"16... 16.... Do I Hear 17?.... Going once.....

Straight Guy,

I had a nice holiday weekend with my family. One of the things I really enjoy about being on vacation is having the time to really read the newspaper. As you know, I enjoy the obituaries; as awful as it sounds, someone really interesting dies every time I am on vacation. It's an obituary readers jackpot.

This weekend was no exception, with the death of Jesse Helms. A great day with the New York Times obit section. I will save you my screed of just how awful a person he was. Stupid, mean spirited, God-less. I'm never happy when people die, but, well, you know...

Watching news coverage on TV led to a bad moment with my dad, who does not tolerate foul language of any sort from anyone. There was Helms in file footage, speaking in Congress in 1995, proclaiming, "Reliable surveys.. show that many homosexuals average 16 different sex partners every month... " I could only scream, "In my fucking dreams 16 partners" at the TV. It just sort of happened. My dad had the courtesy or discomfort to pretend he didn't hear, though he was sitting on the other end of the sofa.

--Gay Guy