WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.840 --> 00:00:04.639 Welcome to the Best Ever You Show with Elizabeth Hamilton Garino. 2 00:00:05.000 --> 00:00:08.320 Here to help you find success in all areas of 3 00:00:08.359 --> 00:00:11.800 your life. The power is in your hands. Join our 4 00:00:11.839 --> 00:00:16.960 network for free at bestevere dot com and now here's Elizabeth. 5 00:00:17.920 --> 00:00:22.199 Hey, everybody, welcome to the Best Ever You Show. We 6 00:00:22.320 --> 00:00:25.239 have been notified that blog Talk Radio is closing at 7 00:00:25.239 --> 00:00:27.960 the end of January, so we have switched over to 8 00:00:28.039 --> 00:00:32.840 iHeartRadio Speaker and also Riverside FM, so this will be 9 00:00:32.880 --> 00:00:36.200 one of the last shows we do over here live 10 00:00:36.359 --> 00:00:38.679 on blog Talk Radio. We are sure going to miss 11 00:00:38.679 --> 00:00:42.320 being over here for fourteen years now and it has 12 00:00:42.359 --> 00:00:45.840 been wonderful. But today I have a very special guest 13 00:00:45.880 --> 00:00:48.679 with me. I have Sean Prue with me. Sean, I 14 00:00:48.679 --> 00:00:49.679 think I hear you there. 15 00:00:50.159 --> 00:00:53.840 Hello, Hello, you hear my breathing. Hi, hell you, I 16 00:00:53.920 --> 00:00:54.399 hear you. 17 00:00:54.679 --> 00:00:56.679 I'd love to see your beautiful face. But you know, 18 00:00:56.799 --> 00:00:58.679 I don't know about you, but my hair is a mess. 19 00:00:58.759 --> 00:01:01.439 So well we're going to sing. 20 00:01:02.719 --> 00:01:04.719 I thought this is audio only, and then at the 21 00:01:04.760 --> 00:01:07.159 last minute you sort of said video and I was like, no, 22 00:01:07.200 --> 00:01:09.239 I've been wearing my winter coat all day along with 23 00:01:09.280 --> 00:01:12.920 my foot up. My hair is like twenty different directions 24 00:01:13.000 --> 00:01:14.519 right now, I can't do video. 25 00:01:15.319 --> 00:01:17.120 Yeah, I hear you, Yeah, same thing. My hair's on 26 00:01:17.120 --> 00:01:19.040 top of my head, my glasses are on and I'm good. 27 00:01:19.079 --> 00:01:23.120 So but you know you, you're so modest with your bio. 28 00:01:23.159 --> 00:01:24.760 I'm going to just I'm going to read everybody this 29 00:01:24.840 --> 00:01:27.879 for a second. It's so you are so talented, So 30 00:01:27.920 --> 00:01:32.319 I multi talented in the media and entertainment industry, so loved. 31 00:01:32.359 --> 00:01:35.879 You're a TV personality, a host, a producer, a talk 32 00:01:35.920 --> 00:01:38.959 show host for a really long time up there on 33 00:01:39.079 --> 00:01:43.560 Sirius XM and Canada, motivational speaker. You write columns, you 34 00:01:43.640 --> 00:01:48.280 pet books, also acting, publishing, live event hosts. But anything 35 00:01:48.359 --> 00:01:52.280 that you can do, you Oh, it's so neat and 36 00:01:52.640 --> 00:01:55.280 I and one of my favorite things too is here's 37 00:01:55.280 --> 00:01:59.400 the big one activist for issues of mental health, animal rights, 38 00:01:59.480 --> 00:02:02.640 and h stigma. I think that's just where I want 39 00:02:02.680 --> 00:02:04.879 to go right off the bat with you. Tell me, 40 00:02:05.719 --> 00:02:08.800 tell me what's uh, what's happening in your world these days? 41 00:02:09.680 --> 00:02:11.800 Well, you know, if you want to talk to animal rights, 42 00:02:12.199 --> 00:02:16.479 I'm a big proponent of of of treating animals as 43 00:02:16.479 --> 00:02:19.199 well as we treat ourselves. Really on my lap, right 44 00:02:19.240 --> 00:02:22.280 now I have a beautiful Cocker Spaniel mixed with I 45 00:02:22.319 --> 00:02:27.719 think hound dog. He's four and he's a rescue from Turkey. 46 00:02:28.319 --> 00:02:30.039 He was living on the streets of his den Bull 47 00:02:30.120 --> 00:02:31.479 for two years. 48 00:02:31.120 --> 00:02:31.759 As a puppy. 