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Monday Youffraita
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Greetings friends, and welcome to another Saturday! We made it! As is so often the case for me, I spent the week voraciously reading a new book, In this case, the book in question is entitled “Fit to Serve.” Written by Ambassador James C. Hormel, and Erin Martin. James C. Hormel was President Bill Clinton’s appointee as Ambassador to Luxembourg. He was also, at the time, the first openly gay man appointed to such a high position in government.
“Fit to Serve.” tells the story of Hormel’s childhood in a rich, white, family of privilege, his years as an uncertain college student, trying hard to find himself, his life as a closeted gay man, trying to live the straight and narrow with his wife and five children, his further life as an openly gay activist, and his fight for confirmation as Ambassador to Luxembourg.
Ambassador Hormel’s book, is a poignant tale of struggle and coming out, and the fight to be free and equal in a world that would rather so many of us stay in the closet and shut up. As a transwoman myself, who has spent far too much of my life first struggling to define who i am, and then hiding that fact from those around me, I was both touched and concerned by Ambassador Hormel’s call for every member of the LGBTQ community to come out, and to be honest about who we are. There is no doubt truth in his assertion that there will never be equality for us until all of us are out, but at the same time, living in a conservative small town, having been raised by a conservative, white, middle class couple, I have to wonder. When will it be -safe- for all of us to be out?
I know, unfortunately, that I will probably never be completely out to the family that raised me, but I can finally say, that I am out to the family that chose me, and who I have chosen, and at least for now, that is good enough for me. I may not be as brave as Ambassador Hormel, but I am glad to have read his book, and grateful to live in a world that he and people like him helped to shape.
His book is one of many selections that are free to members of Audible.com, so if you are interested, or even just curious, I recommend giving it a read.
www.audible.com/…
www.amazon.com/...