My Pride and Joy

You know why Oakland is the best? This is what our billboards look like:




Prominently positioned on Grand Avenue, among other places. We keep it so real, it even has the "Q". That's "questioning," right? Somebody help me out here.

I don't mean to trivialize a problem--gay teens needing foster care--which must be serious, considering that it merits billboards. But I like the world of the ad, and would like to at least pretend I live in it.

Relatedly, I have to wonder about my obvious affection for gay black men--even, in particular, gay black male teens. (See here and here.) What's the deal, Cleb? Is is that I know they've got a tough row to hoe? A matchless pile-on of oppressions? Do I just secretly like black people and like gay people and this is the logical culmination of both projudices? (I think I made that word up.) Am I intrigued by the way gay black men must straddle conflicting worlds?

I don't even personally know any gay black men, unless you count those of the potential-in-training variety. There's a fourth grader in my garden program who says he "comes for the flowers" and yesterday showed ridiculous enthusiasm for ruby chard.