Angels in America

[gwendally]

In rural Michigan when I was growing up in the seventies, "homo" was what you called someone who was a target of bullying. The designated person to kick and beat and punch and bully. This was not something anyone examined or questioned, it was just as natural as chickens focusing their wrath on one of their flock to peck to death. Now I hear that

Comments

[crazyburro]

Hmmm, I remember one rather depressing Christmas dinner I went to in the early 90s. I was dating someone whose bestie was a gay guy living in the South End, back when that was cheap. I think we were the only (more or less) straight couple there. My gf was the only woman.

Most of the people there went way back together.

At one point they started to discuss old friends who were sick, or dead. AZT was available, but nothing else. And even if you could afford it, it eventually failed in some people.

[aelf]

I was born in '72, and sex has always meant death to me. My husband was born in '68, and so from his perspective he was raised in a "woo hoo! freedom!" that went crashing into "sex will kill you" just as he was really getting into it. It's been interesting to me to consider what a difference those 4 years made

[belleweather]

I want to gently encourage you to remember that this is your reality, and not necessarily his. I came out in 1993 when I was a sophomore in High School, and so probably straddle your generation and Small Boy's. On one hand, I have family friends who died of AIDS and remember ACT UP! and the AIDS Quilt and the crisis as a formative part of my establishing my Queer identity. On the other hand, being GLBT wasn't as normalized for us as it is for Small Boy's generation. For him, and kids who are coming out now, they get to have all the same 'normal' experiences of growing up that straight kids do -- first crushes, first dates, taking someone to prom -- without having to lie about who they are. We weren't quite there in the early 1990s

[lorigami]

Is he looking at Georgia Tech? Atlanta is super gay-friendly.

[exvapi]

You are aware that the CDC recommends Hep-C testing for folks in my/your age bracket?