From the Desk of…

Lin H. Orndorf, Editor

You may have noticed that the cover of this issue of OIA, the May issue, makes no mention of Mother’s Day.  It’s not an oversight or an intentional slight.  It just didn’t feature into the issue this year.

But mothers are a part of the LGBTQ community in a variety of ways.  We all have one.  Some of us are one or want to be.

And there are ‘mothers’ of the gay and lesbian rights movement, including the rebellious drag queens at Compton’s and the Stonewall Inn.  I’m sure they were at least in touch with their ‘inner mother’ when they turned into angry momma bears protecting their cubs from the big bad policemen.

Anita Bryant is sometimes referred to as a ‘mother of the modern gay rights movement’ because her anti-gay campaign mobilized gays and lesbians to fight back.  She may be the epitome of the evil stepmother for the LGBTQ community.

In recent years, lesbians, gays, bisexuals, trans folks, and other queers have been adopted by moms who lost their gay sons to homo-haters.  Judy Shepard  and Elke Kennedy are two moms fighting to expand hate crimes laws to include sexual orientation and gender identity and expression.  Both women lost their gays sons to senseless violence and cruelty and they want to protect other sons and daughters and families from the same injustices in the future.

The definition of the transitive verb, to mother, is, in part, to care for or protect like a mother. The ability to mother is not dependent on one’s gender identity or expression.  Anyone can mother another. And many in the LGBTQ community have taken a turn mothering or being mothered as a result of prejudice or bigotry as in the case of gay youth, disowned by their families, they are often taken in by other gays or lesbians. 

Porscha and I became ‘foster moms’ to our roommate when she moved in with us.  She had been depressed and living in a teepee last fall after a breakup.  She needed some nurturing and TLC; in essence, mothering.  We make sure she gets to her classes at AB Tech and to work and eats at least one good meal everyday.  When we went to the opening of her class art show at a gallery downtown in April, she introduced us as her moms.

Those of us with pets, a cat or dog or both, often think of them as four-legged children.  Granted, they never advance much beyond kindergarten, but they depend on their human family for food, water, shelter, personal hygiene needs, exercise, and love.  It would be unthinkable to neglect or harm them; that would not be motherly at all.

But I’m not suggesting we discount our own mothers by any means.  My mom is one of my heroes and I will be sending her a card for Mother’s Day.  I suggest you do the same or send a card or flowers to someone who is like a mother to you or has mothered you at one time.  Let all those great mothers and motherers know how much they are appreciated. 

Well, maybe not Anita Bryant.  I think we would’ve done just fine without her.  Besides, we already gave her a pie.  But it was a fruit pie, so no animals were harmed.

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