Diana DeRicci

Posts Tagged ‘glbt’

Welcome to my blog, for the Hop Against Homophobia. I guess it would be all too easy to come out of the gate combative in the current political climate. I’ve seen and read enough to make my blood boil when it comes to the injustices and discrimination being deliberately handed down to the GLBT community. So to be completely contrary, I’m not going to do that.

My post is going to probably be fairly simple compared to some. It’s an apology. It’s for those who I know I’ve hurt without knowing I was even doing it. I’ve never been closed-minded–but I have been shocked, and I made rash decisions that I now regret.

When I was younger, some of the funnest nights I had were spent at the Paper Moon, a gay nightclub where there were some very talented drag queen performers. Not to mention unbelievably gorgeous! The dresses were stunning. I can still remember Monica. That was her stage name. The work she put into her Cher performances…just wow. I recently looked to see if the club even still existed, and couldn’t find it. Yeah, it was that long ago. I never felt out of place and had some very sweet friends there.

Fast forward too many decades to really want to admit to, and I’m still learning. Broadening my understanding, which in the last few years or so has brought to light certain things that I’m still learning about. One of them is  a deeper understanding of the T in the acronym. It’s difficult being who we are, at any level. Peer pressure growing up, parental and societal expectations. Not being transgender, I have no idea the depth of conflict involved with this need to be true to ourselves when a person is locked into a form or identity they just can’t be comfortable in. I do understand it’s not my right or anyone else’s to lay that decision down for another person, though. I am a single person. A singular entity. A committee didn’t raise me. A court didn’t decide my life’s path. The belief that transgender people don’t understand their own needs is ludicrous.

So what’s the connection with the nightclub and the above? Some were gay, two were strictly perfomers in drag because the money, let’s face it–tips rocked for a good show! If I had it, I tipped. And I know there were transgender women, though I never asked. Honestly, it wasn’t important then, still isn’t now. But I’m still learning and reading, which helps me to understand the battles they face, the struggles, and it isn’t just with transgender, but across the GLBT community. Their community is our community, as humans, as people, which means they are our struggles, fights that were creating against ourselves for no one’s good. Everyone deserves respect and the freedom to be their own person.

This is just a very short page out of my growing up experiences. The point I guess I’m making is it doesn’t matter. It didn’t matter then who I was friends with, who I talked to, joked with. And it doesn’t matter now. Being a good person who doesn’t kill kitties is a plus. What genetalia you have, what underwear you wear, or whether you wear heels or combat boots,  be yourself. The people who recognize your personal brand of perfection will love you.

For more about this Hop, HAH, other blogs participating and IDAHO, visit http://hopagainsthomophobia.blogspot.com/

For my portion, I have a couple things I’m going to do.

1. For every related (meaningful) comment recieved, I will donate $1 to http://www.truecolorsfund.org/ (up to $50). Please feel free to include your own stories, if you’re so inclined (not required).
2. I am also giving away my trio set of Beach books: Glitter, The Charlie Factor, and Doing Love Right to a commentor. Please leave an email in the comments section. Use spaces and (dot), (at), (dash), (underscore), etc as needed to avoid spiders picking them up.

The last day to comment is May 20th. If I have an email for the chosen winner (Random.org), I will attempt to contact that person. I will make a post with the winner’s name, so please feel free to check here after the weekend.

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoy your visits with the numerous authors and people who are supporting the fight against homophobia.

Your story “­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­The Charlie Factor” was reviewed by Whipped Cream this week and is up for Book of the Week honor this weekend (voting runs from Saturday, April 9th through Sunday April 10th). You can find the information here on Saturday:

http://www.longandshortreviews.com/WC/index.htm

While I always hope a story connects with readers and does well, when they actually do… It takes me by surprise, because what is magic in one book is bullcorn in the next. So waking up this morning and seeing this absolutely made my Monday. To the readers who’ve enjoyed The Charlie Factor and my books, I thank you.

I am with some awesome company here.

