That time we were denied boarding . . . then they laughed at us!

Hey fam,

I haven’t been blogging or doing much of anything besides work because, at the half way mark of the pandemy, a bitch is tired.

But it won’t surprise any of you that both Bae and I were thrilled at the opportunity to travel for work, and visit Sal, one of the 9 other inhabited islands in Cabo Verde.

And, Fam, I want y’all to know this trip was fabulous. Beautiful white sandy beach, coastal shipwrecks, beautiful people with beautiful stories . . . and the food was phenomenal.

Bae and I actually swam with sharks, peered into the eye of the Buracona, and walked inside planet earth’s only salt flat located inside the crater of a volcano.

The trip, in a word, was lit!

. . . until we got to the airport.

Now, we are gay, but we are also visibly living and being our truest selves. I, for one, had on my signature onesie, Birkenstocks and bubble-gum pink toenails. Bae and I glided to the check-in desk with our hyphenated last names, and asked to check in with our diplomatic IDs (because we are diplomats, and that’s how it is supposed to work).

So here’s where everything went south. The lady at the counter wouldn’t accept the ID - neither would her supervisor - neither would the head of security. You have to know that Bae and I had been worried about something like this, but it’s another thing entirely to be told that an ID card the local government gave us as diplomats would not be accepted by . . . local government authorities.

We ultimately were allowed to check in, but the folks who check us in were also helping at the departure gate. They stared at us - they pointed - they laughed at us. No one was around us (because, the Rona) . . . these people openly mocked us, scoffed at us, and unwittingly (because they basic) created a hostile space for us.

This was supposed to be a good trip. A cathartic trip.

Now . . . I’m no stranger to discrimination and bigotry, but I’m tired. I’m just tired.

Nevertheless, we are going to continue being our fabulous, gay, wonderful selves - no matter where we land.

Peace and blessings to all of you,

. . . the trendy one