Pearls of Asia: Timing is Everything
Americans can always be counted on to do the right thing…after they have exhausted all other possibilities.
Winston Churchill
There’s an old cliché that says, “In life, timing is everything.” Haters and pundits can debate the veracity of that statement all day long, but based on some of the chatter surrounding my novel, I’d have to agree.
Chapter Fifteen of Pearls of Asia: A Love Story features the following dialogue between transsexual murder suspect Sheyla Samonte and her nemesis and potential boy toy, San Francisco Inspector Mac Fleet:
Mac: “But hold on. You said you wanted to get married. How can you expect to get married if both you and your partner have the same…um…original equipment? Last time I checked, same sex marriage is still illegal in most parts of this country.”
Sheyla: “Give me a break, Mackey. Fifty years ago it was illegal for a black man to marry a white women in most parts of this country. It’s only a matter of time before same-sex marriage becomes legal.”
I wrote that in 2010. How I wish I was as prescient back then to have bought some stock in Netflix.
What’s astonishing to me is not that the Supreme Court put its stamp of approval on same-sex marriage, but rather at the velocity of societal change that brought this gay rights issue the forefront. Something like this happening was unthinkable twenty years ago. Heck, even ten years ago. And despite the bitter dissent of conservative Justice Antonin Scalia, who has morphed himself into the Lewis Black of the Supreme Court, I believe a national plebiscite on the issue of same-sex marriage would be stronger tomorrow, stronger next month, and stronger next year. The transformation has happened.
And then there’s Caitlyn Jenner.
Though my memory often fails me, I’m sure at one time during the editing process I said to my publisher, “You know what would really help get this book off the ground? If a former Olympic gold medalist in the men’s decathlon came out and told the world he preferred Bebe over Brooks Brothers. Better yet, he would be the king of the castle of the most televised dysfunctional family since the Flintstones.” Honestly, you can’t make this stuff up. And based on my uptick in sales, if I ever run into Miss Jenner at a bar, I’m going to buy that lady a drink, even if she can use the top of my head as a coaster.
American society appears to be reordering itself for the 21st century, and that includes changing its definition of gender and marriage. What are the odds some short, fat, and proud of that white guy from the conservative corner of Moraga could say he saw that coming?