Several Current Events That Shaped My World
August 8, 2008Today was a strange and interesting day for me. Two events occurred that brought back some painful memories (there are many to remember) from the last 15 years.
But the brighter significance was the date - 8/8/08. In numerology, it is a very lucky day:
888 - A phase of your life is about to end and this is a sign to give you forewarning to prepare. This number sequence may mean you are winding up an emotional, career, or relationship phase.
Wikipedia says:
Eight
The word for "eight" (???) in Mandarin (Pinyin: b?) sounds similar to the word which means "prosper" or "wealth" (? - short for "??", Pinyin: f?). In regional dialects the words for "eight" and "fortune" are also similar, eg Cantonese "baat" and "faat".
There is also a resemblance between two digits, "88", and the shuang xi ('double joy'), a popular decorative design composed of two stylized characters ? (xi, 'joy', 'happiness').
For me, 888 is the sum of the mm/dd/yyy of my birth - 8/17/62 - and I have always thought this was a lucky sign. I did win the genetic lottery with the family I was born into - and usually lead a very charmed life. I appreciate the struggles I am going through now because it will make me a better person.
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A minor remembrance came to me today with the Olympics in China. I was reminded of the excitement I felt when Atlanta was awarded the Olympics and I volunteered to be a participant in Atlanta. I was surprised to see I could apply to be a flag bearer for the opening/closing ceremonies and quickly submitted my application. I did receive a reply that I was accepted and was extremely excited about being a part of an international event. There was even a schedule for training submitted. Then nothing. After a few phone calls, I discovered I did not pass the background check because there were several "Tom Dempsey"s in Atlanta and they could not get the correct information. Nor did they try. I was told the slots have been filled and I could wear a puppet outfit (most likely Izzy) in Athens, GA for the soccer competition. I passed.
I believe seeing the excitement the Olympics brought to the city of Atlanta could be recreated when I attended the Gay Games in Amsterdam in 2008. I asked why Atlanta did not bid for this international event and was told it had, but lost miserable. But I also learned the time was right for Atlanta to try again. Needless to say, that was a disaster when Ray Hom and Margie Archer kicked me out so Ray Hom could take my place. (His initial proposal was to have three co-chairs and I declined because I never trusted him) Without my initial efforts and money, there would not have been a bid at all.
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The Gay Games bid opened my eyes to the nasty world of Atlanta. I was respected by many but the harcher's HRC people sided with their friends and vilified me. I had even considered working with the situation for a few months before I saw the disaster it would be. It end that thought on August 17, 1999 - my birthday.
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What I did learn was how HRC and their friends felt they "owned" Atlanta and nothing could take place without there approval. At the time, HRC has Georgia Equality in their pocket and many connections to Atlanta Pride. And one of Ray Hom's circuit party friends was a Coors heir who gave money to the Atlanta bid - and worked a sponsorship for Atlanta Pride for several years. I was shocked and amazed because many older gays and lesbians can remember the days where Coors was the number one enemy and Harvey Milk would protest Coors by pouring the beer into the sewers in San Francisco.
I decided to take a stand and started questioning Donna Narducci about the Coors sponsorship. Narducci "stonewalled" me and never talked to me or anyone about the deal. (I feel she may have taken some money under the table to make the deal happen...) The emails flew and the public ignored the situation - except the time the National Gay and Lesbian Lawyers Association and myself gave Donna Narducci and Atlanta Pride (as well as Atlanta Games, Inc) the Coors Whore Award. I was truly surprised to see Southern Voice print it on the front page that week.
Needless to say, Donna was not happy and I became a target for Narducci and others. I did make the mistake of send Narducci an email from work when I worked at BellSouth - and Narducci had her friends in the legal department ensure I was fired. (Looking back - it was a minor mistake and a first offense for email misuse is not a firable offense at any company.) But the Narducci had the power and contacts (RN).
My life has been in a tail-spin since then and I am still looking for solid ground.
I don't feel Narducci feels wronged in her firing. She did manage 6 more years making $65,000 annually at a time when many people were losing their jobs. And I have never reached the same salary since being fired from BellSouth. And more executive directors rarely last over 5 years, so 15 years is amazing.
The problem her is Narducci hand-picked her boards and never had to report to anyone. Her decision to keep Coors for so long, keep Pride in June, and others just show there was no control over the woman.
She was a formidable foe and won (unlike Hom/Archer) and I don't she her crying over the mess with Pride. Narducci made lots of money, built a very powerful base, was very visible in the community and will go on to do other things.
I can see Narducci on a balcony singing "Don't cry for me, Atlanta...".
She also found herself at the top of my archenemy list with Ray Hom and Margie Archer.
May they all burn in hell!
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Tom Dempsey
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