Welcome to the Home Page of Darryl, Lydia Joy, Dan, Carl and Deirdre Burgdorf.... "Our Own Personal 15 Megabytes of Fame!" (OK, sure, it's a bit dumb, but that's been our Web site's "tag line" since 1995, back when the Web was new and we still only had one child. That's right; we've had a family Web site for 14 years. We were online narcissists long before MySpace, Facebook, Twitter and the like made online narcissism mainstream!) We're a rather typical family in the "Heartland of America," save for the fact that we're in a mixed-orientation marriage, which is to say that while Joy is straight, I'm gay. You'll find here on our Web site a lot of information about us, as well as a bit of creative writing, notes on GLBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender) history, and links to various GLBT resources.   About Us: Personal Notes: Just who the heck are we, anyway? Follow this link to find out! "The Gay Thing": Here you'll find the story of our journey since I came out as a gay man, and of our life as a mixed-orientation couple. Marriage Equality: Yes, we support the right of all people to marry whomever they love, regardless of gender. Here's why. The Death of a King: The single remaining "Literary Link" from the early days of our Web site, this is the ballad I wrote on the occasion of the death of Joy's father in 1991. Photo Gallery: Pictures. (Gee. Who would have guessed?) Not that we actually take all that many pictures. Dan's Pages: Dan's Poetry: Dan (Cassandra), our oldest child, writes almost constantly. Here are some of her poems. Fledgling: Most of Dan's fiction is rather lengthy, but occasionally she writes a short story. This is, in our opinion, one of her best. Stonewall: For the 2006 National History Day competition, Dan wrote this paper on the riots that sparked the GLBT civil rights movement. An Extra, "Secret" Link, Not On the Side Menu: Darryl's Civilization III Mods: Over the years, Carl, Joy and I have all enjoyed playing Sid Meier's excellent Civilization computer games. Some years ago, I created a few reasonably well-regarded Civ III mods. Here they are. Contacting Us: Guest Book: It's no longer possible to post new messages, but you're certainly welcome to read what other visitors have had to say over the years! E-Mail: You can, of course, contact us by e-mail. Darryl can be reached at dburgdorf@cox.net, and Joy at designsofjoy@yahoo.com. Facebook: Yes, we've joined Facebook, too, now: Darryl.Burgdorf and Lydia.Joy.Burgdorf. GLBT (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender) Links: GLBT Terms: Definitions of some terms and acronyms with which you might not already be familiar. GLBT History: As a "little project" for GLBT History Month (October 2005), Darryl decided to start putting together a "basic" timeline. But like so many of his projects, it grew, and grew, and grew.... Selected National Resources: COLAGE (Children of Lesbians and Gays Everywhere) Family Pride Coalition GLAAD (Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network) HRC (Human Rights Campaign) Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund MCC (Metropolitan Community Churches) PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) Straight Spouse Network Selected Online Resources: Gay Library GLBTQ Encyclopedia Nebraska GLBT Events Calendar Selected Nebraska/Omaha Resources: CFEP (Citizens for Equal Protection) MCC Omaha PFLAG Omaha Rainbow Celebrations Rainbow Outreach Resource Center River City Mixed Chorus   RANDOM THOUGHTS OF THE MOMENT: It's lonely at the top, but you eat better. I drive way too fast to worry about cholesterol. "To know what you prefer, instead of humbly saying 'Amen' to what the world tells you you ought to prefer, is to keep your soul alive." -- Robert Louis Stevenson (The above inspirational and/or humorous thoughts were selected randomly. Reload this page to see a different set.)   A Few Technical Notes About the Web Site: Our Web site's pages, as has always been the case, are created by me manually, using only a simple text editor, and incorporate the same very basic HTML code I learned to write nearly 15 years ago. The pages won't validate to any particular "standard," but should nonetheless display just fine in whatever browser you prefer to use. The graphics were all designed with the help of a version of Adobe Photoshop which was obsolete a decade ago. Finally, the site itself is powered the old-fashioned way, as well, by hundreds of hamsters on hundreds of tiny treadmills. The Web site was completely revamped and updated in early June of 2009. Various specific pages have been updated through late September of 2009.