Lost Faith

As you know, I don’t write about the fellas too often on ye olde blog. But George Michael wasn’t just any fella. He was The Fella of my 80s childhood. I can’t tell you how many times I danced to “Faith” or the oh-so-scandalous “I Want Your Sex” in my bedroom. Or how much I sang in the mirror to “Father Figure” or “Praying for Time.” And that “Freedom! ‘90” video. *low whistle* Let’s just say the future gay in me was very appreciative of the lip-synching supermodels. Very. It’s been a terrible year for so many reasons. As if our current geo-political hellscape wasn’t enough, we lost far too many of the people who helped make our universe just a little more bearable. David Bowie. Prince. Now George Michael. These were complex men who helped redefine, and gloriously bend, what it meant to be a man. To be honest, I didn’t expect his death to hit me this way. But I spend the entire morning the day after Christmas watching his music videos and crying – just a little. As a kid, I didn’t know how to articulate the strange kinship I felt with him. Though kinship might not be the right word – aspiration is more like it. He was so exquisite in a way that transcended masculinity and femininity. He was just so beautiful. And, as I got older, I admired how unabashed and unapologetic he was about his sexuality. It was beautiful and brave. But now all that beauty is gone and the world is a little less bright. And now, after his death, we are hearing stories of the true depth of his beautiful, generous heart as well. Goodbye, beautiful prince. Thank you for the music and for making this world a better place than how you found it.