There’s a major revolution going on, kids, and its time you became apart of it. It began in South Philly…

At least, that’s where future scholars will landmark this event, as the focal point of the greatest turning point in the gay right’s movement. These scholars will say, "that place…was GAY!”

Are you confused? Let me take it back a step…

People have always been, always are, and always will be – GAY. The general adjective describing this particular sexuality; however, had been misconstrued, altered, and this current revolution is mutating the word again.

When man first came into this world and searched for his mate, the man in the cave next to him was already busy decorating his lair and entertaining for brunch. That man was – GAY.

But he wasn’t always called gay. In earlier times, yes, he (or she, or alpha lgtbq #1) was always homosexual, but not gay. The term gay had a different meaning. In early literature, gay meant happy. In the black and white films of the 1900’s, and until the 1960’s, gay had a light overtone to someone having a good ole’ dancing time, i.e. they frolicked and were merry and gay. (well even that sentence sounds gay…) In fact, I just watched "Mr. Hobbs Takes A Holiday" with Jimmy Stewart (well Netflix hasn’t been that great lately) and he referred to the community dance as,"a gay time."

Then something happened – the word gay took a different tone in the 1970’s. Gay became derogatory, a word of ridicule, and gays became the un – marrying, second class, no rights having citizens that we are today. Which to me, is crazy in itself, because we control the worlds of design, fashion, comedy, Hollywood, and everything else that requires taste and flair. So as of 1970 we were good enough to keep things pretty, but put two of us together and it’s a social misdemeanor.

Every gay boy growing up knows what it feels like to be in a room and hearing the word gay being mentioned in the same room that he is in – that feeling of, "Are they talking about me? Did that person just say gay while looking at me?". This is usually accompanied by a heart – racing, feather – in – the – ass feeling of terror that one usually feels when in a panicked, state of shock.

No gay boy ever wanted to hear the word gay – not in gym class, not in social settings, no where at all in his vicinity – the word became defamating, abusive, and made the person a social pariah.

Then, about three years ago, I became reacquainted with a bartender who worked at the 2 – 4 Club during my very first stint there – that man is GAY. He is in a relationship with my best friend, and we have become a gay family living in the same building here in South Philly. One of the first times I dressed as my alter – ego, he looked at me and told me my outfit, "was GAY,” and that my makeup, "was GAY.” When we went on our weekly shopping spree at Ross, the stuff I picked out for my kitchen,"was GAY.” Everything we saw, enjoyed, ate, and laughed at,"was GAY.” And then out of nowhere, GAY was good. He said it with such a smile and feeling of praise, it negated any bad feelings that the word had, for most of my life, created for me. I wanted everything to be gay. Now when I ask his opinion on anything, instead of asking, "How is it?", I ask, "Is it GAY?”

This needs to happen on a global scale.

The gays growing up and even older gays, gays anywhere in the world, need to make this change and create a new utopia where the word GAY brings a feeling of joy and gives strength to whatever noun or pronoun GAY is being used to describe. No longer will kids in school be called gay unless they do or create something praise – worthy. Even straight people will want to be gay. (Well maybe not, but most of them do when they are around me and have had a few drinks.)

Join the revolution kids, and start today. Let’s take the word GAY back and make it ours again – use it, love it, own it.

So here’s a big, GAY thank you Ricky Mac for introducing this to me, and now to everyone.

And a big, GAY thank you to GAY artist Rich Yodis for creating the logo to my new column.

And a big, GAY thank you PhillyGayCalendar for allowing me to spread my dementia through the use of your online, printed word to the gay population.

And you know what? "THAT’S GAY!"