Bobservations

The other day Carlos and I were driving through town on a rather narrow road and a guy parked at the curb flung his door open, causing me to swerve to avoid hitting his car.

Naturally, I shouted, “Close your door dumbass,” and Carlos said:

“My door isn’t open.”

He makes me smile.

This Tuxedo Says is from October 2020 … when Tuxedo was been learning to translate English to cat …

Not to brag, but it seems like everyone in our neighborhood wants to be like us. We're having some painting done at the casa and everyone is rushing over to try and hire the painter to do their home.

Last week a 69-year-old man known his entire life as Robert walked out onto a balcony and self-identified as Leo and the entire world instantly began calling him Leo.

See how easy it is to accept, and respect, how a person identifies.

Oh, and he was wearing a dress.*

*as seen on Facebook

All those so-called conservative Republicans who have no problem with The Felon accepting a $400,000,000 airplane from Qatar keep pointing out that in 1886 President Grover Cleveland accepted the Statue of Liberty from France.

But, unlike The Felon who will use the plane while in office and then keep it as his personal property, Cleveland was authorized by Congress to accept the gift and, big surprise, when he left office, he didn’t take Lady Liberty to his home and set her up by the pool.

On his blog the other night, YorkshirePudding, contemplated rap artists and their stage names versus their real names, concluding that Yorkshire Pudding was his own rap or hip-hop name and adding …

“But what about the following: John Gray, Jennifer Barlow, Steve Reed, Bob Slatten, Mary Moon, Graham Edwards, Robert Brague and  Meike Riley? Surely these named blogfolk need  pseudonyms and here are my suggestions...

John Gray - scotchegg4U

Jennifer Barlow - marcomama

Steve Reed - OlgaSlaveFL

Bob Slatten - rabblerouserFU

Mary Moon - Mer-maid54

Graham Edwards - cro.malletNZ

Robert Brague - vague41etc.

Meike Riley - dataqueen68"

 Yes, I am RabbleRouserFU … if you had a rap name, what would it be??

Emmanuel Alli is a chartered physiotherapist and model, and while I don’t get that, I do need to ask: Would You Hit It?

Good News Friday: Frank Ocean Comes Out

I've never heard of Frank Ocean; I wouldn't know him if he bumped into me on the street, but this morning I am quite proud of him.

See, Ocean is a hip-hop, R&B artist; not quite my style of music so I am unfamiliar with him. But this week Frank Ocean has come out as a gay man. As a Black gay man. As a gay hip-hop artist. All of which are huge, when you consider the stigma of being gay in the Black and hip-hop communities.

So, who outed Ocean? What spurned ex-lover threatened to sell a story to the National Enquirer forcing Frank Ocean to admit he's gay.

No one outed him; there was no story. Ocean simply wanted to tell his truth:

4 summers ago, I met somebody. I was 19 years old. He was too. We spent that summer, and the summer after, together. Everyday almost.

And on the days we were together, time would glide. Most of the day I'd see him, and his smile. I'd hear his conversation and his silence ... until it was time to sleep. Sleep I would often share with him.

By the time I realized I was in love, it was malignant. It was hopeless...I sat there and told my friend how I felt. I wept as the words left my mouth. I grieved for them, knowing I could never take them back for myself.

He patted my back. He said kind things. He did his best, but he wouldn't admit the same. He had to go back inside soon. It was late and his girlfriend was waiting for him upstairs. He wouldn't tell me the truth about his feelings for me for another 3 years. I felt like I'd only imagined reciprocity for years.

Now imagine being thrown from a cliff. No, I wasn't on a cliff, I was still in my car telling myself it was gonna be fine and to take deep breaths. I took the breaths and carried on.

I kept up a peculiar friendship with him because I couldn't imagine keeping up my life without him. I struggled to master myself and my emotions. I wasn't always successful.

To my mother, you raised me strong. I know I'm only brave because you were first ... so thank you. All of you. For everything good. I feel like a free man.

Frank Ocean didn't have to come out; no one forced him.

But in this world, as a Black gay male, he felt the need to be himself, to explain his 'self'. T understand that he couldn't be one thing in private and another thing in public.

It's too hard; it's too much work.

Coming out is hard, of course, but that first step, that first utterance of the words 'I'm gay' release you.

Free you.

Welcome out, Frank.

Welcome out. And, naturally, a coming out is nothing without a copy of The Gay Agenda from Homo HQ, as well as the Coming Out Toaster Oven.