Prop 8 Protest in Milwaukee

I stood out in the cold on November 15th to join in the protest against Prop 8 and discrimination(Wisconsin has an amendment that bans gay marriage and civil unions). Unfortunately Kip had to work so I had to go alone, but I did put our picture on my protest sign that said "Our Love is Stronger than Your H8".



The organizer said there were 400 people there. I estimated about 200 and the article in the newspaper said "more than 200". There were a few speakers and we did some chanting.



The protest didn't last too long though because of the temperature(40 degrees) but after the bulk of the crowd had left 20-30 of us stayed after to stand in the median of the street for a couple of hours. We got a lot of supportive honks and I only saw one driver do a thumbs down sign and one driver slowed down and held a Bible up to the window. We all had a good laugh about that one. Interestingly two missionaries drove by. I found it fitting that they had a McCain/Palin bumper sticker on their car. Someone called out after them, "They lost!"

It felt really good to be out there with other people supporting the cause. I really want to be able to marry Kip legally one day. I hope I don't have to wait too long.

Election results

Let's start with the positive-Barack Obama is the new President! I am so happy and can hardly believe that we actually have a Democrat back in the White House. I'm confident that things will be better in this country, generally and for GLBT people. I'm hopeful for an end to Don't Ask, Don't Tell, passage of ENDA and the Matthew Shepard Act. Ad what a commanding victory! Indiana? Are you serious? I'm happy that it was Ohio that made it clear that Obama would win.

Other positive things as reported by HRC-A Democratic majority in the New York state senate bringing the possibility of same-sex marriage in New York. Connecticut didn't approve a constitutional convention(which could have made same-sex marriage illegal) and same-sex marriages begin next week. The Democrats have made major gains in the U. S. House and Senate as well.

Now for the negative-Obviously the biggest disappointment is that although No on 8 hasn't conceded it looks like Proposition 8 will pass. What was half of California thinking? Did No on 8 supporters stay home and not vote because Obama was clearly going to win? I am so angry with the Mormon church for what they did to help this pass. They need to stay out of political issues or at the very least not help spread lies in order to get their agenda passed. Constitutional bans on same-sex marriage were also passed in Arizona and Florida. It leaves me sickened that we still live in a society filled with such hate and discrimination. I'm tired of being marginalized by society.

Unfortunately my dad lost his Utah state House of Representative race by 60% to 40%. He was the best candidate by far and he worked so hard to get support. The only reason why he lost is because he was running as a Democrat in Utah County and the majority of people there think that voting Democrat is evil I'm convinced(again the fault of the Mormon church). My dad did get 4500 votes though so that's pretty impressive. Can you believe Chris Buttars was re-elected? I guess I shouldn't be surprised...after all it is Utah.

Maybe now I can get back to my normal sleep habits.

Another Word Perfect co-founder donates...unfortunately to Yes on Prop 8

Connexion.org reports that Alan Ashton of Utah recently donated a million dollars to Yes on Proposition 8. He was one of the co-founders of Word Perfect. I've been in his house when he lived in my grandparents neighborhood. His daughter was in my high school class. It's disgusting that this man would donate all this money to promote discrimination.

Another Word Perfect co-founder Bruce Bastian who is gay donated a million dollars to No on Prop 8. He lives in my parents neighborhood. I bet Ashton just wanted to negate his former business partner's donation. What a terrible person.

Countdown to the election

We are so close now, I can't believe it. Just a few more days left now. I can't hardly wait. I'm feeling pretty confident that Obama will win, though I don't want to jinx things. But the way the polls are going up to now it seems pretty clear that Obama is favored. I'm so happy that soon we'll will have a Democrat in the White House again. I'm feeling good that things will really change for the better in this country in the next four years especially with regards to the war in Iraq, health care and GLBT issues. I have a feeling we'll know Obama has one pretty early on in the night when he wins Virginia. I just hope that this doesn't keep the No on Prop 8 people from going to the polls. It really shouldn't though because Californians should be used to the fact that their electoral votes will go to the Democratic nominee no matter what anyways.

