Robert Kinports claims to not always listen. This from a guy who leads the coordinating effort for an event that draws thousands of attendees, includes vendors, international performers, an interfaith service and numerous drag queens. Oh yeah, and he does all this in his free time. Not too bad for someone who is working on being a better listener.
After more than 12 years of involvement with Pride, the man who brought RuPaul to Mission Plaza took respite after last month’s Pride events, sat down and talked burritos, volunteers and weekly phone calls to parents. Let’s listen in.
Which personal quality are you working on?
Listening, as I don’t always do enough of that. Too often I attempt to reach conclusions on things before hearing all the details or thoughts from others. So, I’m working on hearing others out and digesting what they’ve said (listening) before coming to a conclusion or responding.
What do you most admire in other people?
I admire people who are able to make others feel good regardless of the nature of the conversation. Some individuals have the knack to make you feel good about yourself even when they’re critiquing you. I can think of many occasions where that skill would have made a big difference in how myself, and others, felt during conversations.
Which quality do you like most about yourself?
One of the qualities I like about myself is a seemingly innate ability to coordinate events. I enjoy this in all areas of my life from planning a vacation with friends to coordinating large events such as Pride or to executing a successful project at work. Creating a shared vision with others and then working together to see our vision come to fruition is quite rewarding for me.
Which living person do you most admire?
It sounds cliché, but I admire my parents more than anyone. They raised 4 kids, helping to put us all through college while sacrificing their wants and desires to ensure each of their kids received the support needed to grow into well rounded, successful adults. I don’t know how they did it, but they never bought anything on credit that they couldn’t afford to pay for when the bill came due. I’m still aspiring to live to the principals that they taught me, and probably always will. It’s really neat seeing the love they have for one another after more than 55 years of being married.
What is your best memory from Pride on the Central Coast?
After 12+ years of involvement with Pride, it’s hard to select a single best memory. Perhaps it was bringing our first major performer, Margaret Cho, to the Performing Arts Center back in 2004, watching RuPaul perform in the Plaza with several thousand people enjoying the performance or reading the thank you letters and emails from people that were moved by one of our Pride events.
If you got to pick Time magazine’s person of the year, who would it be?
Well, we’re only half way through 2014. So, I’m going to take a different approach in answering this question. I’m going to have to select “the volunteer” as Time Magazine’s 2014 Person of the Year. I very much admire those that selflessly give their time to help improve the lives of others.
What is your perfect Sunday?
I try to make every Sunday a day of fun by getting any needed work or chores done on Saturday. A relaxing start to the morning is ideal by spending time in bed with my partner reading the news on various websites before getting up. Once out of bed, I enjoy taking Copper & Chase, my two Vizslas, for a walk to Nautical Bean for a coffee and their Kitchen Sink Burrito, mmmm. Then, either wine tasting, or a new hobby, kayaking in Shell Beach. The requisite mid-afternoon call to my parents to share our week’s happenings with one another is always on my Sunday agenda. Of course, no Sunday would be complete without spending a little time in the kitchen cooking a nice meal and enjoying a bottle of Cabernet with friends.