Every grand adventure begins with a grand gesture -- smashing a bottle of champagne on the bow of a ship, a photo op with all the dignitaries involved, a parade, a party -- and the grandest gesture I can make for my Sonny Boy right now is to do what I can to make it possible for him to begin his adventure with as little difficulty as possible. Unfortunately, the biggest -- and really, the only -- difficulty at this point is coming up with the funds for the actual move.

Take it like a man, baby, if that's what you are.
'Cause I'm movin' on up, you're movin' on out.
Movin' on up, nothin' can stop me.
Movin' on up, you're movin' on out.
Time to break free, nothin' can stop me, yeah.

The M People song, Moving on Up, is a breakup song, but for Michael's sake, right now, let's just look at the chorus. And let's just say he's singing to his past. In that case, this is a powerful anthem.

Michael has traveled a rough road all of his life. When he was three, Scarlet Fever made him a bit more than halfway deaf. His place on the autism spectrum kept him just outside the neighborhood society of children he grew up around. An anxiety disorder cripples him at times and being an openly gay man in Utah further separates him from the community in which virtually everyone around him is entrenched. He has been scarred physically and emotionally, yet through it all has managed to fashion a refuge for himself in the world. A refuge that gives him purpose and pleasure and a means of support.

He put himself through school and has become a very talented and skillful hair stylist. He found something he loved and went out and got it.

I could not be more impressed. Despite his lifelong challenges, the various naysayers around him and the sporadic doubts within, Michael forged on and has come to the brink of a thrilling new undertaking.

The company Michael works for has offered him an opportunity for advancement in another part of the country. While they have devoted a great many resources to his training and nurtured his growth, flying him all over the country to do so, they are unable to help with the actual move.

Through his long -- and often times painful -- journey, all I have been able to offer by way of support is love, encouragement, a meal now and then and a floor to sleep on.

I wish I could give him everything.

But, of course, that's impossible. So, there is this. Through this site, I can appeal to a broad spectrum of friends who might be willing and able to lend my son a hand. This is me, standing on a corner, holding a sign: "Please help me get my son outa here!"

Michael is ready to Move On Up. He wants to. He needs to. He deserves to.

Thank you for helping me help him.