Serenity Gardens (06.17.19)

Me doing what I do at Serenity Gardens. Photo by Kat.

Here's something I've noticed. When people make the otherwise noble effort of stepping up to defend the rights of others, there's an interesting and specific phenomenon in regard to the LGBTQ community versus other marginalized groups who experience discrimination. Here's what I mean... you often see phrases like, "I'm not gay, but I am in favor of same sex marriage," or perhaps, "I'm straight, but I am an ally to LGBT people and will support them."

Seems like a nice thing to do, and it is. But... why the need to clarify up front? I mean, no one says, "I'm not black but I support equal rights for African-Americans." Why? Because in most cases, people can look at you and see you're not black. You also tend to never read, "I'm not a woman," or "I'm not an endangered species of butterfly," but regardless of their great intentions, people really do feel the need to be absolutely clear about their own sexual orientation before offering their support for gay/lesbian/trans people. I suppose the reasons are obvious. Despite their willingness to state their support, it's at least equally important to most folks to not be mistaken for someone of a different orientation than their own. There's no external indicator that someone is gay... no skin color, no particular set of facial features, no flashing neon sign. Furthermore, going back a long, long time, being mistaken for being gay could lead to dire consequences, and in some cultures still can. Homosexuality has been condemned and discriminated against for so long that the very idea of someone thinking you are gay is frightening to many, and I suppose you can't blame them.

But I don't do that, and I'll tell you why: I don't care if anyone mistakes my sexual orientation. If someone wants to assume I'm gay, or straight, or otherwise, that's their prerogative. And if someone asks, I'm happy to tell them. But I don't feel a need to make a big announcement about it every time I want to offer my support. If you don't need me to say that I'm not a fish when I state my opposition to polluting the oceans, you should feel the same about how I support equality of sexual orientation.

All that being said, I'm sure that the important aspect is the support itself, and if you do feel that need to clarify your own orientation, that probably doesn't bother anyone at all. As I said, I just found it interesting from a standpoint of human behavior. And why am I even talking about this? Because it's June and in the spirit of Pride Month, I decided to perform some music at each of my shows this month that honored the courage of the openly LGBT community, and I did so last night at Serenity Gardens.

Rocking the Grid
I should once again mention that for these past few shows at Serenity Gardens, having Grace McDunnough playing before me is a huge pleasure. I adore her as a person and her music is fantastic. My show went well, and really, they all do at that venue. I pulled out two songs that were previously unplayed by me... the Gordon Lightfoot classic "Sundown" -- a song with a darker theme than I'd previously realized before playing it -- and a light pop song by Mary Lambert called "She Keeps Me Warm". That was the song I did to acknowledge Pride, since Mary is an LGBT artist who first composed the song as the hook for the massively popular Grammy-nominated hit "Same Love", and then re-did it as a full solo song. It's lovely, and I enjoyed the opportunity to perform it.

A lovely summer evening for whipping up that live music. Photo by Kat.

Serenity Gardens is such a nice, laid-back vibe. I always enjoy it. Photo by Kat.

Ow
One other note. I don't think it's a big deal, but last night after I finished the show, I had a hand that was in pretty serious pain. It came without warning, this pain that was focused around the knuckles of my index finger of my left (fretting) hand, and the knuckle was kind of inflamed and red and not happy at all. Musicians are understandably paranoid about problems with their hands, and I iced it last night and it seems quite a bit better today. I'm hoping it's nothing serious or anything that will continue to affect my playing in the future. Think good thoughts for me, please.

It's mostly better today, but like most serious musicians, I get a little freaked out about my hands.

Serenity Gardens set list...
One of These Things First (Nick Drake)
*Sundown (Gordon Lightfoot)
Ashes to Ashes (David Bowie)
The Arrangement (Joni Mitchell)
*She Keeps Me Warm (Mary Lambert)
Everyday I Write the Book (Elvis Costello)
Rocky Mountain High (John Denver)
Norwegian Wood (Beatles)
Don't Let It Bring You Down (Neil Young)
Perfectly Calm (They Stole My Crayon)
Little Wing (Jimi Hendrix)
So. Central Rain (R.E.M.)
Pretty Pimpin (Kurt Vile)

*Indicates the first time I've performed this song in SL.

Huge thanks to everyone who came out to the show, with special thanks to the following who helped support it!
AaronCabottJones Resident, Diana Renoir, Lauralynn Foxtrot, Trouble Streeter, Tyche Szondi, Kat Claxton, jhd2909 Resident, Barbara Mixemup, Celeste Ewing, and the fabulous team at Serenity Gardens, Tilly Rose and Ilsa Wilde.