The day after Doug Lathrop was born his parents were informed that his legs were broken and he was diagnosed with Osteogenesis Imperfecta. By the time Doug was 12 years old he had been hospitalized at least 25 times for fractures or surgeries. Doug Lathrop accepted the fact that he would never walk a day in his life. He died about a month ago, at the age of 50, from complications from a fall and resulting respiratory distress. He had just celebrated his birthday with friends at one of his favorite hangouts, Urban Mo’s.
Like others in the disabled community, Doug did not let his size and being in a wheelchair stop him from fulfilling his dreams and contributing to society. He led life to the fullest and had more energy and enthusiasm for life than most people.
He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree, majoring in journalism and political science. He was the editor of a magazine and was a freelance writer. He wrote an award-winning novel, Reconquista and at the time of his death he was preparing another novel, Chaffs which will be published! He loved Comic Con, Star Wars, social media, etc.
Doug volunteered at The LGBT Center and served on the board of directors of the First Unitarian Church and he also got involved with San Diego LGBT Pride. He could be seen at many of our gay bars having fun and making friends.
I had the pleasure of meeting and getting to know Doug Lathrop about two years ago. I loved his sense of humor and how quick he was to set people straight as he didn’t want or accept anyone’s pity.
A few weeks ago, I attended “Doug’s Celebration of Life” and it was so good to see so many of his friends show up. Doug Lathrop never realized how inspiring he was; a role model for life and making lemonade out of lemons. He would not let anything get him down and we could all learn from this gentle giant of a man. Doug Lathrop will always be a hero and role model for many of us. I know he is dancing in heaven and like on Earth making everyone smile.
The Douglas P. Lathrop Scholarship for the Disabled has been established through the Imperial Court’s scholarship program. Founded by Kaiden Montana and Kurt Cunningham, already over $2,000 has been raised in a few short days. The first scholarships will be presented early next year. For more information contact Kurt at 619-606-7341
LGBTQ Spiritual Summit
Not long ago I stopped by the first annual LGBTQ Spiritual Summit at our Center. It was the first gathering of its kind in San Diego; the coming together of Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists etc. It was a very good beginning and long overdue as every study shows that a vast majority of our community is spiritual with most being of Christian or Jewish faith. Bravo to the organizers! For more information: lgbtqspiritualsummit.org
The National LGBT Museum
In our nation’s capital there are many national museums telling the stories of civil rights movements and the people and communities of America who help build this great nation. Some years ago the prestigious Velvet Foundation announced their project to establish a permanent National LGBT Museum in Washington, D.C. with the location to be soon announced and the museum itself to become a reality in about five years. This museum will recognize and present the LGBT community as part of, not apart from, the web of experiences that comprises America’s history. I am proud to say I served on the LGBT Museum’s National Leadership Council and will be in Washington, D.C. this week for a special museum ceremony.
Pride Townhouse Meeting
This past Monday the board of directors of San Diego LGBT Pride held their annual community invited “Townhouse Meeting” and a good crowd turned out and it was a productive meeting with a lot of good dialogue and communication. Pride’s hard-working and popular Executive Director Stephen Whitburn did another solid job moderating the meeting. LGBT Pride is looking for new members for their board of directors and community advisory board so contact Pride if you are interested. Everyone agreed that this year’s 40th anniversary was one of the best events ever!
