Saturday, November 12

N.A. Pink

I went to an alumni event for my prep school Friday evening just down Eye Street at the Monroe House (home of the Arts Club). It was all very typical: The headmaster came and gave a nice talk, and the food was actually great. I even ran into an old classmate. What really surprised me however was seeing an older alum who brought his domestic partner with him.

Norfolk Academy may be an outstanding academic institution -- especially given the economy and demographics of the surrounding region -- but it is not considered by any means socially progressive. There was almost zero open acknowledgement of The Gay when I attended (through 1987), despite the fact that quite a few of the faculty fell into the category. Of course, that was a different time. I would imagine things have gotten somewhat better for the proto-homos now attending.

A small as the Academy is, I question if it will ever be able to support a classic GSA chapter. The alumni rolls expand year after year, however, so perhaps someday there will be room for a gay alumni group. So, if any alums happen to google this posting and want to join in with me, please drop me a line. Because it's a bit depressing that, amidst the whole of the Internets, only these two websites have anything at all to say about being gay at dear ole N.A.