Yesterday, I was doing my typical routine, having escorted five senior pals (in two trips) grocery shopping. After bringing them back home and checking in with my fiance, I went out again … to the post office, bank, drug store, and grocery store again for something that I forgot to get earlier. Dressed comfortably in leather jeans, boots, and a leather jacket.
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\nI try to make these personal trips (when I am alone) serve my exercise needs, too. I park at the far corner of the shopping center’s parking lot. That location requires a hike up quite a hill, and a longer hike between all the businesses that I had to go to. <\/p>\n
After I parked my truck, I stopped to speak with a motorcop who was sitting in his cruiser (my home jurisdiction allows motorcops to use a cruiser instead of a police bike when the weather is cold). Cops frequently hang out in that parking lot keeping an eye on things. The cop and I spoke about the recent death of a motor officer in a neighboring county. This cop knew him from the local motorcycle police competition, and while I didn’t know him personally, I observed him ride. He was very skilled. The cop with whom I was speaking and I both expressed our remorse at the sudden line-of-duty death of our mutual acquaintance, having been involved in a crash while on his police motorcycle.<\/p>\n
So there we are, on a bright, sunny, cold afternoon chit-chatting away. The cop always kept his eye on movements of vehicles and people. He remarked about how crazy people remain — driving all over and circling around just to get the closest parking place; abandoning shopping carts wherever they damn well please; driving aggressively inside a parking lot–ignoring the right-of-way of other drivers; parking in fire lanes (to use a bank’s ATM–and the cop would give each one a citation); and pedestrians ignoring crosswalks and walking whenever and wherever they please–right in front of traffic. Dumb stuff.<\/p>\n
As we were talking, we both watched two guys sashaying along who demonstrated all — I mean all — of the behavioral stereotypes of gay men. Designer jeans and jacket, scarf tied “just so,” hair coiffed perfectly (not wearing a hat, either, despite the cold), upscale footwear, and their hands — oh gosh — how they flailed. Both were carrying shopping bags from a store that appeals to … well, let’s say that store does not appeal to masculine men. When these guys drew closer, you could hear each one speaking with a distinct sound that many people immediately classify as gay. I won’t fulfill stereotypes further, but you know what I mean.<\/p>\n
The cop looked at me and rolled his eyes. I said, “hey, you know, all of us gay guys are different. Those guys are a bit more extreme than I am, but the gay community includes many kinds.”<\/p>\n
It didn’t take a nanosecond for the cop to catch what I said, and he remarked, “you’re not gay! No way!”<\/p>\n
From there, we had quite a conversation and I would say, I helped to educate him about the fact that gay men are not all the same. I am gay, I am in a stable monogamous long-term relationship to a man who I will marry soon, and yet I ride a Harley, wear leather, hate dancing, don’t give a damn about my hairstyle, and wouldn’t know designer clothing from off-the-rack stuff, and don’t care anyway.<\/p>\n
It made for an interesting conversation for about another hour. Then the cop had to get moving and I had to get back home. We shook hands, and as we parted, he said, “thanks for briefing me about this stuff. I really didn’t know. I’ll be more open minded now.”<\/p>\n
Life is short: education is the key to understanding.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Yesterday, I was doing my typical routine, having escorted five senior pals (in two trips) grocery shopping. After bringing them back home and checking in with my fiance, I went out again … to the post office, bank, drug store, … Continue reading