TOP 10 LISTS

1. Determined Mate
2. Not My Wolf
3. Touch My Wolf
4. Unexpected Mate
5. Why I Love Geeks
6. Out There in the Night
7. Scared of Spiders
8. The Heart of Texas
9. Beg Me
10. The Charlie Factor

1. The Charlie Factor
2. Love and Rockets
3. Love Transposed
4. Taking You Home
5. Bound by Honor
6. Finder Tolan
7. Taken
8. Nothing Ever Happens
9. American Love Songs
10. Out There in the Night

For more about my books, please check out the excerpts here, or at my publishers. Without readers, authors are only writing to hear themselves talk.

The Charlie Factor By: Diana DeRicci | Other books by Diana DeRicci Published By: Purple Sword Publications, LLC ISBN # 9781936165841 Word Count: 64752 Heat Index Available in: Adobe Acrobat, Palm DOC/iSolo, Microsoft Reader, HTML, Mobipocket (.prc), Rocket, Epub Read More   Also available at Purple Sword Publications and other retailers, soon on Kindle.

An excerpt from the book

Gregory had the oddest urge to soothe him, to hold Charlie, ease the torment he suffered. He got the door unlocked to push it in. “Come on. Let’s get inside.” Once in, he found a light switch. He held Charlie close, his head on Gregory’s shoulder. The scent of warm skin and clean male engulfed Gregory’s senses. There was no doubt his heart was reacting to it, because his heart wasn’t alone. His skin felt flushed everywhere Charlie touched, even the harsh pants of his breathing through his shirt. Gregory pushed it away. He couldn’t think about it now. Not when Charlie was barely standing, and gritting his teeth in frustration and pain. “How are you feeling now?”

“Like I want to shoot myself,” came the flat snarl.

“Shut up.” Gregory wasn’t sure there wasn’t a level of truth to that statement, as despondent as he sounded. “You don’t have a gun, do you?”

Charlie barked a sour laugh. “No. I’m pissed, not suicidal.”

His groused reply calmed the rising fear in Gregory. “Okay. Can you stand yet?” Gregory had been embracing Charlie for a few minutes, one of Charlie’s arms clutched around Gregory’s waist for support with his own arms around Charlie’s frame. Gradually, the tremors and heaves that had rocked his body ceased.

Whether it was accidental or not, a shift of weight brought their bodies closer. Gregory froze as their lengths came together.

Charlie was sporting a hell of a boner behind his jeans. It stole Gregory’s breath away.

Charlie cleared his throat. “Yeah, I think I can now.” The raw depth of those words shook him.

They straightened, but when they should have let their arms release each other, neither did. Gregory stared into his smoldering green eyes. Daring green eyes that whispered promises and hungry desires. Things that Gregory didn’t understand and couldn’t imagine, but felt safe with Charlie. A current that kept him frozen as surges of desire swept over him.

Charlie leaned forward, just a fraction, and Gregory felt panting breath on his lips. His heart pounded. Blood raced. Skin burned. There was no doubt his cock was paying attention, because it was growing painfully hard inside his jeans.

The epiphany was startling, shocking, and confusing as hell.

He was attracted to Charlie.

But he couldn’t be. Gregory wasn’t gay.

Gregory blinked and unwound his hold. The urge to flee screamed at him. “You okay?”

Charlie’s gaze sank, gold lashes hiding him. “Yes. Thank you.” With a purposeful effort, Charlie steadied his weight on his cane, releasing Gregory’s waist completely. “Seems you’re always picking me up off the ground.”

“That’s what friends do,” he managed, trying for flippant and coming out way too tender. He sent the order to his brain to make his legs take a step away. They finally obeyed. “I better get home. Samson probably has to pee a river.”

Charlie chuckled, though it sounded forced. Slipping out the door, Gregory escaped to his still-running Jeep with long, ground-eating strides. He slammed the door closed and released a shuddering breath. The man had been turned on, and unless he needed to take Chemistry 101 again, Charlie had almost kissed him, came damned close to kissing him.

What shook Gregory’s world was that Charlie wasn’t the only one who had been feeling the attraction. The sheer want had been electric. Gregory couldn’t recall feeling the need to close the gap between his lips and Charlie’s like he had just now. Not between himself and a woman, and never with another man. A shudder rocked him as he maneuvered the Jeep onto the road.