Jason Edward Tucker (the blond young man on the right) isn't really my nephew but this term is the best one we have for our 18 year friendship. I met his two lesbian moms when he was 5 years old, and have been his male mentor ever since then -- through his moms' messy and protracted divorce, his difficulty with one of his mom's questioning of her gender, and the creation of their new family structures that did not easily include him. Jase came out at 13 years old and was bullied at a progressive high school in Marin County, CA. High school was a tough time for this all-star student, with his grades falling to a C-average and him barely holding his life together.
But he did! In his senior year of high school, he got a scholarship to the six-month Oxbox arts immersion program, then spent the summer in Spain with ex-boyfriend (working as kitchen help in his restaurant), and won a 85% scholarship to attend Corcoran College of Art + Design in DC. At Corcoran, he was a straight A student, started a gay boy's art cooperative called "Boys Be Good," hustled to get a job at prestigious contemporary gallery called Morton Fine Art, and worked weekends for a gay photographer as an assistant for high-end weddings. In total, this kid took 6 classes per semester (because he wanted to learn as much as possible), worked 70 hours weeks, had 3 jobs, and had an active social life, including a series of a good boyfriends. What a wunderkind!
So it was particularly satisfying seeing him graduate this weekend, having been there with him nearly every step of the way. I am so proud of him and, as my grandma used to say to me, love him to pieces.
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