Now that I think the presidential race is all but over, my attention in these last few days is squarely on Proposition 8 in California. I am sick over this. I will be so disappointed and sad if Prop 8 passes. On the other hand I will be so happy if it fails. It will be such a great feeling knowing that the people of California support our rights and that we are accepted. It will be so amazing that we stood up to the Mormon church and won. If Proposition 8 fails it will help our cause so much throughout the country. I hope I'll be able to stay up on Election Day long enough to find out that Proposition 8 didn't pass and that same-sex couples will still be able to marry.

There are a lot of other exciting races I'll be following as well. Of course I'll be interested in the same-sex marriage bans in Arizona and Florida. I emailed my little sister in Arizona and asked her to vote no on Prop 102. Maybe she'll listen to me but it looks like this amendment will pass. The Florida amendment has to get 60% of the vote to pass so I'm hopeful that it will fail. I'll also be following my dad's Utah state legislature race. I think it'll be pretty hard for him to win as a Democrat in Utah County but a lot of people like him so we'll see. Maybe they'll but their silly superstitions about the Democratic Party to rest and realize he is the best candidate. I'll also be keeping track of the Senate races to see how many seats the Democrats can pick up. Hopefully two of those will be Senator Stevens and Senator Dole's seats. The Washington governor race is going to be a close one, a rematch of the really tight 2004 race. I think people might punish Gregoire for the way things are going since she is the incumbent. Also important is the Delaware governor race because when Joe Biden becomes vice president the governor will pick his successor, so it needs to be a Democratic governor to pick a Democratic replacement. I think the Democrat is favored though. Democrats are also favored to pick up the governorship in Missouri.

Other things of importance to watch: If Connecticut votes to have a constitutional convention, they may be able to add an amendment banning gay marriage which was recently legalized there. Also if New York gains two more democratic seats in the state legislature they will likely approve some sort of same-sex recognition.

It's going to be an exciting night on Nov. 4th. Here's hoping things turn out the way they should. GObama and No on Prop 8!

Brush with fame

Last night(10/22) I came to Columbus to see the So You Think You Can Dance tour with my friend Erika. It was fun to see all my favorite dances from the TV show and to hang out with Erika.

Today(10/23) I went to the Wexner Center on campus to see the Andy Warhol exhibit. As I was looking around I saw a blonde girl with a black ski cap on who looked famous(she had movie star good looks). I looked at the girl next to her and I realized these were dancers from the SYTYCD dance tour! It was Kherrington, Chelsi Trail, Gev and Jessica. I was soo excited. I said I saw your guys' show last night and I thought it was great! I started shaking their hands and telling them their names and they asked me my name. I told Gev that I was from Orem and asked where Chelsie Hightower was. She didn't come, but wanted to meet up later tonight, Chelsi T. said. She was like, I'm the only Chelsi here! I said oh it's fine I'm from Orem so I wanted to give a shout out to my fellow Oremite. Then Gev asked if I grew up there and was just here for school. I said yeah I grew up there went to BYU then here for med school, I'm graduated now and am back for homecoming. I should have told them that I came here for the show which is true(as well as for Julie's birthday). Somehow it came up that they're glad they had the show last night and could spend the day here. I told them again that I loved the show and that I'd let them get back to the art show and that it was nice to meet them. There were probably some other things said but I can't remember them now. I was so nervous and star struck I was just trying to from words into sentences. I sneaked a couple of pics on my camera phone as they continued looking at the art. Kherrington came right by me again when I was reading the Andy Warhol booklet.

I wish I would have had my real camera, but I left it at my friend's house for the day while I was out. I should have gotten their autographs or gotten my photo with them with my camera! I should have asked them where they were going out tonight and invited them to Union which is where I'm headed tonight. My friend Dave knows Thayne from SYTYCD but he doesn't have his phone number anymore so I can't get a hold of him.

