Evan's Gate

Introducing my blog.

Following 13 entries I decided to create this formal welcome.  For everyone who has ever felt like a misfit.  Perhaps you are living in a part of the country that puts you in the political minority;  you dress differently than what is proscribed; you love music that hardly ever touches the mainstream;  you read a lot;  history is not your story.

I was born in Manhattan in the 1960’s.  My parents are college educated lifelong New Yorkers.  They are still married.  All four of their children including myself were never left wanting.  We are all adults now.  We were middle class.  Our parents were never out of work.  We never went hungry.  Each kid was made to feel loved every day.  I have 2 older brothers and one younger sister.  Raised in The Bronx.  The neighborhood was quite suburban as it was the northernmost part of the city bordered by one of the largest parks. 

We had our struggles.  Politics, music, books, art, and history were all a part of life.  This was not an elite way of life.  A big city has many more resources at its disposal to educate people.  Of course when you are a kid you cannot fully appreciate what it all means.  Then you grow up.  Every day you have more joy than sorrow because you have critical thinking skills that will see you through.

Today we have technology.  If you can write and think critically about a variety of topics and ideas you can blog.

My education was not easy.  Kindergarten through grade 12 in public schools that became increasingly too crowded did not help.  Early exposure to college was great.  I moved away from home for the first time. I was eighteen when I entered college.  My graduation did not happen until decades later.  The politics of the times was not to my liking so I dropped out.  When I did graduate college I was an adult.  My degree was in media studies.  This is my credential for writing about topics ranging from our current media age problems to our political turmoil.  My undying passion for heavy music stems from my dislike of the system.

I am a misfit.  Being gay does not put you into the mainstream.  Things are way better today.  But multitudes of people sacrificed a lot to make it happen.  People who do not fit neatly into the schemes of others are championed here.

Heavy metal music, LGBTQ life, mutlicultural politics, banned books, art, and critiques of our all too powerful media companies are all a  part of this blog.  I love discussing these things.  This is my outlet for protest and greater understanding.  

I hope you will enjoy reading and responding here!  We may be misfits to the outside but here we all fit together.