Be Glaad

“Why are you mad when you could be GLAAD?” Taylor Swift

This happy painting is my tribute to Pride month. For many of us who deeply love this crazy, wonderful, evolving country of ours, it’s nice to have a month dedicated to being happy, and, as Taylor Swift says, GLAAD. There are so many things on the daily news that can bring us down, but not that many that pick us up. Pride month is about love, and how can we not embrace that? This month we celebrate our progress in acknowledging and embracing diversity. It’s a time to dance and show our true colors, and maybe even add some sparkle and glitter. Who doesn’t love some color and glitter in their lives?

Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind. Dr. Seuss

One experience from my working years that profoundly affected me was a conversation I had with one of my coworkers. It represented a watershed moment for me and fundamentally altered the way I viewed the world and the people in my orbit. In preparation for a visit from some sponsors, I had asked our lead technical expert to accompany me as I led a tour through our lab. We worked and planned for this day, but when the tour began, he seemed somewhat less enthusiastic than I would have expected. After our sponsors left, I asked him into my office, and I remember saying, “What happened out there? Don’t you care what they think of you?” He emphatically replied, “It’s none of my business what people think of me.” At that time, I did not know how to process his statement. He went on to explain that none of us can control how people perceive us or what they ultimately think of us. I had never thought of it this way, but the more I pondered this, the clearer it was to me that he was right. We really have no control over how people see us. In the context of Pride month, this seems apt. We all know there are many people who will target and harass other people who seem different from them. These people are often egged on by media outlets seeking to up their ratings by fueling people’s anger. The people who are angry often feel victimized by various marginalized groups such as immigrants, gays, feminists, etc. People who are bullied or marginalized know that their allies will be there and will love them for who they are, and, as Dr. Seuss says, these people are the ones who matter.

We should indeed keep calm in the face of difference and live our lives in a state of inclusion and wonder at the diversity of humanity. George Takei

The Thorn Birds, a television miniseries broadcast in 1983 starring Richard Chamberlain, Rachel Ward, and Barbara Stanwyck, was based on the 1977 Colleen McCullough novel by the same name. When I read the book, I fell in love with the lead protagonist, later played by Richard Chamberlain in the miniseries. Years later, in an interview viewed by millions, Richard Chamberlain came out as gay. I listened intently, and I clearly remember his initial comment in which he said that if you know someone is gay, you really know very little about them. You don’t know if they are kind, if they are good to their parents, if they like music, if they are good at math, etc. — another watershed moment for me at a time when no one discussed these topics.

I hope you enjoy this painting with its bright colors and sparkle of future possibilities as we navigate our shared landscape. Love is Love. Happy Pride to all!