Blogger Aims to Connect Lutz’s Gay Community

Randy Baldwin is on a mission.

The newest blogger in the Lutz Patch family wants to open up the lines of communication for members of Lutz’s gay, lesbian, transgendered and bisexual residents. In his first post on Lutz Patch, Randy introduced himself to the community and invited residents to get involved in an ongoing conversation.

We recently caught up with Randy to find out more about him and what motivated him to start blogging on Patch:

Patch: What brought you to Lutz 16 years ago?

Randy: I came to Lutz hoping to land a job in St. Pete with a firm I did business with in Los Angeles.  I needed a change, and needed to go somewhere affordable.  Friends thought we were crazy to move to the area having been used to N.Y. and L.A. They feared we would have to live a closeted lifestyle to be accepted. Ironically we bought a home on a cul-de-sac in Lutz with 20 homes, and were the third gay couple in the neighborhood.

Patch: What do you like about the community that made you choose to put down roots?  

Randy: We selected Lutz because of its fairly rural setting and had fallen in love with the home. We were apartment hunting when we came across the house and put a deposit on it the same day, and flew back to L.A. We moved here Oct. 10, 1996. We were not used to neighbors being so friendly, coming from more metropolitan areas, and were suspicious of them at first. We have come to know them and are very accepted by the majority of them. One of the couples suffered a death and the survivor moved.

Patch: What issues do you feel face the gay, lesbian and transgendered community here?

Randy: I was determined to not be closeted in any fashion. I am professional, and an excellent worker, so I do not feel I need to make excuses for myself in the workforce. I feel strongly that some of the issues are just perceived as problems by the gay community; not totally real. Against everyone's advice, I made no attempt to hide my sexual orientation and was very well accepted into the office. People that were at first non-accepting were for the most part won over in the 11 years I worked there and had a mutual respect for me and my partner, Al.

While (I’m) not sure we would run out and get married, I feel strongly the option should be available to us. I tell my friends to be careful they get what they wish for. Right now all you have to do is pack and leave if you are no longer happy. Lawyers will benefit the most from legalized marriages, but we should have the same right to do so.

I also think adoption laws in Florida need to be updated. The Florida Children's Homes are bursting at the seams with unwanted children. Any love for a child is better than no love. Are there risks? Maybe so, but no more than adopting them out to heterosexual couples or singles. In fact, statistics bear that there is less risk of sexual molestation.

I think the transgender community faces the most injustice as they are not even accepted or understood by a vast number of gays and lesbians. They are certainly not employable by most companies' practices and looked upon by most as freaks. I have never understood why people are so judgmental about things we have no control over. Not just sexual orientation, but breast size, penis length, facial features, skin color, etc.  If you are a creationist, then this is (how) God made us; if you are not, than this is how we evolved.  My mother used to ask me why people were so concerned over whom I slept with; and I guess I have never figured that out in my 62 years.

Patch: What prompted you to want to reach out to others in the community by blogging?  

Randy: I feel a lot of the issues we face are just due to lack of communication. Gays and lesbians, to me, have always been one of the most disadvantaged minorities in America because they are often not even kind to each other. Gay men are not welcome in most lesbian clubs and the reverse is true.  

It has been a very rare experience for me to find someone that has not liked me just because I am gay. With open communication, honesty, and sincerity, I feel most anyone can be won over. I think the sharing of information and "talking" benefits all involved.  In the 1950s, it was illegal for whites to marry blacks in many places; things and perceptions change.  

Patch: Did I read that right in your blog – you and your partner have been together 41 years? What is your secret?  

Randy: We met in July of 1971 and moved in together on Oct. 2, 1971. While luck certainly bears some credit to longevity, hard work is what pays off in the end. You have to be willing to work at a relationship and invest time and emotion into its growth; it doesn't just happen. While there were no vows to be taken, I always told friends when I met the right person it would be a commitment for life. I knew that I approached relationships not as what can I get from him, what is it I have to offer. Don't focus on the differences; focus on what you have in common. It was also very helpful to our relationship that both families were open to us and supportive, even in 1971. Al is as much a part of my family as I (am), and is loved as much by my siblings, nieces and nephews, and now by grandnieces and grandnephews. It helps because it is one more thing we have in common and do not need to argue over.

See Also:

Let's Open Communication Lines for Lutz's Gay Population