First off, when I was 9 years old and living on base housing, a black family moved across the street from us and they had a daughter, Angela, who was my age. I was so excited to have a new friend! We played for hours, mostly with barbies but we also loved to help her dad clean fish and I had my first taste of turtle soup. I remember watching that man cut up that turtle and almost cried but I ate it, just like I ate those frog legs when my grandpa and dad would go out "gigging" for frogs and then tell me I was eating chicken, only later did I learn what it really was!
But anyway, I digress...after a few months of playing with Angela, I noticed a few of my other friends were not coming around so I finally asked one of them why and she told me. Their moms would not let them play with me anymore because I played with Angela. I told my mom about it and years later she told me about the phone call she made to all those other moms! I never knew my mom had such fire!
Then, years later, the same thing happened to my mom! She became a runner and met a woman and they started running together. This woman was gay! Mom had friends drop her because she was hanging out with a lesbian and "wasn't she worried people would think she was one too"? My mother laughed and said "Don't be ridiculous, being homosexual is not a choice". I had never heard anyone else put it that way and now we all know better. Thanks again Mom...
