My daughter is 7 years old. Today a little boy in her class died of brain cancer. He went to school right up till the end while his parents awaited approval for a new gamma knife procedure he might qualify for. Kids in the play ground disregarded him, thinking he was just another one of the autistic kids from room two.

My daughter just called to tell me the news. I immediately felt sick, like I might actually vomit. “How depressing”, I said.

“You should have prayed Mom,” she scolded. “I prayed. I prayed for him every time I sat on the toilet”.

I wanted to tell her that praying doesn’t help, it wouldn’t have saved him, but hope and optimism have a power all unto themselves.

My MSN homepage tells me Adam Lambert, runner up on American Idol is gay. I took my girls to a gay beauty pageant a week ago, in the streets of Long Beach. Afterwards my eldest told me, “it was not kid friendly and inappropriate for children”.

I wanted to tell her she didn’t choose to have Turner’s syndrome, and in the same way people don’t choose their sexuality.

I hear from my children that kids in the playground accuse other kids of being gay. I tell them, “Why do they care?" Why is that such a successful torment?

I wanted to write about the little boy that died, but got distracted by the headline about Adam Lambert. Who cares about his sexuality? He is alive, and loved and here and talented and we will all enjoy him for years to come - and that is all that matters.