President’s Message for August

Summer greetings!

It is with great joy that I announce the recipients of the proceeds of last month’s sunset cruise. At our board meeting on Monday the 14th, we chose to support the following four wonderful organizations:

The first two underscore our continuing commitment to supporting people with HIV/AIDS. Indeed, SGM has supported ARS seven out of the past nine years, and GMFA six.

The other two emphasize our growing commitment to GBTQ youth and providing a safe home for them in SGM as they mature into manhood. The entire board hopes that opportunities for greater cooperation between SGM and both Seacoast Outright and PFLAG-NH will present themselves in the months and years ahead.

Of course, there wouldn’t have been any proceeds to share with these fine organizations had the cruise committee not done the outstanding job they did this year. Thanks again, one and all. You’re the best!

The cruise itself went largely without a hitch, with the following minor exceptions. As had happened one year in the past, there were some women who were trying to gain access to the ship. Their male friends complained to me that our Web site was not clear enough about our gender requirement. One of them admitted that we used the term “all-male”—and that wasn’t specific enough? Oy! I guess we’ll have to spell it out even more explicitly next year.

Once on board, two incidents occurred that were caused by fellow members. One member brought his own bottle of whisky on board, which one of the crew members saw and confiscated. (Is it just me, or isn’t it sheer common sense that you don’t bring booze to a place that sells booze?) Another member had too much to drink and proceeded to make unwanted sexual advances to his fellow shipmates. I suppose this is bound to happen wherever alcohol is present, but keep in mind that we are all ambassadors of SGM on the cruise, our single largest outreach to the greater gay community. These two incidents wouldn’t have been so bothersome had they not been perpetrated by members. Sigh.

Despite these peccadilloes (or perhaps even because of them!), I am extremely pleased with the results. We’ll be ending our fiscal year in very good shape.

Until next month, be out, be proud, and relax!

Carl