Saving the World One Party at a Time
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Another person at the housewarming was a woman who just had her first book published at the age of 81. I had interviewed her recently for the local newspaper and we became friends in the process. After meeting with her several times, I invited her to the party. She made a comment about looking forward to meeting my wife. I'd spoken often with her about Jon, but it hadn't sunk in that Jon was a man. I gently corrected her and she seemed surprised. I wasn't sure if she would still come to the party, but sure enough, there she was at our door with a bottle of wine. As we chatted later that evening, she told me that she'd picked up my book at the library. "I'm really enjoying it," she told me. "It's been a real education."

My sister is a very conservative Republican Christian. On the surface, we couldn't be more different, but she has always been supportive of my relationship with Jon. For a while, she was the only one who accepted Jon as a member of our family. Jon and I love to entertain and we often throw large, rather lavish parties. This was the first one my sister and her husband have attended. She called me after the party and said, "You know, I was looking around at everyone there, and they didn't look like they all belonged there, but they all seemed to be having fun. It was cool."

In many ways, that's what it's all about. I like to think that, in our small way, we're making a difference. Parties and get-togethers may seem frivolous, but we're changing hearts and minds... and attitudes. People who may not otherwise be exposed to gays and lesbians in their daily lives meet them in person, socialize with them, and realize we're no different from anyone else. As more and more attitudes change, so will the laws. Eventually, a generation from now, maybe sooner, people will look back and wonder what all the fuss was about. I'll be an old man by then, telling stories to wide-eyed, disbelieving youngsters about the bad old days when gays were openly discriminated against... and I'll proudly tell them about our part in the revolution -- saving the world one party at a time.

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