Wednesday, September 28, 2005

April 1, 1969

I'm at a loss as to how I should start my book. Should I begin with 'the beginning' of my birth? Or would 'the beginning' of my gay life Ibe more appropriate? Being as that my gay life has been forefront and center to everything that has happened in my life for the last 30 years, I think maybe I can take a date and run with it.

April 1, 1969. The numbers alone are worth investigating. Not ever having any training in numerology, I can only attest to the heartfelt feelings I have about that date. It was on that day my family moved to Manly Iowa. We left Mason City behind like it was a bad apple. Manly was going to be where we would start anew, whatever needed to be 'new-alized', maybe it was me. I was getting into some minor theft before then, mostly candy & cakes at the store for school lunch.

But Manly was where we were going to start fresh, and since there was really no opportunity in Manly for me to steal, the hope was that I would grow up to be the man my dad wanted me to be.

So, April 1, 1969, shortly before my 13th birthday,