Hélène Richter

For some strange reason, I've somehow forgotten to adequately mention my friend Hélène in my blog entries. Hélène has often reminded me of this grave omission, so I am going to try to make up for it with an entry devoted solely to her. Here goes!

When I arrived, I met a lot of people. I'm very thankful for all of my friends here: Nina, Sarah, Cynthia, Lisenn, Perrine, Axel, Youenn, Madison, Emma, Franche...the list goes on. They are all great and I am really glad to know them. Hélène, who I met very early on, is a special case. I chatted with her at work, and we were amical, but we never really did anything together. I wanted to get to know her better, so I invited her to actually do something outside work. We had a blast. We still have a blast! She is really amazing: smart (though at times a bit slow), funny, clumsy (like me!), athletic, honest, loyal.

She even invited me to go eat with her family, who I now see rather frequently for dinner! They are really great, and they've welcomed me into their family like I was one of their own. They have really made me feel at home here, and I'm very thankful for them. I often miss my family, but knowing that they are there is really comforting for someone whose family is thousands of kilometers away.

I think I'll stop now. I don't want Hélène to feel too important! Thanks for being you Hélène. You're amazing! Dommage que tu sois une fille. ;)

The Gays

This week was dominated by a theme: gay. There seemed to be gays/gay themes all over the place this week in my life. Sign on to Facebook and my friend Jon is uploading pictures of his trip to Winter Party in Miami, a big gay party weekend. I started going to a gym this week and, of course, where there's a gym, there are gays. The French government announced that new family law would no longer mention "mother/father," but rather "parents," opening the door to finally recognize gay families. On MSNBC, they were discussing the California Supreme Court deliberations over the constitutionality of Proposition 8, which takes away the right of gays to marry.

On Friday, I went to see "Milk," which tells the true story of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay elected official in the United States. The movie was excellent and Sean Penn was fantastic. He certainly deserved the Oscar! The movie is really heavy, and it really makes you realize how far society has come (or hasn't come) over the last 30 years. The film is powerful for anyone who believes in human rights, but it is especially moving for someone like me: a homo. It really makes you appreciate how much people struggled and fought so that I and others like me can live my life openly, honestly, and proudly. It was difficult to watch in parts, because you hear the arguments that people were making against gay rights in the 1970's and they are the same as those of today. The major contributor to the hatred and intolerance of gays and lesbians was and is still religion. We all still have a lot of work to do to really be treated equally and to live our lives as we wish, where we wish, and with whom we wish.

My "BIG GAY WEEK" ended yesterday/today. I went out with my friends Hélène and Sarah to some gay bars in Rennes. I had been neglecting this part of my social life and it was really starting to bother me. Don't get me wrong, I love going out with friends to straight bars, but there is something to be said for hanging out in a gay bar. First, the music is always better. Second, the atmosphere is a lot more fun, crazy, colorful...gay. Sometimes you just need to be around people who are like you, and I really needed that this week. We went to a "bar de nuit" that stays open until three, and then Hélène and I went to Espace, a night club that is gay friendly. I was sceptical, but it was a blast. There were homos everywhere, good music, and even drag queens! It was like I was back home. I met people, danced my ass off, and we left at 5:30 in the morning.

I had almost forgotten how much I love being gay! If you're gay, you know what I'm talking about. If not, just take my word for it; we have a blast!