My favorite day in Istanbul was when we took the ferry to Kadikoy on the Asian side of the city.  We saw this cat, and thousands of others, but this one was startling with focus and purpose.  As much as I enjoyed Istanbul, I am happy to be home, happy to have my feet on the soil of this northwest corner of Connecticut, the Berkshires, the Hudson River valley, this country.

I had some opportunities to reflect on homophobia and human rights while there.  Pam’s nine year-old, half-Turkish granddaughter does not know that she is gay.  Her parents want it that way.  It is their choice, but the whole thing makes me uncomfortable.  Turkey has one of the lowest percentages of acceptance of gays in the world, and interestingly, Spain the highest in the world, with 88% acceptance.  The US is not stellar, with a 60% acceptance, compared to Canada’s 80%.

I won’t travel to a gay-unfriendly country again.  Nor will I modify my expressions of love for my beloved partner of 27 years –  I am profoundly unwilling to closet myself in any way  Let’s just say that I am too old for it, and too fed up with behavioral modification of that kind.  While we were in Kadikoy, I saw three young lesbians, one with ferocious dreadlocks who aggressively kissed her partner in public, on the street.  I pray for her safety, for her life, her happiness.  I pray for my own, for my integrity, for my human rights.

This cat is not pretending to be anything but what she is.  There is a lesson there.  A few minutes later, I saw these brilliant musicians, my favorite moment of the trip.