I’d like to speak to the manager!!!

Another busy night at the restaurant.  They are all busy these days.  Every day we do numbers we only did on Friday and Saturday last summer.  And although it’s busy, every day gets a little easier. 

The assholes have been few and far between.  I haven’t really been YELLED at in a few weeks.  The staff is holding up although they are all tired.  Chef got a grill man so he’s much less stressed and the kitchen is killing it night after night.

So things are good.

Except.

I lost a host last week.  Her living arrangements fell thru and she has to move home for the rest of the summer.  This means that I’m stuck at the door more than I should be.  Although, I do enjoy being at the door so that I can shake hands and say hello and goodbye to everyone who comes thru the door. 

So tonight, during quieter times, I would swing through the restaurant, checking on everyone, making sure the kitchen was in a good place, the servers weren’t in the weeds and that the foodrunners were busy. 

Around, 6:30 I found myself at the bar on the patio.  I was checking on tables, making sure we didn’t have tight turns, and just checking in with everyone.

There are four people sat at the bar outside.   They are talking.  Rather loudly.  I’m not really paying attention, until I am. 

Something one of the women says has caught my attention.  I don’t remember what it was.

He’s a gist of the conversation that followed. 

We went into a store today and they had a sign that said EVERYONE WELCOME IN OUR STORE.  I just don’t’know why they need to post a sign like that.  Isn’t everyone welcome everywhere.  Whey are the trying to divide people.  Why are they separating people into classes.

It continues.

They get on the subject of gay people.

I mean I don’t understand why they have to shove it in our faces.  I don’t care who you love, but seriously, why do I have to hear about it continuously.  All the time.  Every day.  Constantly shoving it down our throats.  It’s not like I run around every day shouting that I’m straight.   

I’m trying to listen, but also not be conspicuous. 

It continues.   Very LOUDLY. 

They have no shame in their beliefs. 

They are people who support everyone; they just don’t want it shouted from the roof tops. 

I listened until I was called back into the restaurant.

I forgot to mention they were southern.  VERY southern.  Their accents were not foreign to me.  I grew up with them.  It would not surprise me to know they are from Central Kentucky. 

They said nothing that crossed the line.  I was hoping they would.  That they’d use the “f” word.  That they’d go full on bigot.  But alas they walked that line that so many people walk, preaching that they love everyone, as long as they don’t have to see it.   If they’d gone full on bigot I’d have asked them to pay their check and leave.  Instead I just listened to their passive bigotry. 

Fun fact though:  I do exist.  I exist in every sense of the word.  I don’t cease to exist just because I don’t speak to you about who I am.  And fun fact:  I’m a fucking Homosexual.   That doesn’t cease to be true just because I don’t have sex with a man in front of you.  And fun fucking fact:  The sex part of being gay is such a small part of the equation. 

I’m attached to a man.  We love each other.  We share our lives together.   We own a house together.  We have 5 cats that we love very much.  We pay taxes.  LOTS of taxes.   Me talking about my partner is not shoving being a homosexual down your throat.  No more than you talking about your straight family shoves it down my throat. 

This is the very idea behind the don’t say gay bills.   Your straight teacher can have photos of their family in their classroom.  But your gay teacher isn’t even allowed to mention that their married.  They can’t mention their partner.  Their lives.  Their children.  All because some asshole somewhere decided that a five year old knowing Mr. Smith is married to a man is grooming them to be gay.  Meanwhile that same asshole has been married 5 times, and hasn’t paid child support in 10 years, and the feds just found child porn on their computer. 

I stopped being shy about being gay when we moved to Maine.  I don’t hesitate to mention Adam at work.  My partner Adam this.  My partner Adam that.   We live in the Cape.  We both are restaurant managers.  We have five cats.  We this and we that.  I suppose some might consider that shoving it down your throat, I just say, you should stay in your small town and keep your bigotry to yourself.