silent, upon a peak in darien

Other titles considered:

• You Can’t Stop The Beat
• Taking The Long Way
• Not with a Whimper but a Bang
• Man in the Mirror

This project has been a near indescribable experience.  However, I’ve never been at a loss for words so I’ll gladly describe.  First, let’s do some fun technical stuff:

• Which post was the most popular?  Besides the first post which I linked a lot when sharing the blog, there was a tie for most visited entry: day ten: miranda hobbes will take you to court & day twenty-eight: tetrazzini threads & sugarbaker monologues (I think Dixie Carter would be proud.)
• What were the most commented on posts?  Once again, it was a tie.  day forty-eight: paper trail & day fifty: halfway toast.
• Clicks:  What site referred me the most?  Facebook.  What site did I refer the most to?  Greg Wohead’s Twitter – the person who introduced me to the 100 Days Project.
• Search Engine Terms:  Top search engine terms leading to my blog?  “Julia Sugarbaker” + quotes/Georgia/monologue.  This search was followed closely by “The vicar won’t be home for hours.”

It seems so foreign to go back and read my FIRST BLOG.  The project was a very spur of the moment decision and I had no idea what to expect or really even what shape this blog would take.  It has been an undertaking for sure.  Not only did I have to write to someone every day, but I also had to blog and reply to those recipients kind enough to respond to my messages.  It took up a large chunk of time each night and while I’ll be glad to have some free time back, I’m certainly going to miss it.  Who knew I had 100 people with a 100 stories to share?!  That was my big concern at the beginning of this project.  I knew I easily had a list of 100 people I could write to, but I wasn’t sure I had enough stories to make each blog post interesting.  Though some posts were shorter than others, I am glad (and surprised) to have published 100 solid posts.

Was the goal achieved though?  After all, this was a challenge with a specific prize in mind.  I was doing one thing once a day for one hundred days to achieve the broad goal of somehow making myself a better person. To be honest, at the beginning I didn’t really see exactly how this could benefit me personally.  I just felt like it was a good thing to do.  However, sitting at my computer on Day 101 I realize, in concrete terms, how I have been bettered.  This project challenged my assumptions about people just as I was attempting to challenge theirs.  There were recipients who I was certain would be unsupportive who accepted me wholeheartedly and recipients who I thought would be welcoming who disapproved.  Beyond that, the very fact that I am calling today Day 101 is a step in a better direction.  Though my journey from here may not take the form of a daily blog, I see today as the constant continuation of what little I can do to help achieve equality.

It’s not just me though.  I’ve witnessed so much support and activism from other allies through this project.  I’ve received emails from people telling me how they are making changes in their behavior to stand up for equality.  I’ve seen people publicizing Queer the Census, National Day of Silence, LGBT news stories, etc. to stand up for equality.  There are even people who have dedicated themselves to the 30 Days of YouKnowAGay to stand up for equality.  I will update this blog for 30 more days so participants can comment on their journey or you can go to the YouKnowAGay Challenge page where some are using their own blog to update!  I want to thank everyone so much for visiting, commenting and supporting me throughout this blog.   Sometimes we don’t realize what effect our words or actions have on other people, but hopefully through this project, you can see that they can have a profound impact.

Two of the fiercest allies that I know are my parents.  Former President and VP of their local PFLAG, they have been an active part in the lives of many LGBT youth and their parents.  My mom was invited to participate and today served as a panelist for the State of the State Public Policy Conference for Equality Texas.  Their activism is inspiring to me.  I told my parents that I thought I was gay when I was 10 years old (my mom thinks I was 9).  Only because I was upset and distraught did my parents comfort me by saying that I was at a curious age and that it didn’t necessarily mean I was gay.  They were supportive – I just wasn’t ready.  It would take another 12 years for me to finally come out (again).  As I sit here typing this conclusion, I can only imagine how dismayed my 10-year-old self would be to discover that I’m not only comfortable with myself but that I’m proud proud proud of who I am.  So proud that I’ve been harassing people for 100 days now and broadcasting it over the Interwebs :-)

Thank you again to everyone who has been a part of this project.  It has been an unexpected blessing and so personally rewarding.  Now it is time to continue the righteous fight for equality.