At least I got my own seat

Monday, June 12, 2006 - 5:05 p.m.

The train was not that crowded but by Chicago, every seat was taken. A man came on the train, looked around and saw that there was no seat. He just decided to sit in the middle of the aisle on his foot. He gracefully sat down like a yoga move.

Cory called me when I approached Belmont. I had a conversation with him about the dating practice of our friend Patrick. We ended the conversation with the standard "I love you." I keep my earpiece up high because I am hard of hearing.

When I get off the phone and return to my crossword puzzle, the man sitting next to me got up and moved to a worse seat on the train.

I assume he was afraid of getting any of the contagious gay germs that I obviously omit while riding the train. Or maybe he needed some more quiet to read his Wall Street Journal and my phone call disrupted him. Maybe the person he was now sitting with was a telekinetic friend which is why they said nothing.

I was taken aback by this man moving and could not believe that someone on the el in Chicago would move because of homophobia. I was not the only gay on the train. It made me feel like when I worked in summer stock theatre and one of the high school actors parents would SCOWL at me b/c they knew I was gay (by the way, their son was out within three years and I hope the scowl went away then).

I realize that homophobia exists even in Chicago and getting called a faggot has happened to me and most gay men. The passive dissing is worse in a way b/c this person probably works with a bunch of gay men but then with his friends on the weekend is talking about how much he hates the "faggots that he sees every day".

Thanks fucker for letting me have my own seat.