49 00:02:32.879 --> 00:02:34.800 And I don't know if you know about the situation there, 50 00:02:34.840 --> 00:02:38.439 but they slaughter dogs there. They round them all up. 51 00:02:38.919 --> 00:02:41.479 You can see horrible videos of the backs of trucks 52 00:02:41.520 --> 00:02:44.520 with these garbage bags full of dogs wriggling and trying 53 00:02:44.520 --> 00:02:48.439 to get out of these bags, and they slaughter them. 54 00:02:48.919 --> 00:02:52.360 It's a very sad situation over there. So I was lucky. 55 00:02:52.400 --> 00:02:55.360 I got him just in the nick of time because 56 00:02:55.479 --> 00:02:58.719 Canada stopped allowing dogs from other countries except for the 57 00:02:58.800 --> 00:03:02.479 US of Mexico, almost like two days after I got him. 58 00:03:02.759 --> 00:03:05.879 So I always remind him what a lucky guy he is. 59 00:03:07.400 --> 00:03:12.039 Turkey. What's his name and layout? 60 00:03:13.400 --> 00:03:14.240 I didn't know you named it. 61 00:03:16.639 --> 00:03:18.280 I shouldn't be unlucky, but he. 62 00:03:20.000 --> 00:03:22.280 Lucky. I wish I was doing videos. 63 00:03:24.159 --> 00:03:27.840 And I think I think mental health has has got 64 00:03:27.879 --> 00:03:31.000 a nice spotlight shawn on it right now. We've got 65 00:03:31.000 --> 00:03:34.719 an initiative up here that certainly has has made it 66 00:03:34.840 --> 00:03:38.080 normal to talk about mental health issues. I've always been 67 00:03:38.080 --> 00:03:41.719 open about the fact that I've sought mental health assistant 68 00:03:41.800 --> 00:03:46.159 since my twenties when I just wasn't feeling myself and 69 00:03:46.199 --> 00:03:49.240 I couldn't figure out why. So I don't go all 70 00:03:49.240 --> 00:03:52.639 the time. But over the years, I've certainly gleaned a 71 00:03:52.680 --> 00:03:56.360 lot of insight and knowledge about myself and tools. 72 00:03:57.199 --> 00:03:59.960 And I don't think anyone should be ashamed of saying, 73 00:04:00.520 --> 00:04:03.280 you know, we'll go to the doctor for a cold. 74 00:04:03.800 --> 00:04:06.039 You know what I mean, We're a bit of a 75 00:04:06.080 --> 00:04:09.000 flu bug or something, and we'll race off to the 76 00:04:09.039 --> 00:04:12.759 doctor for some help. But we're feeling anxious, we're feeling depressed. 77 00:04:13.840 --> 00:04:15.520 We don't know why we don't feel the way we 78 00:04:16.040 --> 00:04:18.319 like to feel, and we don't do anything about it. 79 00:04:18.399 --> 00:04:20.319 And so it's good to speak ood about that. 80 00:04:20.279 --> 00:04:25.120 I think, yeah, and rights and things like that. I 81 00:04:25.160 --> 00:04:26.920 know we're going to talk about a lot of different things, 82 00:04:26.920 --> 00:04:29.839 but tell me what you mean about HIV stigma as well. 83 00:04:29.920 --> 00:04:31.240 Go there if you would please. 84 00:04:31.439 --> 00:04:35.360 Well, that's the last frontier, or the new frontier that 85 00:04:35.399 --> 00:04:38.920 we face in the HIV AIDS movement now is stigma. 86 00:04:39.480 --> 00:04:42.040 You know, we're blessed now to have medication you can 87 00:04:42.079 --> 00:04:45.240 take called prep that stops you, and I think about 88 00:04:45.319 --> 00:04:49.319 ninety six point nine percent of all cases of acquiring 89 00:04:49.360 --> 00:04:53.600 the HIV virus, and so we have that, we have 90 00:04:54.759 --> 00:04:57.360 kind of a morning after pill, and we have pills 91 00:04:57.360 --> 00:05:00.000 for those who are HIV positive to keep them what's 92 00:05:00.079 --> 00:05:03.360 known as undetectable, which means that you cannot transmit the 93 00:05:03.439 --> 00:05:04.399 virus to anybody. 94 00:05:04.439 --> 00:05:06.800 We live in a blessed, blessed, blessed, blessed. 95 00:05:06.439 --> 00:05:12.639 World, but people who acquire HIV still these days they're 96 00:05:12.759 --> 00:05:15.920 ashamed of it, and they're they're marginalized for it, they're 97 00:05:15.920 --> 00:05:18.319 othered for it. They do that to themselves, and the 98 00:05:18.399 --> 00:05:22.240 society around us does it to them as well. We 99 00:05:22.319 --> 00:05:26.839 still live in sadly, in an era that is not 100 00:05:27.000 --> 00:05:30.240 that far away from the Reagan era when he wouldn't 101 00:05:30.279 --> 00:05:31.279 even use the word. 102 00:05:31.079 --> 00:05:32.720 AIDS for eight years after. 