Friday January 6, 2006 SGN.org |
 |
Volume 34 Issue 01 |
 |
|
Saturday, Nov 21, 2009
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
Lesbian Notions by Libby Post |
||
 |
||
| PAWS for reflection | ||
| I came out in 1978. In just a few years, I'll get to celebrate 30 years of being a Lesbian. So, I was brought up short when I found myself in love with a guy. He came into my life in a flash five years back, and was taken just as quickly not long ago.
Who was he? Well, he was blonde, had great big, dreamy dark eyes and the most expressive face. He'd nuzzle with me at a moment's notice, and his love was unconditional. He was my dog, Jazz. He was hit by a car after getting away from the person who was animal-sitting him and our five cats while my partner and I were away. Now, our five cats speak to the veracity of the supposed kindred relationships between the feline species and Lesbians. You might remember how some of us in the late '70s and early '80s were all about reclaiming our inner crones. Being a good Lesbian, I wanted a girl dog. My partner, Lynn, kept saying we weren't going to take home the first puppy we saw at the pound. Well, that lasted for about three minutes. I fell in love with this little mutt in a heartbeat. In the five years we had Jazz, I often marveled at the deep connection Lesbians and Gays seem to have with their pets. Could it be the unconditional love animals offer? Yes, I know there is the occasional cat that doesn't like that new person who is crowding her out in bed, or a dog that eats the underwear of his owner's new paramour, but overall, love is their order of the day. They don't care about the gender of the person sleeping next to you. They don't mind if they have two mommies or two daddies, and I can tell you that the dogs at the dog park Jazz went to everyday didn't care either. All our pets care about is that we love them back and take care of them. That's a very simple equation - one that results in a companion, a friend, a nuzzle, or a lick! Lynn and I aren't alone in our need for four-legged friends. Of the 8,831 LGBT folks who responded to the 2002-2003 Gay/Lesbian Consumer Online Census, a whopping 78.5 percent said they had at least one pet - that's 10 percent higher than pet ownership in the straight community. I know that means something, I just can't figure out what. Close to 87 percent of the Lesbian respondents had pets; 70.8 percent of Gay men kept furry friends around. Interestingly, our pets were more often cats than dogs - maybe that has something to do with residual feminist politics and the perceived Lesbian affinity for cats over dogs. One thing is for sure - we spend a lot of money on them. One-fifth of those surveyed said they spent between $300 and $432 a year on pet products. Those folks must only have one pet. With Jazz we had six, and spent between $100 and $150 each month on food, treats, litter, and various other supplies. When you add in the vet bills, we definitely made an investment in our animals. Around the country there are groups of folks who are making an investment of time and treasure to ensure the pets of folks who are HIV-positive are also cared for. We all know how wonderful pets can be in times of illness. For someone who has HIV/AIDS, his or her pet is a source of emotional well-being, joy, comfort, and that all important, unconditional love. However, we all know what HIV/AIDS can do to someone's finances, and, for some, maintaining the cost of a pet can be too much of a burden. That's where PAWS comes in. PAWS stands for Pets Are Wonderful Support, and these grassroots programs have popped up in AIDS care organizations around the country. PAWS plays a vital role in ensuring that people who are HIV-positive are not separated from their animals when they need them most. It helps with in-home care when the owner is ill or hospitalized, and provides financial assistance to pay for veterinary services and supplemental pet food and supplies. PAWS is a real gift. What the group does is what we on the Jewish side of the block call a mitzvah - an act of loving-kindness, a good deed. Now that I truly feel the emptiness of losing a pet, I wouldn't want anyone else to go through it - especially someone with HIV/AIDS. Libby Post is the founding chair of the Empire State Pride Agenda and a political commentator on public radio, on the Web, and in print media. She can be reached care of this publication or at LesbianNotions@qsyndicate.com. |
||
 |
||
|
|
||
|
|
||
|
|
||
|
|
||
|
|
||
|
|
||
International Readers |
  It's new!A blog created by the SGN staff so you can be heard |
|
The Beauty of Freedom through |
DigitalTeamWorks presents  websites for Artists looking for a great email us for more information
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
copyright Seattle Gay News - DigitalTeamWorks 2006