Tag Archives: etiquette

Slate vlogger and self-identified separatist June Thomas says that gay nightclubs are too few and “precious” to the community and therefore straight people should think twice about coming in. And gay guys should stay out of lesbian bars too. (Tipped by JMG reader John)

From Steven Petrow’s Civil Behavior column in the New York Times comes this question: Q. Dear Civil Behavior: I am a gay woman who tends to dress and identify on the masculine side. I’ll soon be attending a religious service at my extended family’s Orthodox synagogue, requiring modest attire, which means that women are not allowed to wear pants and …

From Steven Petrow’s Civil Behavior column in the New York Times comes this question: Q. Dear Civil Behavior: I’m a sergeant in the Army, and my girlfriend and I are to meet with a married gay couple (he’s an officer). I am not sure how to introduce her to my friend’s married partner. Do I say, “Jennifer, this is Colonel …

From Steven Petrow’s Civil Behavior column in the New York Times comes this question: Q. Dear Civil Behavior: I’d like your advice in coming out as H.I.V. positive to friends and colleagues. I’m married to a wonderful man, 51, and have lived quite well with the virus for 15 years. I believe it’s important for the many others still finding …

From Steven Petrow’s Civil Behavior column in the New York Times comes this question: Q. Dear Civil Behavior: Mike, my partner for 13 years, and I worked with a local attorney to prepare our wills and related documents. Before we could finalize all of our financial affairs, however, Mike was diagnosed with a rare brain virus that strikes some H.I.V./AIDS …

From Steven Petrow’s Civil Behavior column in the New York Times comes this question: Q. Dear Civil Behavior: When the Supreme Court allowed same-sex marriages in California to resume in June, my partner and I (together for nearly two decades) celebrated our community’s long overdue equality. But it seems to have given license to everybody to start nudging us toward …

From Steven Petrow’s Civil Behavior column in the New York Times comes this question: Q. Dear Civil Behavior: I am going on a five-city tour overseas with a longtime friend of mine who happens to be gay (I am straight). Another old friend lives in one of the cities we’ll be visiting, and she wants to meet up and show …

From Steven Petrow’s Civil Behavior column in the New York Times comes this question: Q. Dear Civil Behavior: I’m 53, a daughter, a sister, a mother, a grandmother and a friend. And I am gay. I was raised in a conservative Southern Baptist Church in Tennessee, and I had spent a lifetime living in hiding and hating myself because of …

From Steven Petrow’s Civil Behavior column in the New York Times comes this question: Dear Civil Behavior: If the Supreme Court allows same-sex couples to marry again in California, we plan to be at the head of the line. This would be the second time that my husband and I would be getting married, since our first marriage [in 2004] …

From Steven Petrow’s Civil Behavior column in the New York Times comes this question: Dear Civil Behavior: My husband and I became foster dads to our son when he was 4 months old and adopted him when he was 2 years old. He will soon be 10. As an adoptive parent, it strikes me as odd that complete strangers will …

From Steven Petrow’s Civil Behavior column in the New York Times comes this question: Q. Dear Civil Behavior: I’m bisexual (female), and I want to be out at work. I just don’t quite know how to slip it into conversation. It never seems appropriate to say the word “sexual” in a work environment, and it’s simply awkward. If I come …

From Steven Petrow’s Civil Behavior column in the New York Times comes this question: Dear Civil Behavior: I’ve been helping my daughter plan her wedding to her girlfriend and everything’s been going fine — until now. We’re about to address the invitations. The calligrapher is lined up and time is getting a bit short. Here’s the problem. My daughter insists …

From Steven Petrow’s Civil Behavior column in the New York Times comes this question: Dear Civil Behavior: My partner and I are in our early 30s and we’re planning to formally commit our lives to each other. We’re struggling with our guest list, though. We both have a number of family members — in my case, my parents and seven …

From Steven Petrow’s Civil Behavior column in the New York Times: Dear Civil Behavior: Someone I knew decades ago when I was in college identified as transgender pre-op. Lately, this person looked me up online and started an e-mail chain. They informed me they had changed their name from a distinctly masculine one to a gender-neutral name, but didn’t really …

From Steven Petrow’s Civil Behavior column in the New York Times comes this question: Dear Civil Behavior: I recently joined a gay Alcoholics Anonymous meeting after many years denying I had a drinking problem. Now I have a new problem: My birthday is coming up, and every year I throw myself a party to celebrate. This year is a “big” …

From Steven Petrow’s Civil Behavior column in the New York Times: Dear Civil Behavior: As the only male grandchild among four — as well as the only gay one — I have watched with chagrin as several generations’ worth of formal dinnerware, silverware and other domestic heirlooms were passed down to my sister and female cousins. Some of these are …

From Steven Petrow’s NYT column Civil Behavior: Q: My wife and I each gave birth to one of our two children, born a year apart, using the same donor. We then legally adopted each other’s biological child. We are both loving, committed parents to both children, who are now 10 and 11 – we’re a family. Still, my in-laws clearly …

You’d think people would know these things. Sadly, no.

But only on flights between NYC and London. So far. Passengers on certain Virgin Atlantic flights are now able to use their cell phones to make and receive phone calls at 35,000 feet, the airline announced Tuesday. The British airline’s new service could be a blessing for business travelers who want to stay connected during eight-hour flights across the ocean. …

The WBNA’s New York Liberty have been posting a YouTube series on NYC etiquette. This one’s about evil taxi stealers. (If only all cab thieves were so cute.) The last time I gave a cab thief a piece of my mind, her ginormous boyfriend materialized from the shadows to show me his switchblade. True story. West 28th Street.