103 00:05:32.519 --> 00:05:36.319 It beginning to become an epidemic. We still have this 104 00:05:36.439 --> 00:05:40.240 kind of really bad association about HIV. And I think 105 00:05:40.279 --> 00:05:43.279 it's because it's acquired through sex, and it's acquired through 106 00:05:43.319 --> 00:05:45.879 intravenous needle use, and. 107 00:05:45.800 --> 00:05:49.319 So sex and drugs, so those are so taboots still 108 00:05:49.319 --> 00:05:49.959 in our world. 109 00:05:50.439 --> 00:05:54.079 And when we think about people who are HIV positive, 110 00:05:54.120 --> 00:05:57.000 we talk about them being dirty. We do that with 111 00:05:57.079 --> 00:05:59.160 a lot of medical conditions. You know, your doctor comes 112 00:05:59.160 --> 00:06:01.800 back and said the test you're clean, Well, you weren't 113 00:06:01.839 --> 00:06:03.000 dirty if the tests. 114 00:06:02.720 --> 00:06:08.319 Weren't clean, right y stigmatized. But you know, you use. 115 00:06:08.519 --> 00:06:11.240 People alcoholics or drug users will say, oh, I haven't 116 00:06:11.279 --> 00:06:13.600 been using for a while, I'm clean. Well, you weren't 117 00:06:13.639 --> 00:06:16.319 dirty when you were using. You had an addiction disease. 118 00:06:17.279 --> 00:06:20.040 And so we have all of the stigma around HIV 119 00:06:20.319 --> 00:06:24.000 and it's still alive and well. And so I believe 120 00:06:24.040 --> 00:06:28.120 in talking about it as someone who is HIV positive, 121 00:06:28.199 --> 00:06:33.639 undetectable and not ashamed of that, and I think others 122 00:06:33.639 --> 00:06:37.920 should as well. And so I'm big on helping and 123 00:06:38.160 --> 00:06:41.680 the stigmatization of a disease that we only get from 124 00:06:41.720 --> 00:06:44.720 being human. Sextis is a human thing. 125 00:06:45.639 --> 00:06:46.480 Don't you think it's. 126 00:06:46.360 --> 00:06:48.879 Important to share your stories like you're just doing, to 127 00:06:48.959 --> 00:06:52.160 be vulnerable about it because it helps. It's like somebody's 128 00:06:52.240 --> 00:06:54.279 listening right now and they don't feel good. They might 129 00:06:54.319 --> 00:06:55.879 have just heard your voice and you might have saved 130 00:06:55.920 --> 00:06:56.399 their life. 131 00:06:57.839 --> 00:07:00.240 I always say that on my show too with I 132 00:07:00.279 --> 00:07:03.079 guess they also things that I just know somebody is 133 00:07:03.160 --> 00:07:07.600 listening and that they've they've been changed from it, whether 134 00:07:07.639 --> 00:07:10.240 that's not feeling so alone anymore, or whether it's been 135 00:07:10.240 --> 00:07:11.800 giving information or inspiration. 136 00:07:12.920 --> 00:07:15.399 So I know exactly what you mean there. I hope 137 00:07:15.399 --> 00:07:15.720 that's the. 138 00:07:15.759 --> 00:07:18.160 Case right now, and I hope so too. Tell me 139 00:07:18.199 --> 00:07:24.639 about you as a kindergartener. Oh yeah, all the way back. 140 00:07:24.800 --> 00:07:27.600 Take me back to like you know, baby. 141 00:07:27.319 --> 00:07:32.920 Sean, I was the little boy who would go out 142 00:07:32.959 --> 00:07:35.519 and play with all the other kids, and the mothers 143 00:07:35.519 --> 00:07:37.639 would come up to my mother really annoyed at the 144 00:07:37.720 --> 00:07:40.040 end of the play date because they would be like, 145 00:07:40.639 --> 00:07:43.680 Sean Prue played the exact same games as all the 146 00:07:43.720 --> 00:07:46.560 other kids, playing in the dirt, playing in the grass, 147 00:07:46.639 --> 00:07:49.480 playing rolling around, doing all the things. And his outfit 148 00:07:49.600 --> 00:07:59.240 is completely clean and perfect, ripped up, soiled, destroyed, and 149 00:07:59.319 --> 00:08:01.720 here comes show and is the love it? And you 150 00:08:01.759 --> 00:08:05.160 wouldn't know play the same games. And my mother used 151 00:08:05.160 --> 00:08:09.279 to laugh. And I think that's still me today. I 152 00:08:09.279 --> 00:08:11.079 don't like to get dirty, but I'll still play the 153 00:08:11.079 --> 00:08:12.480 same games as everyone else. 154 00:08:14.120 --> 00:08:17.720 Were you did you know that you had had young 155 00:08:17.879 --> 00:08:21.800 talent for TV, radio, acting all that stuff too. 156 00:08:22.800 --> 00:08:25.240 Yeah, My mom chucked me into bed one night and 157 00:08:25.399 --> 00:08:27.319 she said, what do you want to be when you 158 00:08:27.360 --> 00:08:34.000 grew up, and I said, an actress. Boys are actors, 159 00:08:34.080 --> 00:08:37.360 they're not actresses. And I was like, whatever, that's what 160 00:08:37.399 --> 00:08:40.039 I want to hear. I knew from a young age 161 00:08:40.080 --> 00:08:44.759 that I was a creative kid and was leaned heavily 162 00:08:44.799 --> 00:08:45.799 into my creativity. 163 00:08:45.879 --> 00:08:50.960 And I think for queer people that. 164 00:08:51.000 --> 00:08:54.879 We lean into that side of ourselves a little bit 165 00:08:54.879 --> 00:08:58.000 more readily, because there's an element of escapism as well 166 00:08:58.360 --> 00:09:01.960 that comes into the lives of young queer people who 167 00:09:02.000 --> 00:09:05.240 don't feel like they fit in, who feel very different. 168 00:09:05.399 --> 00:09:08.320 No they're different somehow, don't know why there's they feel 169 00:09:08.360 --> 00:09:13.120 that way, And so I think escapism for creativity is 170 00:09:13.519 --> 00:09:16.840 something that's not unique to me. I think a lot 171 00:09:16.879 --> 00:09:21.159 of little gay boys and queer girls do the same 172 00:09:21.200 --> 00:09:23.080 thing always, you know. 173 00:09:23.240 --> 00:09:25.200 I think all of us, no matter who we are, 174 00:09:25.200 --> 00:09:26.759 we just want to be included. Like that's one of 175 00:09:26.799 --> 00:09:30.159 the things that I love about you, Like from I've 176 00:09:30.200 --> 00:09:32.200 known you since I think I started best ever you 177 00:09:32.320 --> 00:09:34.080 and you were like you go girl, you know. And 178 00:09:34.120 --> 00:09:37.080 I'm a mom of four sons. They're twenty three, twenty five, 179 00:09:37.120 --> 00:09:39.080 twenty seven, and twenty nine now, and I've known you 180 00:09:39.120 --> 00:09:42.519 for a really long time, and I remember thinking, you know, 181 00:09:42.559 --> 00:09:48.120 we're different, and yet we're not. And I remember thinking 182 00:09:48.159 --> 00:09:50.960 that for a really long time ago, with you just going. 183 00:09:51.000 --> 00:09:56.120 You know, you accepted me, and I always love you 184 00:09:56.200 --> 00:09:56.440 for that. 185 00:09:58.320 --> 00:10:01.320 Of course, why wouldn't I doing great things? You continue 186 00:10:01.360 --> 00:10:03.519 to do great things. Of Course I accepted you. 187 00:10:03.879 --> 00:10:04.159 I was. 188 00:10:04.240 --> 00:10:08.840 I was inspired by you and me you and in 189 00:10:08.879 --> 00:10:10.840 awe of you and what you've done. 190 00:10:10.879 --> 00:10:11.559 And I still am. 191 00:10:12.240 --> 00:10:15.320 Yeah, me, you too. I've seen us climb and it's 192 00:10:15.360 --> 00:10:17.879 so much fun. It's it's really cool. 193 00:10:18.000 --> 00:10:20.799 So welcome to the lot, everybody. 194 00:10:21.159 --> 00:10:23.480 Oh yeah, isn't it fun? This is the way it 195 00:10:23.519 --> 00:10:25.879 should be. Actually, there's so much hate out there. It's like, 196 00:10:25.919 --> 00:10:28.519 oh man, enough of the hate already, you know, and 197 00:10:28.960 --> 00:10:31.600 I get. I know you and I had discussions like 198 00:10:32.000 --> 00:10:33.799 you were supposed to be on like I don't know 199 00:10:33.799 --> 00:10:36.240 how long ago, during the you know, like the day 200 00:10:36.279 --> 00:10:38.440 after the election or something. You are both like I 201 00:10:38.480 --> 00:10:42.080 don't know, and neither do I, and we were both like. 202 00:10:42.440 --> 00:10:44.399 Do this the day after the election. I couldn't. 203 00:10:45.080 --> 00:10:47.320 I couldn't either. We both looked at each other and 204 