It’s been a while since I had the pleasure of doing a book signing. I used to love going to various bookstores and meeting people, especially those that I believed I was supposed to meet.
It’s also been a while since I wrote about something near and dear to my heart, which involves gay people. So I thought what better way to do so, than by telling you that my next book signing will be August 25, from 10 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Proud Book Store, 149 Rehoboth Ave, Rehoboth Beach.
If you don’t know about this place, it is a gay bookstore and a very nice one at that. Besides having various books of all genres including mine, it has many other things that are eye-catching, a little different, and somewhat provocative. Nothing offensive, at least to me mind you. But for the person who happens to stop in without knowing what type of bookstore it is, a few things would certainly clue them in.
Of course, some people are downright offended that there even are gay bookstores, like the angry, close-minded people I wrote about in an older post called “What The World Needs Now is Love Sweet Love.” However, all I want to do in this post is tell you why I am proud to do a book signing there.
First of all the owner, who goes by the name of Jacque, is a very nice person. My wife and I often stop in and talk with him, and our conversations can sometimes become quite lively. This usually happens when it comes to politics and gay rights.
The reason they become lively isn’t because we disagree on things, but because of the passion we feel when it comes to our mutual beliefs in life. Like Jacque, my wife and I wish more people would try to understand that there is nothing wrong with being gay. I believe we are born a certain way, and although some of us may need to change who we are to find a greater level of happiness, changing our sexual orientation should not have to be a part of it.
Also, I have read that suicide among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth (LGBT) has increased and that LGBT teenagers and young adults have one of the highest suicide rates. This breaks my heart and it needs to stop. I am a firm believer that there are certain things that we should not be ashamed of, and as a self-proclaimed recovered alcoholic, I know what I’m talking about. The shame and stigma attached to addiction is still there, and when you combine that fact with young or older gay people using drugs, most likely to feel better about themselves, it can be a recipe for disaster.
I won’t solve this problem by doing a book signing at a gay bookstore, but I am proud of the fact that I can go there and truly love people unconditionally, no matter what their sexual orientation is. This involves practicing love, kindness, understanding, and tolerance toward others, and more importantly toward ourselves. When we do this, we cannot fail to feel better about who we are, no matter what our sexual orientation is.