What are the odds? I publish a blog about a bisexual bob and THIS is the shampoo I’m offered in a hotel the very next weekend. It was another quick road-trip weekend for me and Peaco. Unfortunately our streak of rain-outs continues and he was stuck in the hotel and/or my bag for most of it. Thunderstorms came sweeping down the plain. We were also in town (out of town) for a funeral, during which I try not to play with dolls, ugly or not.

We had some down time at the hotel between breakfast and funeral, so I took the opportunity to address a troll who sent an email asking if this is going to become a gay blog now. Since I don’t think blogs have genders I don’t think blogs can be gay. So no, by default, this will not be a gay blog. I assume the trollster meant to ask if this was going to be a blog about gays or gayness or gay rights or gay pride now.

Yes and no. This is a wellness blog. It’s about wellness. If gay relations contribute to wellness this blog could/can/will certainly include such topics but the focus of this content will remain oriented to wellness. But now that you mention it, I once had someone refuse to accept an Ugly Doll from me because he was afraid people would think he was gay.

For those of you new here, Peaco is an Ugly Doll. He was a gift. Before I broke up with social media Peaco was featured prominently in posts from my travels and adventures. He gained such a robust following online that I started giving away Ugly Dolls to friends and family for the same purpose, which was to promote adult play, encourage fun, and spread joy. During the course of the Ugly Doll movement I gave away over 250 Ugly Dolls in the USA and Europe. Out of all the recipients who took their dolls on adventures and posted photos, none of them ever reported any gay-hating blowback. The poor soul who refused my gift was apparently afraid of a condition which didn’t exist.

It’s funny to me how people think there are certain things from which they must abstain lest they be mistaken for gay. I had a friend who would regularly borrow my old pickup truck. Every time he returned it to me the dolphin air freshener was removed from the rear view mirror and hidden in a cup holder. My friend said he was afraid people would see him driving around or sitting in traffic and think he was gay. Because of the dolphin.

A coworker of mine liked Scentsy and had a full-size Scentsy warmer in his office but wouldn’t use the fruity-type scents because he was afraid people would think he was gay. Because his office smelled like fruit. Another guy I used to know wouldn’t come to my yoga classes because he was afraid people would think he was gay. For stretching. Or sweating. Or maybe it was the breathing.

And of course, there was the mother I knew who would allow her son to attend play-dates at the homes of girls (I was nanny to the girls) but forbade him to play with “girl” toys, such as Barbies. Because Barbies would make her son gay. Ironically, when the girls went to play at his house they were allowed to play with G.I. Joes. I guess there was no worry that the Joes would make the girls gay.

And in truth, my last post about the gay spectrum did include a Barbie reference but it was the dolls who were gay, not the kids who play with them. Barbie is, after all, a role-playing toy. Peaco is not. He’s an adventurer. A traveler. A tourist. A wanderer. A sightseer. A pilgrim. A passenger.

In the course of his travels Peaco has been photographed in bed with many other Ugly Dolls. He’s been photographed hugging other dolls, and once he posed for a photo which was later captioned “bumping Uglies.” Never once did I think to question his sexual preference. It was while I was taking photos of Peaco playing in the hotel that I received the pop-up email alert that someone might not want to read my blog anymore for fear he might be mistaken for gay.

So I passed Peaco a note.

Then I gave him some privacy so he wouldn’t feel self-conscious while he considered his answer.

Welp, I guess that settles that.

I stand corrected better informed.  Yes, this is a gay, gay blog.

— Mercy