00:10:47.320 --> 00:10:49.840 we're like, oh, I. 205 00:10:49.840 --> 00:10:55.519 Was in shock and such disappointments. I couldn't believe the 206 00:10:55.519 --> 00:10:57.840 way the election turned out, and to a degree I 207 00:10:57.879 --> 00:11:01.679 still can't, and I'm even though I live in Canada, 208 00:11:01.840 --> 00:11:05.440 in Toronto. I watch US politics very closely. I watch 209 00:11:05.480 --> 00:11:10.240 an MSNBC a couple hours every night almost and to 210 00:11:10.279 --> 00:11:14.360 stay informed. Because of the things that trickle that happened 211 00:11:14.360 --> 00:11:16.399 down in the States, they trickle up here. We've got 212 00:11:16.399 --> 00:11:19.240 a leader of our Conservative party who is very right 213 00:11:19.279 --> 00:11:23.559 wing and is playing from a Trumpian playbook as well, 214 00:11:23.600 --> 00:11:28.120 like he wants to the degree that MAGA means make 215 00:11:28.159 --> 00:11:32.679 America America great again. His slogan has fixed Canada. The 216 00:11:32.759 --> 00:11:37.000 underlying subtext is that it's broken, which is the same 217 00:11:37.080 --> 00:11:40.639 story Trump has been running on for however long he's 218 00:11:40.679 --> 00:11:44.279 been in politics. Now that it's broken and those are 219 00:11:44.279 --> 00:11:50.120 the beginnings of authoritarianism, and he's playing for the same playbook. 220 00:11:50.200 --> 00:11:52.679 So I watch US politics a lot, not just out 221 00:11:52.679 --> 00:11:55.120 of interest, but because I want to see what's going 222 00:11:55.200 --> 00:11:57.399 to happen up here. We see it all the time, 223 00:11:57.480 --> 00:12:02.440 and you know, one great example is the the attacks 224 00:12:02.519 --> 00:12:07.320 on trans people, the attacks on drag queens, the attacks 225 00:12:07.440 --> 00:12:11.799 on of the queer community, making us into pedophiles and 226 00:12:11.840 --> 00:12:14.480 all that kind of those tropes that have been going 227 00:12:14.480 --> 00:12:18.559 on for centuries now, that's all trickled up here. As 228 00:12:18.559 --> 00:12:21.360 soon as it started in the States, it began up 229 00:12:21.360 --> 00:12:24.440 here as well. So it's important to keep an eyeball 230 00:12:24.519 --> 00:12:28.600 on you, guys, because you're the leading indicator of what's happening. 231 00:12:28.919 --> 00:12:32.159 You know, what do we do when you know entire 232 00:12:33.480 --> 00:12:38.480 groups of people are friends or potentially having their human 233 00:12:38.600 --> 00:12:44.480 rights in fear and jeopardy? What do we do? 234 00:12:45.840 --> 00:12:47.960 Well, if you're talking about a group of people such 235 00:12:48.000 --> 00:12:48.720 as the queer. 236 00:12:48.480 --> 00:12:52.279 Community, we need allies more than we've ever needed allies. 237 00:12:52.320 --> 00:12:54.639 And a lot of people think allyship is just showing 238 00:12:54.720 --> 00:12:57.679 up at pride and joining in the dancing and the family, 239 00:12:57.759 --> 00:13:00.879 the parade and all that sort of stuff. And that's important. 240 00:13:01.039 --> 00:13:04.440 That's important too. But you've got to you've got to 241 00:13:04.480 --> 00:13:08.279 speak up when you hear nonsense being said about any group, 242 00:13:08.320 --> 00:13:13.240 whether it's black people, Latinos, queer people, whatever marginalized group 243 00:13:13.320 --> 00:13:16.320 is being under the attack, it's important that you speak 244 00:13:16.399 --> 00:13:20.480 up and not allow that to be the conversations that's 245 00:13:20.519 --> 00:13:23.440 being had, whether it's at the dinner table, is coming Christmas, 246 00:13:23.559 --> 00:13:25.639 or whether it's just in general. When you hear someone 247 00:13:25.799 --> 00:13:28.840 on the subway say something. You must speak up because 248 00:13:28.879 --> 00:13:30.960 you can't just you you stay silent. 249 00:13:31.039 --> 00:13:31.639 You can flicit. 