women’s lib | Geoffrey & Mika

I joined the local fundraising committee of Ducks Unlimited Canada in the 1990s. Ducks Unlimited Canada is an organization dedicated to conserving wetlands and the diverse species that inhabit them. Ducks, of course, are the focal point. Ducks Unlimited Canada has projects across Canada to enhance and reclaim wetlands. Ducks Unlimited Canada was founded in 1938 and, to date, has conserved 6.3 million acres of wetlands. Ducks Unlimited Canada is successful because it relies on conservation-minded volunteers like me to organize local fundraising events. Members of the fundraising committee met in the Chairman’s basement to plan the annual fundraising banquet. It is truly a grassroots organization. Also, it maintains its focus on wetland conservation. It has not allowed itself to be co-opted by other interests unrelated to its mission. It publishes annual financial reports detailing revenue generated and how the money was spent. This is a hallmark of a successful organization with a clear mandate and a strong focus on its mission.

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The thing to remember is that gay is a demographic, not a coherent community. I am a gay man, a free thinker and a skeptic. I am proudly Anglo-Saxon; both sides of my family came from the British Isles, my father’s family from England and my mother’s from Ireland. Short of taking a DNA test, it is anyone’s guess what blend of ethnicities may be in my ancestry. However, that is neither here nor there. The fact remains that I am a middle-aged, gay white man. That said, those characteristics are irrelevant. Above all else, I am an individual. I am the man I am today because of my childhood and adolescence circumstances. I grew up in Canada in the latter half of the 20th century. I remember the Centennial celebrations in 1967 on Canada’s 100th birthday. I learned to take pride in my heritage, and the freedoms and opportunities afforded me as a Canadian. Still, growing up gay in my generation had its challenges. Continue reading →