually are flying united.

Then we get to savor this experience longer than scheduled: the plane's A/C goes up and until they fix it we're stuck enjoying the five extra inches (is this sounding smarmy to you, too?) for 45 extra minutes, packed in a stifling aluminum tube.

Finally we are airborne and listening to the flight attendant's instructions for grabbing our seat cushion to use as a flotation device should the plane ditch in the water. Hell, bending my arm to reach under my butt would shatter my right elbow on the window and my left on Bonnie's jaw. I'd have to float as I'd never be able to swim.

More survivable might be an emergency landing on terra firma. But Bonnie turns to me and says “How can we get into the crash position? On the way to putting our heads between our knees we'll knock ourselves unconscious on the seat in front of us.”

Actually, it might be easier to put our heads between each others…um, I'll stop now….

Then the flight attendant comes by with the beverage cart, but we're packed so tightly neither one of us can get to our wallets without breaking a rib. We settle for free Diet Coke. As I raise the four ounce cup of liquid to my lips the guy in front of me tilts his seat back slamming me in the tits with the tray table and shooting the soft drink up my sinuses. Now that's snorting coke.

Did I mention we had middle and window seats with (what else?) a Sumo wrestler on the aisle? But you knew that.

Finally, we land some place in America's heartland, 45 minutes late for a connecting flight where the layover was supposed to be 55 minutes.

We go running down the concourse, tickets, I.D.s and chins flapping, gasping for air, screaming from shin splints, racing to the gate. Mercifully that flight was delayed by, I don't know, sunshine? We made it by a whisker. Thank God I had the tweezers.

The second flight was, if possible, more painful than the first, since we hadn't sprung for extra leg room. By way of contrast, Bonnie and I exited Seattle on a scenic train heading for Vancouver BC. It left and arrived on time, had roomy, comfortable seats and a dining car serving a full breakfast. The friendly porters had a delightfully quaint manner and provided
a startling level of service. We might have been on the Orient Express.

Sadly, we didn't have a week for Amtrak to take us home. Fro pretty much mirrored To. Only instead of a cello, a fellow passenger tried to stow what looked like a John Deere tractor in the overheads.

When I got home I happened upon the Extreme Sports Channel where they mentioned “a bunch of hardened riders busting their asses.” I don't know what sport they were talking about but it could have been the 747 fuselage team.

Actually, I looked it up. An extreme sport is defined as any sport with a very high level of danger, often involving speed, altitude and a heightened level of physical exertion. Such activities induce an adrenaline rush and the outcome of a mismanaged incident may be death.

Now I realize that statistics say flying is far safer than driving. That may be true, but these days, the extreme sport of air travel is less likely to induce an adrenalin rush and more likely to induce a persistent vegetative state. Fortunately, the outcome of a mismanaged cabin incident may only be Diet Coke-covered clothing and inadvertent snuggling with strangers. But it sure ain't no fun anymore.

Next, I'm off to New Orleans for a publishing convention. Let the extreme games begin….

February 2007

A WHIRLWIND FRIENDSHIP, THEN LOSS

If you've paid even the slightest bit of attention to the struggle for gay rights in this country you know of Barbara Gittings. You might not recognize the name, but you remember seeing photos, from 1965, of homosexuals, men in suits and ties, women in skirts, protesting for gay rights in front of the White House. Barbara was there, and she called it picketing. Most people call it the beginning of the entire gay rights movement in this country.

Barbara Gittings passed away too soon, on February 18 at age 75, after an incredibly courageous battle against breast cancer. She was a young 75, vigorous until close to the end, and passionate about her cause, probably until her last second of life. I've known of Barbara Gittings and her activist work almost from the moment I peeked my nose out of the closet in 1982, already more than thirty years into Barbara's very visible gay rights crusade.

And while I knew of her for years, I only got to meet her last summer. And only for one weekend. But it was a total immersion weekend, filled with astounding stories of early organizing, picketing, and the way things were.

For the way things are, we can thank Barbara and her partner of 46 years Kay Lahausen. They were tireless and achieved a great deal in our struggle for equality. We all owe them – big time.

When Delaware Stonewall Democrats planned their annual fundraiser last summer, they decided to honor two different parties. Their 2006 accolades were to go to Sarah and Jim Brady, for their wonderful spirit, local and national activism, and caring. The other honoree would be Gay rights pioneer Barbara Gittings.

We had heard she wasn't in the best of health, having fought cancer for years, and recently undergoing another
course of chemotherapy. She told Stonewall organizers she was hesitant to make the drive from her home in Wilmington to the beach by herself, as her partner Kay had mobility issues and wouldn't be coming along. Bonnie and I volunteered to pick Barbara up on Friday night, transport her to Rehoboth and welcome her to our guest room.

