My Other Gay Friends

I know a lot of gay Mormons.  In fact, I would say that the majority of my friends who are gay also happen to be or come from a Mormon background.

And my other gay friends I know from the Court.  Specifically, this is the Imperial Rainbow Court of Northern Utah, the Ogden Chapter of the International Imperial Court System.  This is a non-profit organization that raises money throughout the year for other various groups.  They do shows every weekend for this.

These gay friends of mine run in a different circle than the Mormon gay friends of mine.  And all my gay friends are wonderful people who I am most honored to be friends with, both types trying to do the very best they can to be the best people they can be.

My other gay friends tend to be a bit more full of "fabulous" and "sparkle" than my Mormon friends do.  In this regard, they sometimes seem much more free.  They are energetic.  A lot of them have better command of makeup and fashion than I ever will.  And when they put on a drag show, boy do they know how to put on a drag show!

I mention this, not to compare my two types of Family Friends.  I mention this because this last week, IRCONU lost our Empress.  Andy Davis, aka Alexis Devo, died January 16, 2012.  He was 31 years old.

I have found myself struggling very much with his death.  I find this strange, because Andy and I were not close friends.  But Andy lit up every room he walked into.  He was the type of person who you could meet just once, and he would change your life.  That's not an exaggeration either.  I looked forward to his positive and motivating posts on Facebook.  He was a loving, willing, beautiful person who saw everyone as a friend.  He was so full of life and energy, and it's so very difficult to believe that his light has left this earthly world.

I have yet to go to a Moho party and see a drag queen there.  I have yet to go to a IRCONU show and hear about Boyd K. Packer.  But I am so lucky to be a part of two amazing communities, seemingly on opposite sides of the spectrum, but with more in common than an outsider might believe.  I am lucky to have so many amazing people in my life.  And losing one of them reminds me of how important each and every one of them are to me.

I'm so grateful for all of you.  I am grateful for the spirit of life and love that you bring to me.  I hope you know that.  I love you all!!!