Gregory Gerard Allison's Blog, page 4

Next Gen Gay

I'm pleased to know Stephen, a young man who grew up in the same rural

Western New York town as I.

I should start by saying that (way back!) in 1984, during my own high school years, I found it nearly impossible to admit – even to myself – that I had an attraction to other guys. I lived in the shadows, afraid that God, or church, or family, or friends might condemn me for revealing feelings that I worked very hard to keep inside…feelings I knew were "different"…and maybe unacceptable. (For...

Soap Opera Hair

I sit here in the barbershop, looking over the posters of coiffed twenty-something men (boys, I want to say, but that just makes me feel older) and I feel it slip tenderly away. Tender, not like 'gee, what a tender scene in Tarzan when he bids his ape-mother goodbye.' Tender like 'I smashed my finger in the car door yesterday and it's still pretty damn tender.'

I will never be on a soap opera.

I will never have that feeling they all must feel. To show up on the set every working day and stand...

How Uncool Is It…

…to say, after ten or so years, that I am still a tremendous fan of Buffy, The Vampire Slayer ? And Joss Whedon, the writer/creator.

Work with me for a minute here.

You may have dismissed it, due to the juvenile name of the series. Or you may have thought "teenage angst, what has that got to do with my life?"

I just want to report that Buffy, The Vampire Slayer TV series has changed my life. Yes, changed my life. I don't say that lightly; I don't say it often. I even have a personal rule about...

Inspiring Documentary with Unusual Name

Fagbug . Yes, that's actually the name of the movie.   

Let me start by saying that it's Pride Week here in Rochester, NY. Because I'm on the mailing list for our city's GLBT annual movie festival, ImageOut , I got a note about an upcoming documentary at our city's artsy theater, The Little .  The story of a young woman (Erin Davies) at Russell Sage College in Albany, whose VW bug was defaced with anti-gay graffiti (which included the word "fag" in red spray paint across the driver's window).

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Wooden Skateboard

You're not smiling. Probably because you're out of quarters for video games or maybe because it's really hot.

It's the summertime heat that drove all three of you to the grassy shade near the Zoom Flume that day at King's Island. Your sister's friend Caroline, with her dark skin and dark humor that always makes you belly-laugh. Your sister Kathy, back when people said she looked like Sheena Easton. Back when people knew who Sheena Easton was.

And you.

I'm guessing you were fifteen at that...

Male Mid-Life Sucks

There. I've said it.

I know it seems ungrateful and politically incorrect and I'm not the type of person who looks at the glass as half-empty. But in my mid forties, being a guy is starting to get to me.

What I learned growing up in the post-feminist sixties was that middle-aged men were parodied on TV, in books, in advertisements — everywhere in our culture. They were bald and overweight. They had to buy a sportscar (preferably red) and flash it in front of women too young for them. They...

Saints & Sinners in many forms

I've just returned to Rochester from the Saints and Sinners Literary Festival in New Orleans.

Other than to say that I NEVER want to drive 24 hours straight to anywhere again in my life (unless I am riding in one of those fancy RVs where there's a driver named 'Mentor' and I can pop in a DVD anytime I like), I'd like to share how proud I am to be a part of this festival.

I've attended the festival twice now; both times I've met some talented writers and made some lasting friendships. Beyond...

The Big Gay Prom

I know, I know, it's a bit of a flashy name. I've heard of this event over the past couple of years, sponsored by my city's Gay Alliance Youth Project , but I didn't think much about it until they sent out a call for volunteer chaperones a couple of weeks ago. I signed up.

Of course, imagines of my own prom at McQuaid back in 1984 surfaced (themed to the song "All Night Long" by Lionel Richie …happy to spend the evening with my friend Sue…longing to spend the evening with my friend Bob…longing...

What Do You Reach For First?

When you first wake up…I mean just when you're coming out of that drowsy, half-sleepy, half-still-in-a-dream state, and the day is just beginning, and you start to think about getting up, WHAT  DO YOU REACH FOR FIRST?

Is it a book, to spend a few minutes reading the next chapter in a mystery that you were too tired to finish the night before?

If you're sleeping with someone else, is it your other half, to give a hearty hug (and maybe something else)? If you're sleeping alone, is it a hug for...

Close Enough To Taste

While walking the dog (aka Cooper, featured in blog post Everybody Needs A Husky ) this morning, I spotted the first flock of geese flying northward!

If the geese think spring is close…I'm willing to believe it.

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