US Navy Secretary John Phelan announced that the USNS Harvey Milk is going to be renamed.  Why?  According to a leaked memo, El Presidente wants to “reestablish the warrior culture.”  Is it just me, or is that the gayest thing you’ve ever heard?  Sean Penn, who played Harvey Milk onscreen, said, “I’ve never before seen a Secretary of Defense so aggressively demote himself to the rank of Chief PETTY Officer.”  OK, that was a good one!  The Navy also plans to rename such ships as the USNS Thurgood Marshall, the USNS Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the USNS Harriet Tubman.  I can kinda accept these changes.  After all, I don’t think many sailors want to go home and say, “I just spent six months on Ruth Bader Ginsburg!”  And don’t get me started on Tubman or Thurgood!

Perhaps because it’s Pride Month, I’ve come across lots of online posts titled “Were They Trans?”.  And they’ve about people like Katharine Hepburn, Greta Garbo, Amelia Earhart, Boy George, and even Benny Hill!   Not all tomboys want to be men, and not every fella in a frock wants to be female.  However, it is true that Hepburn did go through a trans-adjacent period.  She told Katie Couric, “I was called Jimmy, and I hated being a girl.  I really hated it.  I had three brothers, and I just shaved my head and thought, ‘I’m a boy.’”  What people skip is what she said next.  “Inside, I never felt like Jimmy.”  That’s why she wasn’t trans.  As to Earhart (who briefly lived in my hometown), her masculinity was more about her professional aspirations – goals that were distinctly unfeminine.  I hasten to add there is no truth to the clothes making the man.  But when a man is out of them, get out of my way!

For the past 20 years, many gay boys’ clothes undergarments were emblazoned with the name Andrew Christian.  Alas, that time is coming to an end.  Christian just announced he’s shutting down his atelier.  “After more than 25 years, my hands will soon lay down the needle that has guided me through this calling…I began this journey as a scared gay kid from Fresno with nothing but a sketchbook and a dream.  Fashion became my sanctuary – a place to exist, survive, and celebrate who we are.  Every stitch told a story, every collection a reflection of our collective journey.  As I retire, my heart is full of gratitude.  To every LGBTQ+ soul who let me dress their truth – thank you.  This isn’t the end, just a new beginning.  With love and pride.”