I will never forget when I saw it on the T.V. I screamed and cried and was so bewildered. Matt and I went to High School together (at TASIS). I was horrified at what happened. Matt and I did a lot of theatre together and it was a huge blow to the TASIS community. He was just such a good person all around. The great irony in all of this was when Matt decided to go to college in Wyoming. We all would joke and say "but Matt! Why Wyoming, it's in the middle of nowhere!" Now I really wish that we hadn't been joking; that we had been genuinely concerned in his decision.
-The other irony, Matt's sexuality was never a thing at school. At a school full of people from cultures who accept homosexuality, and equally full of those who come from cultures where it's acceptable to kill someone for it.
At school there were a lot of people who hadn't come out yet. But even with those who did, it was rarely an issue. In fact, the people who were haters (homophobes, anti-semetics, racists) were the ones who caught a lot of shit. The community there was very accepting of every walk of life and encouraged people to be themselves. With over 100 countries and several religions represented at the school, it was the only way to be. So, someone being gay or not was never brought up because we just accepted everyone as the sum of their parts.
-The other irony, Matt's sexuality was never a thing at school. At a school full of people from cultures who accept homosexuality, and equally full of those who come from cultures where it's acceptable to kill someone for it.
At school there were a lot of people who hadn't come out yet. But even with those who did, it was rarely an issue. In fact, the people who were haters (homophobes, anti-semetics, racists) were the ones who caught a lot of shit. The community there was very accepting of every walk of life and encouraged people to be themselves. With over 100 countries and several religions represented at the school, it was the only way to be. So, someone being gay or not was never brought up because we just accepted everyone as the sum of their parts.
10 years later and I still choke up.
Reply
Reply
Leave a comment