adventurerliberated

A mistake but not necessarily wrong

“ Lomeli said in a low voice, “Did I do the right thing, Vincent? What is your opinion?” “No one who follows their conscience ever does wrong, Your Eminence. The consequences may not turn out as we intend; it may prove in time that we made a mistake. But that is not the same asContinue reading “A mistake but not necessarily wrong”

My people — Queering relationships

Four guys in a picture. Four smiling young men. The fifth is the one with the good camera and photographer skills, taking the picture. One is Russian of Ukrainian ethnicity; one is French with a German surname; one is part Italian, part American, part English, part German. They’re different heights, different builds; they have differentContinue reading “My people — Queering relationships”

The big horrific bill

Reposting a message from One Colorado: “While most of us were sleeping, Colorado’s Republican Representatives voted for the U.S. House budget bill that proposes to slash over $700 billion from healthcare and Medicaid, harming hundreds of thousands of Coloradans to help subsidize tax breaks for the wealthy and big corporations. While this bill is beingContinue reading “The big horrific bill”

Trust: the most fundamental form of love

We were swinging freely almost twenty meters above the ground. The 9-mm climbing rope went through the two rappel rings at the top, 100 feet up from the ground, a “free-hanging rappel”, i.e. a lowering technique where there are no walls around or adjacent to you: you’re lowering from what is basically a hole inContinue reading “Trust: the most fundamental form of love”

Friendship: “Highway Queen”

This is how I feel about, or one way I would describe, true friendship: “ Well, there’s only a few pines left by the highway side And they all whistle as the wind rips straight through your pride Baby, it’s only your eyes and mine And this darkness that grows in time Oh, ‘cause youContinue reading “Friendship: “Highway Queen””

Wonderful validations & liberating clarifications

Last night, I went to the birthday celebration of one of the more outgoing & friendly people in the gay men’s chorus, joining folks at a queer club. Overall, I really had fun and the night felt affirming and liberating in several ways that are still making me glow now. Fortunately, my closest nonbinary transmascContinue reading “Wonderful validations & liberating clarifications”

A week of strengthening & broadening bonds

This week I’ve been able to see close friends every single day since getting home from Chicago on Monday. That in and as of itself has been lovely; but what has made it even lovelier has been a strengthening or broadening of the bonds with them. The Chicago trip, just as the Durango trip aContinue reading “A week of strengthening & broadening bonds”

Conversion therapies of all types must end once and for all

[Note: in addition to gays/lesbians, conversion therapy has also been forced on autistic children/youth in the form of “Applied Behavioral Analysis” therapy, a.k.a. ABA.] Re-blogging an excerpt from one of the LGBTQIA+ organizations here in Colorado: “This administration is continuing to use harmful rhetoric to stoke fear, chaos, and division within our communities. The recentContinue reading “Conversion therapies of all types must end once and for all”

Desperate urgency & holding the line

I’ve been trying to understand my unwillingness to keep up a friendship with the gender-expansive gay guy with whom I had hooked up unless he also takes concrete steps to initiate our meetings/plans. Why am I drawing such a hard line with him that I don’t necessarily draw with other friends? After all, isn’t friendshipContinue reading “Desperate urgency & holding the line”

The broken chain & the rings that remain

Monday, almost a week ago, was a “Big Day”. A day of “one big beginning and one final ending”, I wrote then. But it turned out to be a day of two beginnings. For almost half-a-dozen years I had been wearing a silver chain around my neck with two silver rings on it that areContinue reading “The broken chain & the rings that remain”