Boston and the family

It's a beautiful Monday afternoon as I sit outside Quincy Market in Boston having lunch between meetings. I brought my cats to my parents' house in New Hampshire on Friday, and the University of New Hampshire inducted me into its Diversity Hall of Fame in Durham on Saturday. I head back to Brooklyn tomorrow morning, but I leave here with additional piece of mind after coming out to my Aunt Cheryl last night.

This process is a long and often difficult one for many LGBT people in this country and around the world. Many people who have come out to their friends and especially family arguably take their acceptance and support for granted. I have felt particularly drawn to my aunt since I met her a few years ago. She is a very cosmopolitan woman with friends from a variety of diverse backgrounds. My cousins equally embrace this diversity, and it felt almost mandatory to talk about my sexual orientation last night. My aunt and I were talking as she was preparing dinner. My cousin came in and joked my grandmother would diapprove of both of our lifestyles. We all laughed, and that was the end of it. No dramatic speech. No awkward attempts to explain why I like men. It was a simple 10 second conversation that gave me additional peace of mind before we sat down for salmon, sausages and steak. It was a wonderful evening with the family.