EJD

Yesterday was Martin Luther King Day in the United States, a day Americans nowadays spent celebrating or complaining about the position of African Americans in the USA. Since I am neither American by birth, black or currently living in the US I generally forget all about MLK day until I read about it on MSNBC or Slate. When I then do, for the first few seconds I wonder why Americans have a yearly MILK day and how much lobbying dairy producers had to do before they got one, and then I realise I do American history and I've heard of that King fella before.

Eitherhoo, MLK day is important because it helps people (and with people I mean Americans so yes I am stretching the definition a little..... KIDDING!) remember how only decades ago black people were not allowed to use the same water fountains as white people and how now, even though we all love Oprah, most black people still can't get the same level of payment white people get.

While reading another blog (by someone I shall not mention to for reasons similar to those explained in "It's Christmas Time" (see below) ) I was reminded that there is no such day for gay people. Sure, there's World Aids Day but since AIDS is now spreading fastest under heterosexuals that day has pretty much been hijacked (also it doesn't quite scream partay! now does it). Of course there are the different pride festivals throughout the world, but if you do not like running around in your underwear in the rain the fun is fairly limited.

Which is why I'm here to introduce a new day of remembrance: Elton John Day.

Obviously there were other candidates, even dead people which generally adds to the rememberin' we all love so much, but I think that with Elton John Day a combination can be made of everything of gay life;

For starters there's Camp-Elton, the one who used to dress like Mozart or Minnie Mouse and loved Princess Diana. Then there's Bitchy-Elton, the one that calls Madonna a bitch and complains about other people's work. There's Formerly-Straight-Elton, the one that was married to a woman earlier and there's Gay-Rights-Elton the one that recently civil-partnershipped (darnit it is a verb!) his partner. And let's not forget Stop-Aids-Now-Elton.

On top of that: everybody loves at least one Elton song. You may hate Candle in the Wind (and you may be right) but you might love Guess that's why they call it the Blues or Bitch is Back or one of the other nine zillion hits he had.

Down part? We'll also be stuck with Kiki Dee, but we'll survive, one EJD at a time.