A. Blinken….. I have a close friend who is gay. I’ve known him since we were in school together, and he used to be a freaking bully. He is not the person you think of when you say "gay", and neither is his old man. My friend is 40, just over six feet, solid as stone, smart as six presidents and likes his privacy. He has a voice like gravel rolling around in an iron bucket. His partner is a little older, and looks like Gabby Hayes. They are placer miners and they know what they’re doing, both in the canyons and in the market. They even buy jewelry quality nuggets from other miners and weekend panners and sell them overseas. When I asked my friend what NHRN name he wanted, he said in his gravel voice, "Call me Queenie." He also wanted to know why I wanted to write about him. "You got troubling fantasies about me an Stoney (NHRN)?" I assured him I didn’t. The reason I want to write about Queenie and Stoney is because of the absolute ordinariness of these guys, or at least that part of their lives. I bring this up because taxes are due, and Honey does taxes at home, and Queenie and Stoney hired her to do theirs. She didn’t tell me anything at all about their taxes, but I know without asking that they can’t file as "married, filing jointly". It might seem a small thing, but it means a lot of money to them, and it’s just one thing, there are a lot of others. They’re well known throughout the area, and even own a little house in town, and they’re known as good neighbors and good boys to have if flood or fire or gale winds are about. They have been together, as Stoney says, "since I was good lookin’." In other words, Queenie and Stoney are the kind of decent, solid people I want in my community. There are a lot of people out there who don’t want Queenie and Stoney to file "married, filing jointly". Some of them, I know, are control freaks and just want everyone not like themselves to die. I, couldn’t, explain, the, situation, sl-o-wl-y, enough, to, get, through, to, them. But I know a lot of pretty decent people who are at least commonly smart, and they are against Queenie and Stoney saving money, too, though of course they would let Queenie and Stoney in particular do it, just not other queers, that is, not faggots they don’t know. I think when these folks think "gay marriage" what comes to their mind is young, shaved headed men in leather underwear. I ask Stoney, "you got any leather underwear?" Queenie answers for him: "they ain’t leather, they just look like that count’a Stoney won’t wash them." Stoney: "I’m up to my ass in creek water all day, they don’t need more washing." "At least send them through the power dredge once in awhile so the siphon will scour them with sand, get some of the big stuff off." "Say what you like, no coyote ever took off with my skivvies." "I told you, the wind blew them into the river, no coyote took my skivvies." "I seen it, and not three days later we seen that dead coyote, explain that." "He was on the road, he was hit by a car!" "I know. I figure it was suicide, he couldn’t get the taste out of his mouth." (Young shaved-headed guys still sound so bad?) While Queenie and Stoney are good at being colorful old miners, they aren’t good at being queers. They don’t get politically active, they don’t write letters to the editor. I asked them about gay marriage and Queenie said "I know him too well to marry him now." I know they would get married, though, so they could file jointly, so they could enjoy the other public benefits of being with a life partner, and, I suspect, to finally say out loud and in public that they are committed to each other. I know a dozen or so other folks who are in good relationships with people of their same genitage. Some are good folks, some are assholes from the flat lands. All of them deserve the same respect my Honey and I do. What should matter is two people, not what equipment they’re carrying, we don’t say, "do you, penis, take this vagina to love and honor…" If you don’t support gay marriage, and you still consider yourself a decent person, be honest and ask yourself, "what business is it of mine what uglies get bumped by other people?" Marriage strengthens relationships, and strong relationships strengthen our communities. Marriage should be for everyone. Let your elected officials know you support marriage laws that don’t peek in people’s pants. By the way, I love Queenie like a brother, but don’t let the hew-haw palaver fool you, he’s a shrewd businessman, only tourists and jewelers in the city buy nuggets from him. You simply can’t pay more for gold.