Smile, what's the use of crying?

One of my favorite song lyrics says "Smile, what's the use of crying?"  Indeed.  Charles Chaplin, John Turner, and Geoffrey Parsons gave us something very special in that song they wrote.  I can almost hear it right now.  I love Petula Clark's version, and even Michael Jackson's,  but the best known of course is from Nat King Cole.

Song lyrics can change our mood, and so it's those happy words that I want to hear the most of!  Our little road trip from San Francisco has features a lot of happy songs and a lot of singing.  I'm even getting a little hoarse. (Chaplin, by the way did the music and the words came from Turner and Parsons).  You certainly can't go wrong when the title is Smile!  Smiling is just about the happiest thing a person can do! 

The last three simple lines of that song really say it so well! 
 

Smile, what's the use of crying?

You'll find that life is still worthwhile

If you just smile

Canada Day

July begins each year with our friends to the north celebrating the beginning of Canada. It was on July 1, 1867 that the British North America Act (known today as the Constitution Act, 1867) created Canada. It was originally Dominion Day, but on October 27, 1982, July 1, "Dominion Day" officially became Canada Day.

Canada has ten provinces and three territories extending from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean. It is the world's second-largest country by total area,

On July fourth we celebrate American Independence Day but today let us pause for a moment and celebrate with our Canadian friends.  They are not a part of the United States and never have been.  The have a wonderful rich history of their own.

Hear the band

One thing I always love about parades in San Francisco is The San Francisco Pride Band, formerly the San Francisco Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band. founded by Jon Sims back in 1978, they were the first openly gay musical organization in the world.

For nearly ten years, Michael J. Wong has been Artistic Director for both the Marching and Pep Bands. Watch him sometime. You can see right away that he is having a good time.

Back in 2018, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to officially designate them as "the official band of the City and County of San Francisco." That's pretty impressive.

There's nothing like the sound of a marching band, as far as I'm concerned, and these performers are extra special. I was not able to be present at yesterday's San Francisco parade, but I watched he television coverage, and the moment I saw Michael marching up Market Street, I got tears in my eyes.  Thanks for always making a positive difference and Happy Pride!

Before the Parade Passes By

LGBTQ Pride Parades will be happening many places today, including San Francisco where I participated for so many years. Before the parade passes by though I want to say a few more things about LGBTQ history and all of these events.

All this month I have broken from writing about various ways we can make a difference and I have focused on the many people and events that have helped improve conditions and promote equality for our LGBTQ sisters and brothers. There are so many more stories that can be told. I'd like to invite you once again to share your own stories in the comments section below.

I world is a better place and so many good people have done good things, but we still have a long way to go. People should feel safe wherever they are and at all times, not just at celebrations one month out of the year. Together, we can make the world a better place. Let's always stand against hate.

Oh, and about those parades, there was a time when there would be little media coverage. Today many of the parades are being televised live! I will be watching the San Francisco parade because I simply HAVE TO see and hear The San Francisco Pride Band. (More on them tomorrow).

Remembering Wilson

The name Wilson F. Fang might not be a familiar one to you, but it will always mean a lot to me. Reader's Digest magazine used to have a regular feature where folks wrote about the most unforgettable character in their lives.   I've said this before, and it continues to be true - that person for me is Wilson.  It's been almost ten years since he died, and I still think about him all the time.

I have fond memories of Wilson during LGBTQ+ Pride Months in the past and especially good memories on this date.  Today would have been his 52st birthday.  

Wilson was active in San Francisco's Castro LGBTQ+ community, Gay Asian Pacific Alliance, and held the title of Mr. GAPA 2005.  He was the kind of person you immediately felt comfortable with.  I've been participating in AIDS Walk San Francisco from the beginning and Wilson would sponsor me every year.  I only knew him for about twenty years, but such wonderful years!  I remember sitting one night talking with him for hours at a now defunct restaurant.  

Wilson also loved to travel, and he generously shared pictures and stories of his adventures.  His warmth and kindness will always be remembered.

Happy birthday in heaven dear Wilson.  Thank you for the times we shared.  I'm sure you are showing your kindness now to the angels.

Oh my!

We knew him first as Hikaru Sulu, helmsman of the USS Enterprise, but we have come to know him as so much more. George Takei is also a very outspoken activist who is paving the way for LGBTQ+ generations yet to come. When I watched him on the bridge during those Star Trek episodes, I had no idea George was a gay man, but now the whole world knows and is proud.

Most people might know him largely from his voice work and his acting, including a classic Twilight Zone episode, an old Perry Mason, and his legacy project, the more recent musical Allegiance.  I really like his activism though and all the things he is accomplishing now as an openly gay married man.  With husband Brad by his side, he really is going where no man has gone before.

Now about that whole "oh my!" thing. I love that he says it, but so do I and I've been saying it since I was in high school. No, I didn't copy George Takei. I'd never heard of him back when I first said it.

I remember the first time I met him. Kind, polite, and warm. I don't easily say that about many celebrities. It was at an LGBTQ event, and we didn't have time for much conversation, but I've seen a lot of him in public, including his famous facebook posts, and I can easily say he is making a positive difference.  He seemed like the perfect person to end the month with.

Happy Pride!

We Do

When I first began writing this blog, same-sex couples could only marry in five countries and one US state (Massachusetts).  The Netherlands had been the first country in 2001 and parts of Canada followed in the next years, finally making it nationwide in 2005.  Although California had tried several times, obstacles kept coming up. 

In 2004, the Mayor of San Francisco ordered marriage licenses be issued to same-sex couples whenever they applied.  The state Supreme Court issued a stay, but before the court stepped in, 4,037 same-sex couples were issued marriage licenses in San Francisco County.  During the same period, 103 were issued to opposite-sex couples.  Clearly there was an interest.

Over the years, I wrote here about marriage equality, and I showed progress and laws changed in other countries and here in the United States. The fifty states each have separate laws regarding marriage, but all must adhere to rulings by the United States Supreme Court that recognize marriage as a fundamental right. It was a long road, state by state, but now same-sex marriage is legal in all fifty states.  It was ten years ago on this date that the high court made it so.

The month of June has always been a popular month for wedding ceremonies, but it has grown even more popular with many lesbian and gay couples choosing June because it is LGBTQ+ Pride Month.  

Sadly, there are still many places where there is not marriage equality.  There is still a lot of work to be done.