Apparently, the stupidest question you could ask a gay person is, "when did you know you were homosexual?" I know this because we had a discussion about it with my gay uncle on a recent visit to his home in Palm Springs.
Mind you, I didn't ask the "offensive" question, my uncle was simply recanting a media gaffe he had seen on Fox News.
That's the interesting thing about having a gay family member -- as Dick Cheney and Senator Portman can tell you -- you get to see life through a different set of eyes. In my case, a set of eyes that may not fully appreciate the picture above.
Feast your eyes on Barbara Eden, 78-year old Barbara Eden, appearing on stage at a fundraiser in the original costume that brought her fame. That's not special effects. Or tailoring. Or even magic genie power. That's just simply clean living and a disciplined workout routine.
It's also an affirmation of my own personal hardwiring.
You see, if you were to ask me, "when did I know I was a heterosexual?" I would not be offended. In fact, I could almost give you the exact date and time.
It was the first time I saw an episode of I Dream of Jeannie.
Truth be told, tonight I might still dream of Jeannie.
When I was about 17 or so, my father was asked to attend some kind of convention. It was at a Rock Resort Hotel in Puerto Rico. So in a rare moment of generosity he took us all along.
ReplyDeleteHe even took us to the convention's celebratory dinner. For whatever reason, Barbara Eden was there as well. (I just did a little research. Barbara's 2nd husband was the advertising chief of the Chicago Sun-Times.)
In any event, I got to sit next to Barbara Eden at dinner.
I spend the whole night looking down her shirt.