When we last left our plucky weatherman he was on his way to Middletown to emcee an event for CABO. That’s the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) Chamber of Commerce. I was, to say the least, uneasy.
The last thing you want to do is go to an event and offend those who invited you. I didn’t want to say anything that would strike an L, G, B or T nerve!
The advice I got in my blog comments and on Facebook was really valuable. You said fuhgetaboutit. I did. Well sort of.
What I tried to do was let the crowd know of my fear and then move from there. Seriously, I told them I was nervous and why.
Showing you care about the audience wins friends. Once they knew I was trying to play close to the line with their assistance I was golden!
I asked if the word “Gaydar” was OK. I suspected it was, especially when used in a light hearted way.
I asked if anyone there thought they had Gaydar? A few. Then I let them know I was the only person in the room with Doppler Gaydar! It got a good laugh. I was home free.
For those not in attendance, if you didn’t know this was an LGBT event going in you wouldn’t have known… well… except for a display from a Hartford based gay health group which had condoms, flavored oils and some sort of vibrating rings on their table.
I met a lot of nice people and had a great time. As a bonus I was reminded how cool the center of Middletown is. Main Street with its iconic head-in parking looks vibrant and alive. The Inn at Middletown is a beautiful facility.
Maybe they’ll invite me back next year?
