Events that changed you life forever.

[Virge]

For me that was September 11th, 2001.
I was 13 and had grown up in a world where as far as I know no one really hated anyone so bad they'd kill. it opened my eyes to things I didn't know existed.

It wasn't long after that I started feeling I might be gay and then all the hateful things people said about gays had a direct effect on me.

I can make a direct connection from 9-11 to my decision at 18 to join the marines. I didn't do it to fight and kill. I did it to have a chance to show people they were wrong to hate people like me, Americans who are basically all good people.

There's a direct link between 9-11 and me doing so much to try to let straight people know they're wrong to hate gay people.


What event in your lives made lasting changes?

[matty7]

My best friend dying - we'd been drinking having a great time. he'd been to his parents for their anniversary through the day (drinking) , he was a very funny guy and we had a great time till I called it a night and went to bed maybe 2am , long story short - he died a few short hours later the coroner predicted - been the last person to see him used to make me very guilty -a very good person explained this is a normal reaction - I now celebrate his life,

[East]

I have moments......

The moment I read "Angela Davis...An Autobiography"...and "If They Come In The Morning" by Angela Davis. I woke up...I had never heard anyone actually say all the things I felt before...very powerful....

AIDS...pretty much everyone I knew died....and then I made new friends...most of them died as well....One of the first people who died in Silicon Valley was a friend and co-worker of mine named Michael ......they wore space suits and had the whole room covered in plastic because they didn't know what they were dealing with....

I think the virus had a little "help"....that changed me....

[Virge]

My best friend dying - we'd been drinking having a great time. he'd been to his parents for their anniversary through the day (drinking) , he was a very funny guy and we had a great time till I called it a night and went to bed maybe 2am , long story short - he died a few short hours later the coroner predicted - been the last person to see him used to make me very guilty -a very good person explained this is a normal reaction - I now celebrate his life,

I have two similar situations and carried the guilt a while. I know it's weird but when something reminds me of something funny with them when talking to others I talk about my dead friends in the present tense, like they are friends who I've not seen in a while like they live somewhere else. To me, in my memories they are still very much alive and as funny as they ever were.

[Virge]

I have moments......

The moment I read "Angela Davis...An Autobiography"...and "If They Come In The Morning" by Angela Davis. I woke up...I had never heard anyone actually say all the things I felt before...very powerful....

AIDS...pretty much everyone I knew died....and then I made new friends...most of them died as well....One of the first people who died in Silicon Valley was a friend and co-worker of mine named Michael ......they wore space suits and had the whole room covered in plastic because they didn't know what they were dealing with....

I think the virus had a little "help"....that changed me....

I only found out who Angela Davis was when I asked old neighbors what their favorite movies were. They wouldn't tell me the movies names but gave me things to read up on before they invited me to see it. Angela Davis was one thing I had to read up on. Patty Hearst. Symbionese Liberation Army, Elijah Mohammed, Several Television execs and newsmen.... I was expecting some super poltiical revolutionary movie....

They had me over to watch NETWORK off a VCR tape and I rolled in the floor thru the scenes making fun of the people they had me study about.

An old gay guy I know talks about what AIDS did when it hit. It never sunk in until he showed me the address book he had from back then with numbers and addresses from all his hundreds of gay friends. He'd used it to write down the dates they died, most in just 4 years.

Yeah. That's definitely life changing for anyone who survived that.

[East]

I only found out who Angela Davis was when I asked old neighbors what their favorite movies were. They wouldn't tell me the movies names but gave me things to read up on before they invited me to see it. Angela Davis was one thing I had to read up on. Patty Hearst. Symbionese Liberation Army, Elijah Mohammed, Several Television execs and newsmen.... I was expecting some super poltiical revolutionary movie....

They had me over to watch NETWORK off a VCR tape and I rolled in the floor thru the scenes making fun of the people they had me study about.

An old gay guy I know talks about what AIDS did when it hit. It never sunk in until he showed me the address book he had from back then with numbers and addresses from all his hundreds of gay friends. He'd used it to write down the dates they died, most in just 4 years.

Yeah. That's definitely life changing for anyone who survived that.

I have a photo of my 21st birthday party...23 of us in the photo...all dead ...a long time ago. Each death was devastating...way too much grief to carry around but there is no choice.

[Virge]

I have a photo of my 21st birthday party...23 of us in the photo...all dead ...a long time ago. Each death was devastating...way too much grief to carry around but there is no choice.

nothing to say but...
Damn.
Older guys I've met all tell stories like that but they're hard for me to begin to understand.
I wish I knew something to say or do that would help.

[Bowyn Aerrow]

Um there is way too many events in my life that were course altering. No single event sticks out more than any other.

Life is about change, some of us have constant change. I fall in that group.

[James]

Yes East, you are not alone, I cared for 7 with that horrible disease, just one of the things I can't fix, Jim

[Pix]

Um there is way too many events in my life that were course altering. No single event sticks out more than any other.

Life is about change, some of us have constant change. I fall in that group.

^^

Me.

When I considered this question I got an image of cumulative butterfly effects. And I suspect that wherever I end up at age 50 (assuming I live that long) it will be something I don't expect today.