Sadly, the death of Betty White on New Year’s Eve was the catalyst for me writing this blog. The news of Betty White’s death brought on a lot of personal sadness, but it is reassuring that she led a wonderful life. She was an amazing person who made many people laugh.
I will always remember watching the Golden Girls with my paternal grandmother. When I was young, I would visit her in Florida for a month. I distinctly remember watching Golden Girls on Lifetime (Television for Women --- AHHHHH) at night with her. That’s where my love for Golden Girls started. Over twenty-five years, I have continued to watch each episode of Golden Girls many-many-many times over.
As a child, I would be in my own zone while watching Golden Girls. I did not come out until my mid-twenties, but I knew I was different at a very young age. When I use the word different, I don’t mean it in a negative tone instead it is just how I felt at the time-which was different. As I have mentioned in prior posts, there are two stages with coming out. The first and most important is coming out to yourself. The other is coming out to the world, which comes in its own sub-stages that include family, friends, colleagues, etc.
Fast forward to my current self, I do not feel different at all. In fact, I am who I am, and am very proud of that – a cisgender gay male who wants LGBTQ+ rights expanded, so we have equal representation on the local, state, and federal level and that we are here for our youth to help guide them with one of the most challenging times of their lives, coming out.
In my youth, I often felt alone but Golden Girls helped me deal with that feeling. While watching Golden Girls I always felt happy, accepted, wanted – like I belonged. The four main characters were Beatrice Arthur as Dorothy Zbornak, Rue McClanahan as Blanche Devereaux, Estelle Getty as Sophia Petrillo, and Betty White as Rose Nylund. In all honesty, my personality traits, and characteristics best fit with Rose Nylund. One of those traits is being gullible BTW --Something about me that you may not know, my nickname in college was Goldie…guess why?
When you are feeling down, confused, or not accepted try to do something that makes you happy. Most importantly, always be your authentic self. On #MLK weekend, I want to share a quote that embodies my beliefs, "No person has the right to rain on your dreams."
On that note, thank you for being a friend…