Well, hello there. I know it’s been a minute since you’ve seen my words fill up these pages. Actually, it’s been a few years, but who’s counting?
As it turns out, some of you have been! I’m always taken aback when someone approaches me or I receive a message with someone asking, “Robby, when are you going to write another column?” or saying, “I could always count on you to make me laugh and smile.” Though it’s been a while since I’ve shared my views with readers, it warms my heart that some of you remember and still care. For that I will always be thankful.
I began writing Confessions of a Serial Blonde when I was twenty-seven years old. It was a response to what I was and wasn’t hearing in the collective voices our community has to offer. The younger generations were sharing their coming out stories and more seasoned folks were offering stories of reflection and what they have encountered throughout the years. Both of these ends of the spectrum are important pieces to what will become LGBT history.
Others wrote about their love lives, health and the social issues of the day. All unique voices that added to the tapestry of who we are as a community. I loved each and every one of those writers (even if I sometimes disagreed with them!) and it was them who inspired me to add my voice to the mix, albeit in an unconventional way. I was too old to be the ingénue (it had been years since anything in my life felt fresh or new!), yet not quite old enough to have my own “Back In My Day” stories taken seriously.
But I could and did write about the in-between years, that part of your life when adulthood is setting in and you’re equally exhilarated and terrified by the mundane act of living and all of its trappings. I wanted to see those stories in print. And to my delight, so did others. My readers, so I’ve been told, grew to enjoy my humorous ramblings about whatever I was on a tear about. Family, friends, gay issues that were amusing or irritating the hell out of me, my hair color. Those were my tales. Good, bad and indifferent. I presented a different slice of life and learned a lot about myself and about our community in the process.
In the eight years since I began writing my column, I’ve seen the world change. In some cases it has changed for the better, in others not so much. There is still much more to do in making more progress in LGBT equality globally. On a more personal level, as I’ve matured, my social views have become less self-focused and more about the larger picture.
With that, after much careful consideration, it’s time for me to officially bid adieu to Serial Blonde. That persona, and the opportunity to write for the pages of The Empty Closet, helped me find my voice and grow up exactly when I needed it. The simple act of writing about my queer life began my foray into social activism. It has always been my dream that doing so would encourage others to do the same. I hope it has. Writing will always remain my first love, but in recent years I’ve found new opportunities to express myself and speak out on issues that affect the community I care for and the people I love.
I will always look back on my column with pride (and occasional embarrassment at my oversharing!). I’d like to thank my small but devoted following for allowing me to entertain them with my off the wall adventures and musings. I will always be grateful to my best friend, Aaron, who helped me become a better writer and, though he’d deny having anything to do with it, a better person. Everyone should experience that kind of friendship. I will always be indebted to the brilliance that is The Empty Closet’s Editor-In-Chief, Susan Jordan, not only for giving my stories a home, but more importantly, for being an exemplary model of how well-crafted prose can start a revolution.
And lastly, to anyone out there who feels their thoughts or ideas are insignificant, let me remind you, you matter. Change does not occur from remaining silent or still. Each of us has something we can contribute to making the world a better place to live. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate PRIDE.
P.S. I shall always be and remain… blonde.
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