andymichael

I haven't posted in a very long while but I'll give it another shot.

July and August have been hot. Much hotter than I remembered NB as a kid. Global warming or poor memory - not sure.

I think I will work on another story or finish a previous one - doing anything outside in the heat.

Okay, after some really warm winter weather it's supposed to hit -25 by tomorrow. Still not a lot of snow but winter may have finally arrived...

Another definite sign of spring - had a neighbor who stopped by as I was outside - never happens all winter long - almost never see most of the neighbors probably because it is too cold.

Was in a rotten mood earlier - had to deal with an idiot (not the neighbor) but starting to relax again.

Snowing again today.

I can tell spring is on the way though. We live on a dirt road and the road has turned to mud under the snow. Four wheel drive is not really a luxury here - for six months of the year it is a necessity.

Grr...I hate computer crashes. Especially when I had not saved the document I was working on.

So it was a warmer than usual winter here. Used less wood than I ever expected. Last week definitely felt like spring.

However, today it feels damn cold! It's just a few degrees below freezing but it's snowing and the wind is blowing. I guess it will be a few more weeks until those spring temperatures are back for good.

I have never liked using the word queer or fag to describe gay men.

I understand that there are people who believe that reclaiming language is important. I know that some people searching for an inclusive word for the G/L/B/T communities have used this word to describe all of these communities.

I can't see the word queer or fag as positive. Perhaps it is a failing of mine - I might be too rigid. I personally have no desire to reclaim these words. I respect those who use these words with a political purpose in mind but I don't think it will ever work for me.

For some reason I was thinking this morning about changes that have affected the gay community in the last few years. I realized quite a bit has changed in my lifetime. Maybe it is a sign of getting old when I begin to look back on the "way it was".

When I was born sex between men in Canada was a criminal act and homosexuality was seen as a psychiatric illness. In the early 70's homosexual acts were decriminalized in Canada and the DSM was changed.

In the 80's I was a kid just beginning to understand my own sexuality and how I was different from many of my peers. I remember reading about GRIDS (Gay Related Immune Deficiency Syndrome) and then as it was called shortly after that AIDS.

My perception of that time was it was not safe to be gay. I didn't know of anyone who was gay except those that I read about, and that was usually in articles about AIDS.

Being queer, a fag, etc. was the worst thing you could say to another guy. There were no groups for gay youth. No books in the library that said anything positive about gay men or lesbians.

In the late 80's I started going to gay bars in Montreal when I visited my sister in the summer and also one of the only two gay bars in the province of NB.

I remember in Fredericton the gay bar was called Traxx. You always had to be careful leaving at night if you were there late. It was best to leave in a group because gay bashing was frequent.

In the early 90's I remember being in the gallery of the legislature of New Brunswick when the Human Rights Act was amended to include discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Before this it was legal to discriminate in areas of services, employment and housing on the basis of sexual orientation.

We wondered how effective this new legislation would be - we believed in a small province like NB many would ignore the legislation and continue to discriminate.

The 90's were an odd time - I had begun to become a lot more active within the gay community and moved to the Toronto area but at the same time began seeing first hand how AIDS had affected the gay community. Gay men were sick and dying - this had occurred for 10 years previous across North America but for the first time it was those that I knew and cared about.

In the 21st century gay marriage is legal in Canada. I never thought I would see this occur but it did.

The perception of AIDS seems to have changed. AIDS is no longer seen as a disease affecting gay men and sex trade workers. I think this change is a good thing in some ways but bad in other ways.

My belief is that AIDS was not a priority for anyone because in North America it was seen as affecting gay men, sex trade workers and Haitians. People who were marginalized. People who were often seen as bringing this disease upon themselves. AIDS has and continues to decimate parts of Africa where people have been economically marginalized.

I wonder if in the process of recognizing that AIDS can affect anyone something was lost? Gay men were disproportionately affected by AIDS in North America. If it had been middle class housewives affected the response would have been quicker and interest much higher. AIDS in some ways was a "gay disease" in North America. It was a "gay disease" because society made it that way through a lack of response or caring.

I hope that is not forgotten.

Back from a long break. Not a whole lot new here - there are signs that spring is on the way and I am looking forward to an end of snow!

Working on another story to be posted soon.

It has been a few weeks since I have posted anything. Not really too much new here - mostly just a busy time. Have been outdoors a fair bit lately and enjoying that a lot.

Last Friday helped one of the few sane neighbors cut down some trees for firewood. Definitely a good workout!

Will see if I can post more frequently in weeks to come.