250 00:13:32.639 --> 00:13:36.240 Yeah, you're part of the problem and staying silent. So Allyship, 251 00:13:36.279 --> 00:13:39.879 I think is needed more than ever there in the 252 00:13:39.879 --> 00:13:42.799 States where you are and here in Canada. We need 253 00:13:42.840 --> 00:13:45.480 to stand together as the communities. And we also need 254 00:13:45.559 --> 00:13:49.440 both people who are this frankly, the straight white people 255 00:13:50.960 --> 00:13:54.879 to stand up and speak up and speak out and 256 00:13:54.919 --> 00:13:55.480 say to. 257 00:13:55.360 --> 00:14:00.679 Gather people, yeah, you know, I want to tell you 258 00:14:00.720 --> 00:14:02.559 this story and it's going to come out choppy and 259 00:14:02.559 --> 00:14:04.360 it may not come out right, but just hear me 260 00:14:04.399 --> 00:14:07.960 out for a second. So our sons both graduated from 261 00:14:08.000 --> 00:14:12.799 Georgetown University with their master's degrees in twenty twenty four. Wow, yeah, 262 00:14:12.919 --> 00:14:16.360 really cool, really cool moment. And so the way we 263 00:14:16.399 --> 00:14:19.720 do little celebrations is we take people out to a steakhouse. 264 00:14:20.559 --> 00:14:25.159 So me and my husband and kids, and his sister 265 00:14:25.320 --> 00:14:29.879 and Beyonce's friends, you know, everybody. We all gathered at 266 00:14:29.919 --> 00:14:34.000 a steakhouse in DC and I made reservations at Annie's 267 00:14:34.039 --> 00:14:38.480 Paramount Steakhouse. And so I looked at the reservation and 268 00:14:38.519 --> 00:14:42.240 I'm like, huh, I wonder if we're going to be 269 00:14:42.320 --> 00:14:45.600 welcome here. So I placed a phone call and I said, 270 00:14:45.600 --> 00:14:50.840 you know, this is a predominantly you know not I 271 00:14:50.879 --> 00:14:52.919 don't know, you know how to say it. I'm looking 272 00:14:52.919 --> 00:14:55.919 for their wording as we're talking. But not a place 273 00:14:55.960 --> 00:14:59.080 where like we would go all the time for a steakhouse. 274 00:14:59.120 --> 00:15:02.519 You know, it's it's gay couples and get you know, 275 00:15:02.600 --> 00:15:05.240 it's it's flags everywhere and things like that. And I'm like, 276 00:15:05.279 --> 00:15:07.840 are we going to be welcome there? You know what? 277 00:15:07.960 --> 00:15:10.279 You know what I mean, just like the reverse of it, right, 278 00:15:11.639 --> 00:15:13.759 And so I called and I said, are we okay? 279 00:15:13.960 --> 00:15:15.799 Can we come in? Because I really want to be 280 00:15:15.840 --> 00:15:20.039 there all of my friends are you know okay? I 281 00:15:20.080 --> 00:15:22.519 have drag queen friends, I have every kind of friend 282 00:15:22.600 --> 00:15:25.200 known to mankind. Are we welcome there? There are twelve 283 00:15:25.200 --> 00:15:27.440 of us coming in, and he said, bring it on. 284 00:15:27.480 --> 00:15:29.279 You're going to have the best dinner of your life. 285 00:15:29.840 --> 00:15:32.080 And I can't tell you the number of people that 286 00:15:32.120 --> 00:15:34.919 came up to us. We could barely all eat because 287 00:15:34.960 --> 00:15:38.519 everybody was hugging us and telling us how much they 288 00:15:38.519 --> 00:15:40.639 loved we were there and telling us what a beautiful 289 00:15:40.679 --> 00:15:43.000 it makes me cry, what a beautiful family we had, 290 00:15:44.240 --> 00:15:49.480 and on and on and on. It was I can't 291 00:15:50.320 --> 00:15:53.720 I might have goosebumps. I love them so much. There 292 00:15:54.759 --> 00:16:00.320 they made us have the best memory ever. And it 293 00:16:00.399 --> 00:16:02.759 wasn't intentional and we were kind of scared because we 294 00:16:02.799 --> 00:16:05.559 didn't fit in at all. But I mean that, and 295 00:16:05.600 --> 00:16:06.120 then we did. 296 00:16:06.240 --> 00:16:11.639 They know what it's like to not fit in to you. 297 00:16:10.799 --> 00:16:15.759 No, it was beautiful. It was I wish like CBS 298 00:16:15.840 --> 00:16:18.639 Sunday Morning would have followed us in or something to 299 00:16:18.799 --> 00:16:21.840 show you how the world's supposed to be. You know, 300 00:16:22.039 --> 00:16:26.919 that's kind of cry Oh god, it was so I love. 301 00:16:26.879 --> 00:16:30.960 Them this world. Yeah, moments like that. 302 00:16:31.519 --> 00:16:37.440 Yeah, yeah, And we have a it makes me cry 303 00:16:38.120 --> 00:16:41.320 and we have a no, And I want to just 304 00:16:41.840 --> 00:16:46.440 touch people's hearts with this conversation about how hard it 305 00:16:46.519 --> 00:16:50.320 is when you don't fit in, because it makes people 306 00:16:50.679 --> 00:16:52.559 so I feel like. 307 00:16:54.679 --> 00:16:59.200 Related feeling they're wrong? What did they do wrong? 