Email from the AMSA LGBT Listserve on Proposition 8

I think this email was very well written and since I don't think I could do a better job, I've copied the email for you all to read:

"Dear Friends,

Like many of you, I’ve been captivated by the excitement of this year’s presidential race. What some of you may not be aware of is that another measure will be put to the voters on November 4th, one of utmost importance to the nation. I am speaking of Proposition 8 in California, the proposition which will write discrimination into the California State Constitution, eliminating the right of same-sex couples to marry.

As many of you know, gay marriage became law in California on June 16, 2008, when the Supreme Court of California overturned the ban on same-sex marriage. In his ruling, California Chief Justice Ronald M. George (who happens to be Republican and first-appointed by Ronald Reagan) said:

“retaining the designation of marriage exclusively for opposite sex couples and providing only a separate and distinct designation for same-sex couples may well have the effect of perpetuating a more general premise – now emphatically rejected by this state – that gay individuals and same-sex couples are in some respects "second-class citizens" who may, under the law, be treated differently from, and less favorably than, heterosexual individuals.”

It was this same court that first overturned the ban on interracial marriage in 1948 in the Perez v Sharp case – a case the held that “marriage is a fundamental right in a free society.” At the time, that decision was labeled as an act of “judicial activism” and was overwhelmingly unpopular in public opinion polls of the day. Yet, 60 years later, the idea of a ban on interracial marriage is inconceivable
to the average American.

Many of us (myself included) have assumed a discriminatory effort to deny gays and lesbians a basic right, like Prop 8, would be easily defeated. Confident in the progressive politics of California, I’ve focused on the horse race of the presidential election.

Meanwhile, the extreme religious right has identified Prop 8 as THE MOST IMPORTANT ELECTORAL ISSUE THIS NOVEMBER. Funded largely by the Mormon Church in Utah, a massive national fundraising campaign has been organized with one purpose: to distort public perception about what Prop 8 means. The airwaves and billboards are flooded with deceiving ads about children being forced to learn about gay sex in school, churches losing their tax exempt status, and the “degradation of our society” that will ensue if Prop 8 is not passed. To date, this campaign
has raised $25 million from over 60,000 contributors – most of whom live outside of California. We are $10 million dollars behind and will surely lose this election without at least matching them dollar for dollar.

While initial polls showed the voters were likely to defeat Prop 8, the religious right’s campaign of hate is working. Public opinion polls have shown increasing support for Prop 8 (the most recent showed
47% in support, with 42% opposed), and its passage looks increasingly likely.

But the battle is still winnable.

Right now there are many resources needed to fight this battle. Equality California has challenged fair minded people to raise $1 million dollars by Sunday at midnight. Philathropist Steve Bing will match dollar for dollar every contribution up to a total of $1 million dollars.
www.eqcapac.org/challenge Even $20 will make a difference.

Also,volunteers are needed to phone potential voters, and you don’t have to live in California to participate. You can find out more at www.eqca.org and www.noonprop8.com.

Think about it. This is the moment that will define the LGBT civil rights movement for the next 50 years. If Prop 8 is defeated, the people of the most populous state in the Union will have upheld the right of same-sex couples to marry. The inevitability of equality begins with the defeat of Prop 8.

In twenty years, how will you answer the question, “what did you do to help defeat Proposition 8?”

Please spread the word and pass this on to your fair-minded friends and neighbors."

Jason Kauffman
Bryan Hopping

Horrific BYU(Mormon church) conduct again!

This time BYU has denied giving a degree to someone who completed all of his requirements just because the Mormon church excommunicated him a few weeks before graduation(for publishing a calendar showing returned missionaries shirtless).

Read the full article here.


This is why I wasn't out while I was at BYU. I was scared of getting kicked out and not getting my degree on time. (Now I'm kind of scared of them revoking my degree anyways).

