Responses
I’m writing this entry while sitting by an outdoor fire—the wood courtesy of a fence Mikey tore down. It was in bad shape (the fence, not Mikey). The crackling flames have me thinking about all the reactions we’ve received since telling people we’re moving out of the United States. Let’s just say… people have opinions. Some expected, some surprising, and some that made me question whether geography is still taught in schools.
I won’t name names, of course. Let’s just categorize the responses, shall we?
The Conservatives
(And let’s hope we don’t know any full-blown MAGAs—though given our Texas roots, odds are not in our favor.)
“Hey, we’re moving to Uruguay.”
Responses: Where’s Uruguay? Why did you pick there? Isn’t it violent? What language do they speak?
And my personal favorite: Wow, that’ll be a great adventure!
Once we explain that we’re moving to preserve our marriage and civil rights—rights the current administration is itching to erase—they usually change the subject faster than Fox News changes headlines.
The Acquaintances
“Hey, we’re moving to Uruguay.”
Responses: Where’s Uruguay? Have you been there? Why Uruguay? I don’t blame you for leaving the U.S. Is it gay-friendly? Well, I wish you both the best.
Overall polite, curious, and—most importantly—not horrifying.
The LGBTQ Crowd (some, not all)
“Hey, we’re moving to Uruguay.”
Response: Not me. I’m staying to fight. I’m going to resist.
And to that, I say: good for you. Truly. But not everyone can or wants to fight from inside the burning building.
Friends and Family (some)
“Hey, we’re moving to Uruguay.”
Response: Why?
We explain. Then they get it—or at least, they understand enough. We’re leaving because the climate in this country is changing, and not in the global-warming sense. People who used to quietly harbor queer hate are now emboldened to shout it from the rooftops, with all three branches of government fanning the flames. That was not meant to be a fire pun.
We didn’t make this decision overnight. We’ve been talking about it for months—back and forth, list after list, heart versus logic. This isn’t about adventure (though that’s a nice byproduct). It’s about survival. The direction the U.S. is heading feels eerily familiar—uncomfortably close to Germany, 1930–1945.
In case your history class skipped this part: gay men were rounded up, often without proof, and sent to concentration camps. They wore pink triangles. Their extermination rate was the second highest, right after Jewish prisoners. It’s a part of history people rarely talk about, but we remember. And I refuse to wait until ICE is at our door because a neighbor “reported” two married men living down the street.
Our community’s time is coming—if we don’t pay attention, it’s already here. Project 2025 and Agenda 47 spell it out clearly. The plan: strip away marriage equality (our 25-year marriage would no longer be recognized), reinstate sodomy laws (hello, Paragraph 175 from Nazi Germany), and criminalize homosexuality—particularly targeting gay men. Businesses will be free to deny us service under the guise of “deeply held beliefs,” just as shops in Nazi Germany refused service to Jews.
And let’s be real—there’s no hiding who we are. Articles in local papers celebrate our shared accomplishments. We have a joint bank account, both names on the mortgage, each other listed as emergency contacts. The evidence of who we are is everywhere. We couldn’t hide it even if we wanted to. And honestly? I don’t want to. We’ve come too far to deny a single part of who we are.
That’s why we’re moving to Uruguay—to preserve our identity, to protect our marriage, and to know that tomorrow, our rights will still be ours.
Thank you for reading to the end.
Countdown: Dog 8 days. Humans 10 days
