Into the heart.....

or

War IS SO over ......

My view of all things Southern is deeply skewed in many ways. A total product of - just as deeply Southern as you can get, but always with a twinge of " otherness ". Not just the obvious, but from the get go ,at a ridiculously young age, I was just flat out different. And now I have over a decade of viewing my home region through the looking glass of very rural upstate New York 

Maybe my references are dated, maybe I am out of touch with what it means to be " Southern " these days. From everything I see and read it seems to me that politically the deep south is racing headlong into the 18th century - a nihilistic
" furget , hell !! " with no end in site.
But then this morning, I come across this

From the Anniston, Alabama Star:

On Aug. 22, 2013, Anniston native (1936) Dr. Louie Crew, married his life partner of 40 years, Ernest L. Clay, and legally became Louie Clay instead of Louie Crew. Louie Clay is the son of the late Erman L. Crew Sr. and Lula Hagin, longtime residents of Anniston.

The Clays make their home in East Orange, N.J. Louie Clay is an emeritus professor at Rutgers, the State University of N.J. He holds an M.A. (’58) from Auburn, a Ph.D. from Tuscaloosa (1971), and honorary doctorates from three seminaries of the Episcopal Church. Ernest Clay works internationally for United Airlines.

Read more: Anniston Star - Celebrations Crew Clay wedding 






  Mind Blown.

Dr. Louis Clay ( nee Crew ) is pretty much THE gay Episcopalian, really - and a very old friend of Neil's. I've met them once or twice over the years, but I am sure he has no idea who I am - just a disclaimer , that I do " know " them, but this would be a huge deal either way. 

COULD this check more boxes ? Neil did not even get one of them at first - but there it is , right there on the Wedding pages of the local paper. Anniston can not be all that much bigger than Winder, and looks to be about the same distance from Atlanta, and BOOM~ love is love. 

After sitting through HOURS of just the most vile words from the good folks of Hawaii this week - this just did my heart a world of good.

 Fight all you want haters - that is the South I grew up in ( and in NO WAY am I saying that all the anti gay is Southern - Lord knows there is plenty go to around )   But if you have lost Anniston Alabama, I think its time you hang up your robes.....