Response to a former friend(who's Mormon) about my support of gay marriage

I thank God every day that I had the courage to be true to myself even when everything I was taught growing up told me that I was less than a person for feeling the way I did. I am so grateful that I am gay because it made me realize how wrong the Mormon church is. Had I not been true to myself I would never have met my soul mate and been happy like I am now. I can't expect you to understand because you are not in my position and you have no reason to go against the church like I did.

Same-sex marriages should be allowed for the simple reason that everyone should be treated equally. Remember when the Mormon church was persecuted? Gay people are still being persecuted to this day when we are told that we don't deserve the same rights as straight people.

As for my parents, don't feel bad for them, they are kind, loving parents who are proud of Kip(my boyfriend) and my relationship. Of course it took time for them to reach this point but through our example their feelings on the matter have changed dramatically. I hope my example can help many more people see that there are many kinds of families and Kip and mine is one of them and is just as valid as more "traditional" ones.

How to find out who donated to Vote Yes on Proposition 8

To see a list of those who have donated to "YES ON 8, A PROJECT OF CALIFORNIA RENEWAL" go to the California Secretary of State page.

Click the "contributions received" bubble under the "View Information" section. Below that there's an option to download the Excel sheet of donors, so you can then alphabetize the list(I alphabetized the list by city).

I found out my uncle and brother that live in California both donated $100. How upsetting that they would donate money. I can only guess how much time they've donated. At least I know where they stand now.

UPDATE:
Today HRC was doing 100% matching of donations, so I made a $100 donation and that was matched, so I've now donated more than my family members donated to "Vote Yes". I do feel a little better, but there's so many people against us.

UPDATE:
This is a much more user friendly way to find out who has donated money to Prop 8:
http://www.sfgate.com/webdb/prop8/?Search+Again=

UPDATE:
I found out that my uncle has donated a total of $1000 dollars in support of Proposition 8. I can't compete with that kind of money.

Letter from the Obama campaign on GLBT issues

I'll admit I was offended/saddened by the segment on gay marriage in the VP debate. But I think this is a good time to share a message that I received from the Obama campaign when I asked them to share Obama's views on GLBT issues.

"Dear Friend,

Thank you for contacting Senator Barack Obama and Obama for America with your thoughts on LGBT rights. We appreciate hearing from you.

Senator Obama supports economic, social, and legal rights for gays and lesbians. He supports full civil unions, expanding hate crimes statutes, fighting discrimination at work and in housing and other places of public accommodation, and wants to increase adoption rights. He opposes any Constitutional ban on gay marriage, opposes the Defense of Marriage Act, and opposes the current “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy on gays in the military, which weakens us in a time of global challenges.

Barack is a global leader in the fight against AIDS. He traveled to Kenya and took a public HIV test to encourage testing and reduce the stigma of the disease. In late 2006, Barack Obama worked to reauthorize the Ryan White CARE Act, one of the largest sources of federal funds for primary health care and support services for patients with HIV/AIDS.

Senator Obama has consistently supported LGBT rights, and will continue to work for an open, tolerant society where people of all sexual orientations are protected and their contributions are valued. Thank you again for writing.

Sincerely,

Obama for America

---------------------------------------
Paid for by Obama for America"

So hopefully this cheers you all up as it does me, that under Obama there will be far more equality than under McCain.

