From: jhb@calmasd.prime.com (Jim Bishop)
Newsgroups: soc.motss
Subject: Re: Letter from my father
Date: 22 Nov 92 06:15:08 GMT
Organization: -

In article <1992Nov18.042125.203@spdcc.com>, dyer@spdcc.com (Steve Dyer) writes:
> Daniel,
> 
> I think it's a wonderful letter, full of vulnerability and awkwardness,
> and sure, a little bit of denial, but quite generous, solicitous and sweet.
> Would your father like to consider any honorary adoptees?  I can think of
> hundreds of lesbian and gay people, myself included, who would be thrilled
> to receive such a letter from their mother or father.  You should tell him
> this, too.
> 
> -- 
> Steve Dyer

Not being much for poetry I wasn't going to post this, but considering
last summer's discussion of what Pride Parades are and aren't and this
discussion, I've decided I will post it.  It made me think about our
Pride Parade differently and what it perhaps means to some non-gay
people.  Our local parade (San Diego) isn't much by comparison to say 
LA's or San Francisco's, but P-FLAG was still able to get a rise out
of everyone and received the loadest cheers of any group.

Anyway, the following was written by Mary Measom - "a P-FLAG mother 
from Oceanside" and is reprinted here without permission, but I don't
think she'd mind at all.

                            A P-FLAG MOM
                          GAY PRIDE PARADE
                              SAN DIEGO
                               7/18/92
        THERE WERE HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS OF THEM
                      AND ONLY A HANDFUL OF US
                   THEY SCREAMED AND THEY SHRIEKED
                    AND THEY CHEERED AS WE PASSED
                               YELLING
                THANK YOU, IT'S GREAT THAT YOU CARE!
                           LOUDEST OF ALL
                         AND CLEAREST OF ALL
             WERE THE SCREAMS THAT EMERGED FROM THE EYES
          OF THE HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS OF THEM
              WHO WATCHED AS WE MARCHED DOWN THE STREET
               I CARRIED A SIGN THAT STATED MOST CLEAR
                    MY LOVE FOR MY SON WHO IS GAY
                        SHE STARED AT MY SIGN
                         AND STARTED TO CRY
                   PIERCING MY HEART WITH HER PAIN
                          I LEFT THE PARADE
                        AND MOVED TO HER SIDE
                    I HELD HER IN BOTH OF MY ARMS
                        HER SOBS WERE INTENSE
                       AND I TIGHTENED MY GRIP
                  AS SHE WHISPERED HER SECRET TO ME
                       "MY MOM HAS DISOWNED ME
                         SINCE SHE FOUND OUT
                 SHE SAYS I'M NOT RIGHT IN THE HEAD
                       SHE SAYS THAT I'M WIERD
                      THAT I'M ONE TO BE FEARED
              THAT I'VE CAUSED HER TO SUFFER SUCH PAIN
                     DO YOU THING THAT YOU COULD
                     DO YOU THING THAT YOU MIGHT
                     JUST BE MY MOM FOR TODAY?"
        THERE WERE HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS OF THEM
                   LOOKING FOR PARENTS THEY'D LOST
        THERE WERE HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS OF THEM
                      BUT ONLY A HANDFUL OF US

Jim
                                  
Newsgroups: soc.motss