Happy Pride! It’s been 56 years since the first Pride parades. Held first in Chicago, then NYC and San Francisco, the year after the Stonewall Uprising.

Why Pride month and the parade still matters:

For about two decades, Americans grew more accepting of LGBTQ+ people and more supportive of their civil rights. However, those pro-LGBTQ+ attitudes peaked about five years ago and have since edged downward, mostly among Republicans. The change has come as conservative leaders have pushed back against diversity, equity and inclusion programs that were intended to foster greater acceptance of LGBTQ+ people and other historically disadvantaged groups.—excerpt from May 2026 Gallup poll

It’s sad to know young people, particularly transgender people, are experiencing the bigotry we elders faced when we were their age. More than once years back, I was refused service at a restaurant, been spat upon, and had things thrown at me. People (some relatives, some not) have sat at my dining room table and expressed their bigotry as if it was their right—in my own home.

You know, those drag queens and dykes on bikes leading your parades aren’t helping your cause any.

—said many well-meaning relatives or acquaintances

We love and honor the bravery of those early drag queens and dykes on bikes.

Today, there’s a lot of talk about morality and what God wants: no transgender people to exist, no same-sex marriage, as examples. Those folks would do well to clean their own houses of domestic violence, archaic notions of women, child abuse, and their own pedophilia. I’m sure God would love that a lot.

We will continue to fight for the rights for ourselves and and the rest of our brothers and sisters of the rainbow. Love is love is love.

Speaking of Love, It’s Always Opal

Opal receives as much love and care as any human. Nine months old as of this newsletter, our sweet puppy continues growing up. Opal is in heat! She is tired, cranky, needy, hungry with sweetness intermixed. I can relate.

That Opal is going through this stage means we can plan to have her spayed after her first birthday. We want her to have all the hormones she needs now for healthy growth. At one time there was some concern that because Opal was born the size of a human hand, that she would always be on the small size. We have no worries about that anymore. While she’s at the smallest end of the typical range weight and size of a smooth collie, she is within range. Today, she’s close to the size of her sisters.

I mentioned in an earlier newsletter that the science has shown dogs who are spayed or neutered too early are more likely to develop joint problems and certain cancers.

If you’re like me and want to read the source material, the full report is on Frontiers in Veterinary Science. Thank you, Science!

We want, of course, to spay her to prevent any accidental pregnancy. Already during our now very short neighborhood walks, we hear the barking, walls and fences shaking as Opal passes by. So it seems.

We are so proud of our growing pup. We’ll be at the Pride parade at the end of the month. While Opal would like to go, frustrated greeter that she is, she’ll be at home.

New Mexico

Have I told you of the time we met our Governor, Michelle Lujan Grisham?

The Governor spoke at the end of the Pride march, and when she was finished walked into the crowd to say hello to people she knew. A woman in a wheelchair asked Mejie to tell the Governor that she was here and wanted to speak to her. After the Gov finished talking with that woman, she came over to us and thanked Mejie for letting her know. We told her this was our first Pride in Santa Fe, and we had moved here from Kentucky. She threw her arms around us, hugging us hard, and said, “Welcome! Don’t ever leave.” An authentic, spontaneous moment. As someone whose experience with politicians in the past was to have been spat upon, how can I not love the Governor, even when I disagree with her at times?

To be welcoming and loving is the New Mexican way. We are proud to call this place our home.

Another reason to be proud: The former Secretary of the Interior and Congressional Representative for New Mexico, Deb Haaland won the Democratic primary for Governor. A member of the Laguna Pueblo, Deb will become the first Indigenous governor of any state in the Union. She will because it will take an earthquake, a tornado, and a tsunami shaking things up to prevent “Auntie Deb” (as some Native voters call her) from being elected.

Small Win

A haiku of mine was accepted for the 2026 Haiku Society of America Members' Anthology. Hey, being a member isn’t an automatic inclusion! Very proud to be accepted.

Meanwhile, I’m still querying the finished novel, For Always. Also, I’ve begun chapter three of my new novel. The working title? Aftermath.

Since Opal requires a lot of brain games, I’m learning new ones as fast as I can!

Stay caring and curious, friends. See you anon.—JD

Currently

• Drinking: 2026 Bi Luo Chun tea from Taiwan

• Using: Montegrappa Chile Pepper inked with Sailor Sei-Boku, Stalogy notebook, Nolty planner, Rhodia #18 notepad

• Reading: All the Colors of the Dark, by Chris Whitaker