Good Tagging Fun

My sister sort of tagged me(she wrote, "I tag anyone who wants to play...come on I want to know about your life!!"). So here goes:

Ten years ago I was:
1. In my first month of college at BYU
2. Not out
3. Dreading that I'd have to go on a mission soon
4. Loving such songs as "Save Tonight", "My Favorite Mistake" and "Believe"
5. Attending church weekly

My to do list:
1. Pick an article for journal club
2. Plant the tulip bulbs
3. Iron my clothes
4. Put in my vacation request for March
5. Run the Milwaukee marathon next year

Favorite snacks:
1. Dreyer's 1/2 Fat Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
2. Twizzlers
3. Baked Lays, Ruffle, etc.
4. Gummi Bears
5. Chips and Salsa

If I had millions of dollars I would:
1. Travel to everywhere I want to go
2. Pay off my debts
3. Buy a new car
4. Give a lot of money to my favorite siblings
5. Donate to Obama's campaign, HRC, Vote No on Proposition 8 and The World Wildlife Fund

Places I've lived:
1. Milwaukee, WI
2. Columbus, OH
3. Orem, UT
4. Provo, UT
5. Spain

My jobs:
1. St. Luke's Medical Center: Transitional Year Resident
2. BioMedics: Phlebotomist
3. SuperTarget/Macey's: Cart attendant, cashier
4. SCERA pool: Swim teacher, lifeguard
5. Deseret News: Newspaper carrier

I tag anyone who still reads this blog!

My Mosaic

I got this idea from my sister and was bored so I thought I'd do it.

The concept:
a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search .
b. Using only the first page, pick an image.
c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd’s mosaic maker. Save your mosaic and then add it to your blog like a regular photo.

The Questions:
1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What school did you go to?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
6. Favorite drink?
7. Dream vacation?
8. Favorite dessert?
9. What you want to be when you grow up?
10. What do you love most in life?
11. One word to describe you.
12. Your nickname.




Answers
1: David-Perhaps my favorite famous David..for obvious reasons!
2: Mashed potatoes and gravy.
3: Ohio State for med school. My favorite school experience so that's why I chose that school.
4: Blue. I picked this picture of a Steller's Jay because I like wildlife and I remember seeing this bird all over when I lived in Monterey.
5: Cristian Ronaldo, a Portuguese soccer player.
6: Historically my favorite drink has been Bacardi Razz and Sprite.
7: Barcelona, specifically the Sagrada Familia...have wanted to go there ever since I lived in Spain.
8: Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream...Dreyer's brand but the 1/2 fat kind.
9: Radiology, probably abdominal imaging.
10: My laptop.
11: Gay :). I liked this one because it's in Columbus.
12: Leon, so I got a lion(leon in Spanish). My sister calls me this and she's the one I got the idea to do this from so it was perfect.

Now it's your turn!

Vote No on Proposition 8

This whole issue is a very sore topic for me as I am obviously a strong proponent of gay marriage and hope to one day (in the not too distant future) to get married to my boyfriend of almost 3 years. I was elated when the California Supreme Court's decision allowed for gay marriage in the state and was saddened when I heard Proposition 8 was going to be put on the November ballot(though I figured that was inevitable). I was extremely disappointed again when I found out that the LDS Church sent a letter to the members of the church in California encouraging them to do all they could do to help get Proposition 8 passed.

The other day I got invited by someone on my Facebook friends list who is Mormon to join a group supporting Proposition 8. I of course declined and then sent him a message telling him no thanks. He wrote back that he was just trying to his part since the church asked him to. This made me think how influential the Mormon church is in this whole issue. I think most members will feel obligated to obey the church and make sure this Proposition passes. I wish they would have stayed out of this political question and let the individual members decide for themselves. My brother lives in California and I'm scared to think that he is involved in getting this Proposition passed.

I came across this letter posted on a blog from a volunteer with the Mormon church and it's scary how much organization and effort is going into this:


"July 28, 2008

Dear Presidents:

Yesterday a wonderful meeting was held with the eight Area Directors in Northern California. These are amazingly powerful people. The Area folks represent the grassroots effort for the passage of the Proposition and their responsibility overlays each Coordinating Council. This was a great and powerful meeting. I assure you that the LDS folks who work closely with or who are on the Board directly of the coalition are very impressive and politically experienced folks. It was great to see.

