Robert Emmett Rygor

Newsday recently ran an article about Stanley Rygor (who plays the button accordion at a gig and a couple of sessions I'm involved in) and the evolving relationship he and his wife, Kathleen, had with their son, Robert, who was gay, and who died of AIDS.

Stanley is one of the warmest, kindest people I know. I'm glad that Dennis Duggan decided to sit with him and Kath for a while at the St. Patrick's Day parade this year and talk about their story.

Each year since Robert's death, Stanley and Kathleen attend the parade in memory of their son, who still would not be allowed to march under a banner.

Stanley, who plays Irish songs on the button accordion, has become an icon in the gay movement.

"My life is consumed with gay activism," he said. "I am sometimes asked if I am gay. I say, 'No, I am straight,' but I consider the question to be a compliment."

Alas, the link expired into paid-archive-land.