On Martin Luther King Day, "The Oprah Winfrey Show" focused on Nate Berkus, a regular guest who talks about interior design, and who just survived the tsunami disaster in Sri Lanka. Sadly, his partner, photographer Fernando Bengoechea, was lost in the waves. Berkus told a very moving story of fighting to stay together and cling to one another as they were both swept into the ocean, and then being pulled apart by the water's force. Many in the audience wept. It was Oprah's highest rated show of the season, and another example of how Americans from all walks are getting to know gay people and our lives.
Update: Writing in Salon, Jennifer
Buckendorff's "The
Oprah Way" explains why "to change people's minds on issues
like gay marriage, liberals [I'd say supporters of gay equality]
need to learn to tug at their heartstrings."