I have a few answers to frequent questions that are being asked and I feel that if I were you, I'd wanna know. Hope that this helps:

Organization, it' s a little confusing!? Answer: The Brethren have felt that the best way to organize and pass the Proposition is to have an Ecclesiastical arm and a Grassroots arm to organization. Elder Dalton, Area Seventy and Chair of California for every thing, reports to the Brethren. I assist him. We work with coordinating councils, all 17 in California and then Stake Presidents and Bishops, rank and file. The second leg to organization is grassroots. This is done so as to engage as many like minded folks who are not LDS, but whom will help. The senior folks who run the grassroots are LDS at the coalition and are headed by Gary Greener and Gary Lawrence. These folks are assisted in Nor Cal by Boyd Smith, and in turn by Area, then Regional Directors. The regional directors overlay Stakes. Below are Zip Code Supervisors by wards.

What is the role of grassroots? Answer: The grassroots folks in each Stake, Regional Directors will train zip code supervisors. Their goal, is to find the voters who will vote yes. It is not to persuade others ... but to find those who will vote yes. The ZCS will seek, with the RD help, to encourage as many as the ward members and like minded people as possible, to accept eight different responsibilities, all from walking a precinct to determine folks opinions (not to sell), to calling, to placing signage, to a myriad of essential tasks that Area Directors will oversee. Please know Presidents, that the RDs/ZCS's will be contacting many many people to accept responsibilities. We hope that you are fine with this happening without the Stake President or Bishop approving each assignment! We assume that you are ok with that!!

Will like minded people from other congregations really join with us? Answer: There was a conference call last week with 1200 pastors in California with James Dobson as the featured speaker. This Thursday, there is another conference call with 2000 California clergy. It appears that the effort on the part of like minded people is huge compared to eight years ago. The Area Directors and Regional Directors will be aware of contacting the congregations for a joint effort. Walking the precincts in particular is where we all may have an opportunity to grab a good friend of another religion and walk with them. If LDS people want to participate in that conference and know of the site of broadcast, they are welcome to go.

What is the timeline from here for the next few weeks.? Answer:

1. Congregations of LDS all having been taught the doctrine in July so that they may see the importance of fundraising and grassroots participation. Some Stakes have called all Stake Council and wives as well as several folks who may be able to contribute not on the Council. The Stake President, in that Cottage Meeting, has asked for their support. A great part of a fund raising effort, accomplished in one night.

2. August 1st: All Regional Directors have been called and contacted by Area Directors for training.

3. August 3rd: Training of Regional Directors commences by the Area Directors

4. August 1st-10th: Zip Code Supervisors are in place and are to be trained by Regional Directors..

5. August 16th: The First of three Saturday precinct walks are to be held under the direction of the Regional Directors.

6. August 23rd: The Second of the Saturday precinct walks are to be held.

7. Sept. 22nd: One million signs will be put up in yards around the state at 7:00am.

Other timeline events will be planned and executed and you will be updated.

That's enough. if I caused more questions than answered, please hit me back.

Thanks for all that you and have on your plate. The Lord will make up whatever we all feel we are lacking.

Brother Packer"

I also found this link to mormonsformarriage.com which is a group of Mormons who believe in gay marriage and seems to be a good resource for fair minded Mormons who support gay marriage but don't know what to do in light of the church encouraging them to fight for Proposition 8.

I feel like I should do all I can to make sure Proposition 8 does not pass including talking to my brother and everyone I know in California, hoping my example helps them understand why Proposition 8 shouldn't pass. We'll see how this all unfolds.

Rep. Tubbs Jones, you will be deeply missed

The AP writes: "EAST CLEVELAND, Ohio - Democratic U.S. Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones, the first black woman to represent Ohio in Congress and a strong critic of the Iraq war, died Wednesday after a brain hemorrhage, a hospital spokeswoman said."