From the minute she hopped (and it did seem like a hop) into our car, this petite and lively woman with the delightful smile started peppering us with questions. She wanted to know where we lived, how we met, what movies we liked, the last book we read, how many siblings we had, if we were out of the closet to relatives, and dozens more inquiries. For our part we answered, exchanged a lot of laughs, and heard much of her story, too. Two hours later, when our car turned off Route One onto Old Landing Road, we were behaving like three old friends.

Interspersed with the life stories, Barbara cautioned that she tires easily and might not be up for too busy a weekend. No problem, we said, our house is yours for resting, relaxing and whatever you need for the weekend.

“Where's the best place for dinner?” she asked immediately, “I love great restaurants. And can I meet some of your friends?”

While she disappeared into the guest room to change clothes, we invited four friends over for pre-dinner cocktails. When Barbara reappeared, she was wearing white tennis shorts, sneakers and a bright orange t-shirt with the slogan “Gay? Fine by Me!” on it.

Our friends arrived, I mixed martinis and Barbara sat cross-legged on our sofa, one of my dogs in her lap. She told us stories about her involvement in those White House pickets (“I insisted that we had to dress conservatively”) and the early days of the organization Daughters of Bilitis – the first and most famous lesbian rights organization. We learned the inside story of her arranging for a gay psychiatrist, disguised to protect his identity, coming to speak at the National Psychiatric
Association. That event led directly to the 1973 NPA vote to remove homosexuality from their list of mental illnesses.

We offered Barbara a roster of Rehoboth restaurants and she selected a lovely upscale French place, for what turned out to be a fabulous dinner filled with great food, wine, and conversation.

After dinner, our guest asked if we could go to the boardwalk, so we drove up past the Henlopen Hotel, where we could access the beach and a great view of Rehoboth by night. “Can we walk?” Barbara asked. “Sure,” we said, heading south along the boardwalk towards Rehoboth Avenue.

Then we passed the Avenue, continued walking under the stars toward Funland, and quickly, all the while chatting about politics, reached the end of the boardwalk.

“I'll go get the car,” Bonnie said.

“No,” said Barbara, “let's walk back. And get some caramel popcorn on the way!”

If our guest tired easily, there was no evidence that night, even as Bonnie and I huffed and puffed returning to the car.

Back at home, there was a message on the phone from Barbara's partner Kay, asking if we would please take photos of the next day's Stonewall event for their memorabilia collection.

The next day saw breakfast out, terrific stories, sharing of views, a little shopping at our gay bookstore and then the Stonewall event.

With perfect summer weather, and a large crowd, the stage was set for the big backyard event at the home along Silver Lake. A host of officials spoke, along with attending politicos, and finally we got to the honors. Both Sarah and Jim Brady, as well as Barbara made passionate and effusive remarks. Stonewall presented Barbara with a lovely glass bowl, which she excitedly held over her head for all to see as she challenged us to keep up the fight.

Following the cocktail hour event it was off to dinner again. This time Barbara chose a gourmet Asian restaurant where we had another wonderful meal and more animated conversation.
Bonnie and I were a little sad, because our weekend together was coming to an end.

On Sunday morning, Bonnie cooked pancakes as we sat around our table chatting about Rehoboth and Delaware politics. Then it was time to return Barbara to Wilmington. I don't think any of us wanted the weekend to end. As we drove North, Barbara wanted to know everything she had failed to ask us on the trip down and we wanted to know more about her career. It turns out that she and Kay mostly held low-level administrative jobs to fund their real jobs as gay rights activists. We realized all the things Barbara and her contemporaries went through to make our current lives here in Rehoboth possible.

When we dropped her off at home, we felt like we'd made a wonderful new friend and she promised to stay in touch as well.

Through September we exchanged a few e-mails, and I soon got a package – a wonderful autographed book full of interviews from the early gay rights activists and quite a bit about Barbara herself. She also told me to look for a new documentary in which she was interviewed. In exchange, I sent along the Stonewall event photos.

I was caught up in other things last fall – writing jobs, political races and putting the finishing touches on my next book. It was a while before I realized I hadn't heard from Barbara regarding the package of pictures.

And I was totally stunned and saddened last week when I heard she had passed away, with Kay at her side.

Bonnie and I were unhappy we hadn't gotten the chance to see Barbara again, but I was torn. Selfishly I'd rather remember her charging in and out of our house, curly grey hair askew, asking questions, laughing out loud and wearing her “Gay? Fine by Me!” t-shirt.

You're going to miss her whether you knew her or not.