"There is nothing wrong with you"

We finally watched MILK (as in "Harvey") this weekend. Very moving and well-done. It made me want to revisit - and share with you - this long & thoughtful post by libba_bray, written back in May 2009 after California's sad & terrible vote upholding Prop. 8. Libba begins:

I was raised by a gay father. My dad came of age in the 1940’s in the Deep South. Being gay was more than just not okay then; it was downright dangerous. . . . When my father came out to our family, I was fourteen, and it was explained to me that we had to keep it a secret because my father would lose his job and might be attacked physically. The message conveyed was one of fear and shame which trickled down to all of us . . . .

John Bellairs book: MAGIC MIRRORS out from NESFA

Remember that "essay on my friendship & professional relationship with John Bellairs for NESFA Press's forthcoming omnibus on his adult work" I mentioned in January? I didn't think so. Well, anyway, it's been published and is now for sale. It makes me go all misty-eyed, for reasons that are, well, in the essay, and which I will try to further explicate after Worldcon. But I wanted to let you know about the book right away. I also think it's incredibly cool that they got Omar Rayyan to do the cover. I love his work; we actually own an original watercolor from Count Silvernose.