Monday, January 07, 2008

Instinct Magazine - Inlaws of the Month

GuyDads and InlawsWe are back from a wonderful vacation to a gay resort in Fort Lauderdale, Pineapple Point, and a gay New Year’s cruise of the Caribbean organized by Travelpride. Details will be coming. You can also see photos posted to Flickr; look for link on the right.

Have you seen the new January issue of Instinct Magazine? Check out who is featured in this month’s “Mom of the Month” feature. E sent off an email to them many months ago and lo and behold my parents are featured! Very cool.

The uncredited photo is by my eleven year old son. One of the first pictures he takes gets printed in a national magazine. Great job!

January issue of Instinct Magazine with GuyDads and parentsInstinct Magazine has a series of ongoing features that I find to be fun, entertaining and supportive of gay community. These articles generally feature local, average gay men. The other national gay magazines only focus on celebrities, models, politicians, and people in the news. Besides “Mom of the Month”, Instinct Magazine features a local “Bachelor” profile, a local blind date adventure, a couple’s compatibility survey and sometimes a brief story of a local gay business owner. I find it interesting to see and read about real people.

UPDATE: It appears that the link to the Instinct page no longer works. Here is a slightly edited blog version.

The letter E wrote to the magazine:
Dear Instinct,
My mother- and father-in-law are the greatest and deserve a hearty and loving thank-you.
My husband and I both came out five years ago, after each of us had been married 20-plus years. Along with the rest of our families, Mom and Dad were surprised but were totally supportive. Immediately, I became part of the family. They further adjusted to another transition when their son converted to Judaism so that we could have a one-religion family. At our wedding in a Reform Judaism synagogue, Mom was described by everyone as the “belle of the ball” because she had such a great time and never left the dance floor. Mom now introduces me to everyone as her “son-in-law.” Our gay friends all love both of them. The two of them traveled out of town with us to a recent commitment ceremony of our best friends. The best evening for me is when we go out for dinner and dancing with my in-laws. They really are the best of the best.
E
P.A., California

Instinct Magazine’s interview with my parents (B and P) and GuyDads:
“Our relationship is very strong and growing,” B and P say of their son and son-in-law. “They are also great parents together for E’s three boys and our son’s three kids (our grandchildren).” “The four of us are truly great friends,” E says. “Everyone we know loves both of them.”
Something that’s important to both couples is community service.
“We are very proud of all their involvements in the community where they live: Facing History and Ourselves (board members) and their ongoing support for local, live theater (board, contributions, attendance),” B and P say. “Although they are very involved, they make sure we spend time together, too.”
Both Dads credit the excellent example B and P have set.
“They have devoted their retirement to improving and enjoying the community around them. They are leaders in a number of organizations that raise scholarships for at-risk youth, mentor students and collect food donations,” the guys say. “They contribute their time and money to help local museums and art organizations, as well as volunteering on community and church committees.”
We had to ask: What’s B and P’s secret for being magnificent (and not monster) in-laws?
“There must be trust and support,” they say. “We love our son very much, so we are very supportive of his relationship with E.”
With great pride, B and P mention all the work the two Dads put into helping out at their 50th wedding anniversary, creating multiple table centerpieces highlighting activities and organizations significant in B and P’s life together, and how much their son and son-in-law’s hard work meant to them. It was easy, say the two Dads, because it was done out of love to honor two supportive, outstanding people.

1 comment:

Jess said...

Very nice!

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