It’s been a busy week! On Monday, we met about lobbying Kathy Dahlkemper’s office about some LGBT-related legislation. Then on Tuesday, I went down to the screening of Out in the Silence at the University of Pittsburgh at Henne Auditorium. (The screening was after being part of the Billionaires for Wealthcare rally that afternoon.)
I was worried abut running out of gas, but I made it there, and on time (pretty much.) I had not been able to see the full film before, but I did see the earlier incarnation We Belong. My friend Tim Dahl, one of the people in the documentary, was sitting in front of me with his boyfriend/fiance, Rex. I also got to meet Nicole, the terrific young woman who had started a GSA at her high school. it was great putting a face to the name, and her parents were there as well. Her parents were incredibly gracious and nice. My friend Steve Glassman was also on the panel. Steve is the Chair of the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission.
The audience was great! there was a very nice turnout, and it was diverse in a number of ways. I was on the panel speaking after the film. One audience member looked familiar to the Mary Ann Caton, the ACLU member who had done much of the coordinator. He got up and spoke afterwards and told about how important this was to him as a gay man. She later figured out that he was a postal worker that she knew.
I used my GPS to get down there. Afterwards, I wanted to find gas station and then something to eat. For some reason, it seemed like I was getting sent along streets that didn’t connect. Weird, as that had never happened before.
I pulled into a Kwik Fill to get gas and a very pleasant woman (who also looked like she might be a lesbian) noted that I had pulled in on the wrong side. She then asked me how much to fill. I was taking aback, since I couldn’t recall the last time that someone at a gas station filled the tank. Then she mentioned something about turning off the light so that no one else would pull in. Me (internally): “Dummy! She is about to close and wants to get home.” I felt bad for keeping her, but she was very quick, friendly and polite. She also told me that there was a nearby McDonald’s that was still home.
When I got over there, the GPS had the right location, but said that it was on the right hand side of the street, when it was on the left. I went in and the clerk took my order. She asked who was next, and there was a young straight couple being affectionate with each other. They didn’t respond, so I thought that they might be too busy canoodling to notice. Then I noticed that they were using sign language, so I realized that they just hadn’t heard the clerk. So I moved over to where I was in the young woman’s line of vision and got their attention.
Amusingly enough, Kathy Springer, the mother of the main subject of the documentary came up to the counter. She had apparently gotten dinner first and was looking to find a gas station, since she was pretty much running on fumes. I smiled and said, “Well, Kwik Fill just closed.” Fortunately, the clerk directed her to a Country Fair, so everything was cool.
Out in the Silence will be showing here in Erie on October 21 at 7 PM at the Hirt Auditorium at Blasco Public Library. Highly recommended and hoping that they get a good turn out.
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