Tag: remembrance
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SELENA
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My love for Selena would begin as a young brown boy growing up in Tucson, Arizona. As a first generation Mexican-American, and child of immigrant families, her story of embracing her Chicanaroots is what mirrored most in my life. From my earliest of memories, all I know is singing and dancing…
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LORENA BORJAS
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long known as a mother, activist and defender of trans women, sex workers and undocumented LGBTQIA folks, lorena borjas dedicated her life to the liberation of those living on the margins. lorena immigrated to the new york from veracruz, mexico in 1981 – just as the AIDS epidemic was beginning…
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My Dear Aunt Blanca
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blanca was the youngest of all my aunts. people called her sunshine because of her brightly dyed blonde hair. she was the tallest and most statuesque. she was also the most adventurous. looking back, she was probably the most hopeful. people thought she was naive. she just believed in the…
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WHITNEY HOUSTON
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whitney houston was a queer icon decades before the term became a marketing ploy. she was one of us before, during and after all of the rumors. confirmation was never required or desired from us – the gay boys who lip synced her songs when left alone in the room.…
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You Are My Friend: The Day Patti LaBelle Visited Sylvester
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disco queen and black queer visionary, sylvester james died on december 16, 1988. two months before his death, one of his favorite singers, legendary patti labelle paid him a visit to say her final goodbye. this is that story. every time r&b legend patti labelle performed in san francisco, sylvester…
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The Forty-Nine (A Poem for the Pulse 49)
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We are all made of stars, astronomers are now sayingPowerful supernova explosionsFrom neighboring galaxiesMade their way into oursAnd became us Our rhythmic pulsingIn the nightConfirms our membership To an exclusive clubOf survivors To their massacres We are Both miracles And mutants Our DNAIs alien And queer To their worldsThis Galaxy If modern astronomers can be trustedAnd…
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for my mother, on her birthday
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i don’t have video of my mother laughing. the sound of her laugh exists only now in my mind. every year, i fear that i will forget the sound of her raucous laugh. afraid that my memory will instead recall laughs that are similar to my mother’s in place of…
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throwback: Julio Salgado
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1996, somewhere in hollywood, ca with my tio chicho. he was the first gay man i ever met. i never came out to him but in his own way he introduced me to the concept of family and queerness. it is because of him that my own family didn’t have…
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All Of The Promises I Made To Tina
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On July 3 1981, The New York Times printed an article with the headline “Rare Cancer seen in 41 homosexuals.” It was the first mainstream media mention of what would become the HIV epidemic. On this date, the epidemic didn’t have a name. Even after 37 years, it is still…
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Throwback: Xris
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This picture was taken in June 11, 2003 on my birthday. I just turned 17 and we went to Red Lobster to celebrate. Well, that day was an emotional day for me. I was getting ready to be put in the juvenile system and preparing to go into placement. At…
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My Thank You To Pedro Zamora
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In 1994, a friend of mine (who we will call Lionel) asked me to accompany him to a clinic in West Philadelphia to get the results of his HIV test. Back then, HIV tests were not rapid – it took an entire week to get your results, a week of…
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Never Dreamed You Leave In Summer: Remembering a Love Named Rob
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his name was rob. he was 26. i met him in the bronxm4m aol chat room. it was 2005 and that was still a thing. his screen name was br0nxprynce. we connected immediately during our chat. dude was funny as hell. for a week, we chatted while i was at…