308 00:16:59.799 --> 00:17:04.240 I find me a queer person, especially someone in my 309 00:17:04.359 --> 00:17:08.279 age when the times have changed so much now. But 310 00:17:08.640 --> 00:17:10.799 I can't tell you how much bargaining I did with 311 00:17:10.920 --> 00:17:15.240 God to make me straight when I was a young boy, 312 00:17:15.400 --> 00:17:17.440 when I was a teenager, when I was becoming a man, 313 00:17:17.559 --> 00:17:18.680 I wanted to be straight. 314 00:17:18.759 --> 00:17:19.680 Because it was just so. 315 00:17:19.759 --> 00:17:24.519 I was so tired of being othered by schoolmates and 316 00:17:25.440 --> 00:17:29.559 fellow students and adults around me in my community. I 317 00:17:29.640 --> 00:17:34.000 was so different than everybody, and that difference has been 318 00:17:34.000 --> 00:17:36.680 a blessing in my life and has been me unique. 319 00:17:36.920 --> 00:17:41.400 But at the time when retina support and stuff like that, 320 00:17:41.839 --> 00:17:43.720 I know so many people who are in my age 321 00:17:43.720 --> 00:17:46.960 bracket who say the same thing. I used to ask 322 00:17:47.000 --> 00:17:50.480 God to make me straight and to not make me gay. 323 00:17:52.759 --> 00:17:56.759 It was just a terrible way to be. But at 324 00:17:56.759 --> 00:17:59.720 the same time, it's a blessing because I think the 325 00:17:59.720 --> 00:18:02.960 people who have had the roughest starts in life, whatever 326 00:18:03.000 --> 00:18:06.160 that may look like for you, they're the ones that 327 00:18:06.200 --> 00:18:08.079 become the most extraordinary later. 328 00:18:07.920 --> 00:18:11.839 On in life. That's not the brightest, you know, I 329 00:18:11.880 --> 00:18:13.880 think you've had nothing that ever happened to them. 330 00:18:13.920 --> 00:18:16.279 That are that are the dull, boring ones in life 331 00:18:16.319 --> 00:18:18.799 because nothing is the worst thing that can happen to you. 332 00:18:19.359 --> 00:18:23.839 Yeah, yeah, I know. It's funny. I sometimes say, please, 333 00:18:23.880 --> 00:18:25.799 I don't want to have food allergies anymore. I've been 334 00:18:25.839 --> 00:18:28.839 resuscitated twice. I just want to eat something. And that 335 00:18:28.920 --> 00:18:30.480 was the other thing they took care of me too. 336 00:18:30.480 --> 00:18:32.240 Because I always feel like a fish out of water 337 00:18:32.359 --> 00:18:35.079 with the life threatening food allergies that I have. So 338 00:18:35.119 --> 00:18:36.599 I called them. They're like, well, we are going to give 339 00:18:36.640 --> 00:18:38.640 you the best dinner you've ever had. You're going to 340 00:18:38.759 --> 00:18:43.880 live through it. And they oh, they were just so cool. 341 00:18:44.319 --> 00:18:47.079 Yeah yeah, no, is that just like that? They were 342 00:18:47.160 --> 00:18:51.440 just the coolest people. So anyway, I love Annie's Steakhouse. 343 00:18:51.519 --> 00:18:58.119 Annie's Paramount Steakhouse in DC is amazing. STA shout out everybody. 344 00:18:59.440 --> 00:19:01.880 Oh yeah, I love them. So the other thing I 345 00:19:01.880 --> 00:19:05.680 think too, is that you know, sometimes without conversations like this, 346 00:19:06.279 --> 00:19:07.839 we don't understand each other at all. 347 00:19:09.039 --> 00:19:15.160 And yep, well just you know, we're talking about allyship 348 00:19:15.240 --> 00:19:17.119 and what can people do and that sort of thing. 