Holiday Letters...

I used to do a holiday letter every year to go out with my Christmas cards...I decided not to do one this year and just do a year end wrap up and post it to my blog...a little of my adventures across the globe and recollections of good times is a nice way to wrap up the year!

Its been a year, and what a year it has been! 'Tis the season...and...and I've gone Silver and Gold (with the airlines and hotel)! I have been all over the map and have been able to catch up with a bunch of friends! I have traveled and racked up frequent flyer miles and hotel points and left places I didn't want to leave.

Was in the city of Brotherly Love for a day's check in. Spent some time in Nawlins and had to walk up and down Bourbon Street to get to the theatre from the hotel and back again. Was tough, but I persevered. Got to see my friend Troy and experience Nawlins pre-BP disaster. Flew from there to Kansas City, Mo. for a few days, and well...it was. After that I went winging off to London to check in on things across the pond. That first Wednesday I was there a volcano in Iceland shut down airspace in Britain and all over Europe (although, please don't check this fact with accounting at my company, as I had to explain my extra week) and I was "stranded" for an extra week. It was rough - stuck in a city I love where the boys thought I was exotic thanks to my "accent." I met a few new friends whilst I was there. "No one is so rich as to throw away a friend." (Quick - name the movie and get extra credit!) I almost didn't get on the plane to come back...made me want to be in London even more!

I felt very cultured after my stay in London. Was able to visit the Tate Modern and stroll the city in some of that extra time, and of course I did some shopping. I got to see Rufus Wainwright's opera, Prima Donna, and managed to check out We Will Rock You for my sister. Thanks to the Ash Cloud, I was able to catch the opening of Holding the Man in the West End. It opened the second Friday I was there, which bummed me out initially as I thought I would miss the limited run, or would have had to made a special trip just to see it. It was truly as brilliant as the book - which I highly suggest if you haven't read.

Went to Vermont in July with the boys and spent a few days just relaxing with friends with no agenda or game plan...it's always nice to be up there, well, other than the pesky no cellular signal thing.

I was able to stay at home for a bit after that, and wish I was back in London, who wouldn't? Hit the road again this fall for LA for a week and got to catch up with JD and Eric and have a little time to myself while out there for work. Also spent 7 weeks in Durham, NC where the 2nd National Tour of Billy launched. Got to catch up with Chris and Kyle while I was down there...so many travels and so many friends! Its been a fantastic year and I look forward to 2011 even more. So many travels, and so much catching up...it's nice to have a few days now to relax and just let the year end with lots of great memories with friends and looking forward to more in the new year.

The Closet

I was asked recently how out of the closet I was. It got me thinking. I have been out of the closet for 15 years. I have had boyfriends and lived with a partner. I remember being afraid and feeling the weight of the closet and the feeling of freedom when I finally did come out. Why does how far in or out of the closet matter in the LGBT community? My conclusion - because the more visible we become (which happens when people are true to themselves and come out of the closet) the freer we are as a person and, in turn a society.

I am so far out of the closet that I don't have enough bread crumbs left to leave a trail back. I am at a point in my life that I just don't care who knows and who doesn't. Being gay is a part of my life, not the only part of my life. Being an uncle, enjoying music and theatre - those are all just parts of my life - and like gay, none of them represent all of me, they are all the parts of me that make me whole. If my desire for equal rights frightens you because I am out of the closet and flaunting my "lifestyle" (I really despise that term) I challenge you to figure out how you flaunt your lifestyle to me every day. If my being out of the closet means you don't want to know me, I challenge you to look in your own. There's clearly something there that's troubling you. It doesn't mean it's necessarily your sexuality either. We all hide pieces of ourselves, but the more we come out of the closet and share them, the more we are free.

The closet represents a time in my life when I was afraid of the future, afraid of myself, afraid of what it would mean if I were gay. Life is what I live now, with the knowledge and my head held high.