I am so saddened by the news. She was truly a great woman and a great representative for Ohio. I was privileged to have seen her stand with Hillary Clinton at a rally at Ohio State. I don't know how she'll ever be replaced, she was such an advocate for everything I believe in. Tomorrow is another day. Hopefully at least Obama will be elected so some of her ideals can be brought to pass.

New Intern

I started my first day of my intern year yesterday. I am on an inpatient general medicine service for my first month. I feel like I'm already getting the hang of things and that I'll be able to handle intern year just fine. I like being in charge of my own patients and writing orders. I will have my first overnight call on Thursday so I am nervous for that. Unfortunately I'll be on call for the 4th of July so I'm sad that I won't get to celebrate with Kip that day. We'll have to have a BBQ the next day, I guess.

Mormon church at it again with their hate

Here is an article from The Deseret News which talks about a letter the leadership of the Mormon church sent out to their California congregations which encourages the membership of the church to support the amendment banning gay marriage in California which will be up for a vote in November. When will the church stop discriminating against gay people? Why do they care if gay people are allowed to have civil marriages? Why can't they let the California members decide of their own free will whether they will or won't support the amendment. I wonder how my brother who lives in California will vote.

Match Day

Match Day turned out to be very different than I thought it would be. Kip and I ended up matching in Milwaukee, WI. I'm really happy that we matched together, but I wanted to either go to Phoenix or stay in Columbus and definitely didn't want to go anywhere colder that Ohio. I feel really bad that I had 4 years to make that happen and I failed and that I let Kip down. I really did enjoy the program when I visited so I am glad about that, although I honestly didn't learn that much about it because I didn't think there was any way I would end up there. I'm getting more used to the idea now and I'm sure everything will work out fine in the end. We'll enjoy buying our first house together and exploring a new city. Milwaukee is only a cheap Skybus flight away from Columbus so that'll be good. I'll miss Columbus!

My comment on a post on a fellow gay med student's blog

I've recently found a blog that I find very interesting and well written and today I posted the following comment on one of his posts so I include here for you to read:

"I always enjoy reading your blog and this post especially hit very close to home for me as I too am going through the application/interview process for residency(Radiology) and happen to be gay. I am couples matching with my boyfriend and it got very tiring explaining that Kip was in fact a boy, not a girl like everyone assumed(has anyone ever heard of a girl named Kip anyway?) and eventually I just stopped correcting the interviewers because I got tired of them not understanding(with one interviewer I had to say it three different ways before he finally got it). If I could do it all again I would have been more clear expressing myself and not letting them make me feel uncomfortable for being gay but at the time I just let it slide because I didn't want them to look upon me negatively."

I think one of the main reasons most of the interviewers assumed that I was straight was because they all knew that I was Mormon-being from Utah, going on a mission and graduating from BYU-so that made them assume that Kip would have to be a girl. I found it rather impossible to let people know that I am no longer a Mormon so it was very frustrating to have to carry that misconception around just because I'm from Utah. I will find out on March 20th where I matched so it will be interesting to see how this all plays out especially since the program director at my #1 choice is Mormon.

Done with residency interviews

Now that it's February I can relax for a couple of days. I did 30 residency interviews in 12 different states over the past few months. I did have some fun times-going to the driving range in Scottsdale and going to the beach in Charleston stand out right now but traveling and interviewing is a tiring process so I'm glad it's over. I can't wait for Match Day.

I went home for about 5 days over the Christmas holiday. I had a pretty good time hanging out mostly with my Mom and Dad as my brothers and sisters all have their own families now. I think I would have had a great time if I hadn't been missing Kip so much. I am relatively lucky to have the parents that I do. My mom seems to be doing a lot better handling the fact that I'm gay and even said that she'd be ok with Kip staying at our house if we came to visit. I'm definitely proud of the fact that my parents are Democrats and it was nice to have a couple of people on my side when the conversation of politics came up. I'm considering going back over the summer so we'll see.

Up next for me is my last clinical rotation working with homeless people so it will definitely be interesting.