349 00:19:17.519 --> 00:19:20.400 To talk to each other as well and just have 350 00:19:20.480 --> 00:19:23.039 a conversation doesn't have to be full of threats. It 351 00:19:23.079 --> 00:19:25.079 doesn't have to start getting violence, you don't have to 352 00:19:25.079 --> 00:19:28.319 start calling to the names. Just have a conversation, because 353 00:19:28.680 --> 00:19:31.200 you know what it's like, even though you're a straight 354 00:19:31.200 --> 00:19:36.000 person to feel different, and you just talked about having 355 00:19:36.440 --> 00:19:40.839 life threatening allergies that stop you from enjoying your life 356 00:19:40.880 --> 00:19:43.920 and stuff like that. That's a very unique situation. You 357 00:19:43.960 --> 00:19:46.279 feel alone and different in that as well, so you 358 00:19:46.279 --> 00:19:51.319 can relate to me feeling different. We're so much more connected. 359 00:19:51.480 --> 00:19:54.039 It's such a cliche, but we are. We're so much 360 00:19:54.039 --> 00:19:56.640 more alike than we are different. And if we just 361 00:19:56.680 --> 00:19:58.920 take the time to get to know each other a 362 00:19:58.960 --> 00:20:01.839 little bit more, know your neighbor a little bit more, 363 00:20:02.720 --> 00:20:04.440 you see that you've got more in common than you 364 00:20:04.559 --> 00:20:07.400 have the differences. And we've got the likes of Trump. 365 00:20:07.480 --> 00:20:10.160 And as the guy's name up here is kier palie Eva, 366 00:20:10.680 --> 00:20:13.359 trying to divide us all and make us all angry 367 00:20:13.359 --> 00:20:13.920 with each other. 368 00:20:14.519 --> 00:20:15.839 Don't fall for that trap. 369 00:20:16.079 --> 00:20:20.559 It's it's classic authoritarianism once again, dividing the people up, 370 00:20:21.000 --> 00:20:24.079 making them afraid of each other. Don't, don't. Don't fall 371 00:20:24.119 --> 00:20:28.720 in line with that. Know your people, know your neighbors. Yeah, 372 00:20:29.960 --> 00:20:32.680 even better, so I don't agree with you. 373 00:20:33.319 --> 00:20:35.079 Oh yeah, yeah true. 374 00:20:35.240 --> 00:20:35.400 Right. 375 00:20:35.720 --> 00:20:38.000 So we were this is years ago now, We were 376 00:20:38.039 --> 00:20:41.400 walking in the mall here in Maine and my husband's like, 377 00:20:41.440 --> 00:20:43.119 I really need a haircut. I'm just going to get 378 00:20:43.119 --> 00:20:45.240 a really quick haircut over at Mastercuts, and I'm like, 379 00:20:45.400 --> 00:20:47.960 you go for it, you know kind of thing. And 380 00:20:49.240 --> 00:20:51.960 this kid named Nick Irish was like I'll cut your hair. 381 00:20:52.119 --> 00:20:54.799 I've got you, okay, mister Greeno, I've got you kind 382 00:20:54.799 --> 00:20:58.240 of thing. You know. It was so cute. And now 383 00:20:58.279 --> 00:21:01.160 over the years we've gotten to know Nick as family. 384 00:21:01.480 --> 00:21:07.079 His name is Nick Irish and he is a drag 385 00:21:07.160 --> 00:21:12.279 queen and he tells he's come over. He comes over 386 00:21:12.319 --> 00:21:14.279 to our house to cut her hair. He does all 387 00:21:14.319 --> 00:21:16.839 sorts of amazing things for us. During COVID, he came 388 00:21:16.880 --> 00:21:19.000 over and cut her hair in the garage, no kind 389 00:21:19.000 --> 00:21:21.759 of thing, so we could have haircuts. And he's such 390 00:21:21.759 --> 00:21:24.039 a cool soul. But when he when he when he 391 00:21:24.079 --> 00:21:27.039 is in drag, he looks like Marilyn Monroe, like it's 392 00:21:27.160 --> 00:21:28.960 like night and day, Like, oh my god, how do 393 00:21:29.000 --> 00:21:32.680 you do that kind of thing? He has the best 394 00:21:33.160 --> 00:21:44.200 blonde hair. He knows my blonde hair so well, oh 395 00:21:44.200 --> 00:21:46.400 my god. Yeah, so if you get it wrong, you've 396 00:21:46.599 --> 00:21:47.480 got the wrong color. 397 00:21:49.000 --> 00:21:49.160 Yeah. 398 00:21:49.200 --> 00:21:51.160 And I'm fifty five now, so I've got gray coming 399 00:21:51.240 --> 00:21:53.720 in all the stuff to deal with. So anyway, he 400 00:21:54.000 --> 00:21:56.880 is the most lovely human being. So when I when 401 00:21:56.920 --> 00:21:58.960