John's Blog

I know, I know … it’s taken me forever to bring you my first blog entry. I know!

I’ll warn you now that I tend to ramble in these things, and jump around from point to point, so you’ll need to be paying at least a little attention.

It would be redundant to try to tell you how crazy it’s been these last few weeks. I think it might be getting to the point where even people who like my voice are getting tired of hearing me talk everywhere they turn. I am on a plane as I type this, heading to New York to film “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.” I have been interviewed by some fantastic people, from Gayle King and Paula Zahn to Bill Maher. I have had to be on my toes, but being on “The Daily Show” is going to be a treat. Many of my friends in the U.K. think he should be running for office. For a spoof news show, he certainly seems to get to the heart of a lot of issues, and certainly in England he is fast approaching cult status. I just hope I can keep up.

“Is a weight lifted from your shoulders?” I get this question daily, and the answer is an emphatic no. The last page of my book speaks about there being a lot of work to do, and the more I have spoken and tried to educate people about diversity in general, as well as the GLBT community, the more I realise I have more partnerships to forge, more people to reach out to and a new set of responsibilities. I think I thrive on a challenge, and I am really looking forward to living up to all the praise I have received. I think it’s important for all of you to recognise that I know I haven’t done anything yet, but I also want you to realise that I will. I have been an activist or youth advocacy causes, social justice issues and the civil rights of minorities for what feels like most of my life, and I am not going to shy away from any new challenges. I have always felt like I was built for these types of challenges. In a very real way, my mother prepared me for just these types of tasks, wanting me to be prepared to stand up and be counted. And that time has come for sure!

I should mention that I have been to a few Human Rights Campaign events in the last weeks. I made a very brief appearance at the New York dinner and then spoke at the Philadelphia dinner. If anything, meeting the lifelong activists and allies at these events has given me a great barometer for the levels of dedication and resolve I will have to show to catch up with some of the award winners I saw — people who had come out in hostile workplaces 40 years ago, people who forged partnerships to create positive change in the policy and personality of regional and local politics — the really courageous people. I want to say thank you to you for being an inspiration to me when I think I can’t take one more ignorant question about the locker room!

Also — and this is a personal highlight — I went to the AIDS Project Los Angeles Oscar event at the Abbey in West Hollywood a couple of nights ago. I was honoured to be invited, and a complete fish out of water on my first red carpet. A litany of pictures were taken of me staring blankly at a camera like a deer in headlights! I must get better at that whole “Look at me, I am cool, I have done this a million times” look. I’ll keep you updated on my progress there.

I have been debating mentioning this as it makes me sound like a star-struck teen, but … I met Wilson Cruz. OK, enough of that.

OK, I am about to land, appreciate your patience, I’ll be back in a week (or maybe a bit less) with more.

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