I grew up a big ol’ Southern Baptist sissy. But unlike the characters Del Shores wrote about in Southern Baptist Sissies, I never wrestled with biblical guilt and shame. Bless all that mess. And bless the ones who did/do too.
Sure, there were plenty of church people in my family, but I mostly tuned them out.
In my experience, the loudest “godly” folks were also the biggest hypocrites. Why would I want to be like them just to score an invite to their eternal party in Heaven? Spending eternity with assholes in Heaven sounds like Hell to me. Not today, Satan.
I don’t know about you, but fire, brimstone, and self-righteousness have never been my cup of tea. Maybe that’s why I’ve always preferred iced tea.
For the most part, I grew up a happy-go-lucky only child. I loved books, music, and anything that let me disappear into my own imagination. At the same time, I was an anxious, insomniac overachiever, always trying to make straight A’s, always up past midnight reading, thinking, and/or worrying.
No one is perfect, and I learned early on that I was not an exception to the rule.
I also knew, deep down, that I was born this way. There was no single “aha” moment. Just a steady realization that I was wired differently from most of the boys around me. But being different doesn’t make me better—or worse—than them.
Instead of wasting time trying to “pray the gay away” or trying to force myself into someone else’s mold, I poured my energy into learning how to make myself happy.
I kept my head down, made good grades, and quietly nurtured secret crushes on half the guys in school, classmates and teachers alike.
My sexuality eventually put some distance between me and my family, but even then I knew it was their loss…and their shame. If my happiness makes someone unhappy, oh well. That’s their problem. Not mine.
Early on, I realized the life I wanted wasn’t going to fit neatly inside anybody else’s coloring book. So I picked up my box of colored pencils, crayons, and markers and started coloring outside the lines on purpose.
My creations weren’t always pretty, but they were mine. Like em or not, I liked them.
And here I am, decades later, still doing it. Still queer. Still coloring outside the lines. Still refusing to apologize for any of it.
Keep calm and color on!
Clint 🌈✌️
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FYC = FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION
ON THIS DAY = SEPTEMBER 29
BIRTHDAYS
1547 = Miguel de Cervantes = Spanish writer
1571 = Caravaggio = Italian painter 🌈
1760 = William Thomas Beckford = English writer 🌈
1903 = Diana Vreeland = American journalist and editor
1904 = Greer Garson = English-American actor
1907 = Gene Autry = American singer, actor, and businessman
1912 = Michelangelo Antonioni = Italian filmmaker
1913 = Trevor Howard = English actor
1922 = Lizabeth Scott = American actor
1923 = Stan Berenstain = American author and illustrator
1925 = Steve Forrest = American actor
1935 = Jerry Lee Lewis = American singer-songwriter
1936 = James Fogle = American author
1939 = Larry Linville = American actor
1942 = Ian McShane = English actor
1942 = Madeline Kahn = American actor and singer
1942 = Steve Tesich = Serbian-American screenwriter and playwright
1944 = Mike Post = American composer and producer
1957 = Andrew Dice Clay = American comedian and actor
1970 = Emily Lloyd = English actor
1980 = Chrissy Metz = American actor
1980 = Zachary Levi = American actor and singer
1892 = Stephen “tWitch” Boss = American dancer, choreographer, and producer
1984 = Danica Roem = American journalist and politician 🌈
1989 = Adore Delano = American drag queen and singer-songwriter 🌈
1994 = Nicholas Galitzine = English actor
1994 = Halsey = American singer-songwriter 🌈
EVENTS
1724 = J. S. Bach leads the first performance of Herr Gott, dich loben alle wir, BWV 130 for the feast of archangel Michael, based on Paul Eber‘s hymn in twelve stanzas.
1829 = The Metropolitan Police of London, later also known as the Met, is founded. The city’s first modern police force.
1975 = WGPR becomes the first black-owned-and-operated television station in the US.
1985 = MacGyver premieres on ABC.
2000 = Billy Elliot is released in theaters.
HOLIDAYS + OBSERVANCES
National Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15-October 15)
PORTRAIT + QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Too much sanity may be madness and the maddest of all, to see life as it is and not as it should be.”
Miguel de Cervantes
Wonderfully said, Clint! Convinced me to finally become a paid subscriber!
All the cool kids color outside the lines. Thanks for the mention, C 🩵