by Alfred Engstrand

Hello, my name is Alfred Engstrand. I’m from San Antonio, Texas.  When I was 25 years old, I was approached by an older gentleman who needed my help to run his restaurant, In 48 hours, the business, she inherited the restaurant, our home that we just got. My father, for the first time came to my rescue, and he was worried about me, and he thought I ...

by Mary Ann Horton

My name is Mary Ann Horton, and I’m from San Diego, California.  Think back to 1997. I was a closeted cross-dresser working for Lucent Technologies in Columbus, Ohio. I kneSo I was ready for my first day at work as Mary Ann. I’d waited until I had a good reason to do it. On National Coming Out Day, in 1998, we had a gay couple that owned a res...

by Tabytha Gonzalez

I’m Tabytha Gonzalez, pronouns she and her, and I’m from Newark, New Jersey.  I first came to New York City. I was with my dance crew, or a dance crew that I was a pa...

by Michael Anastasio

Nathan: Hello, welcome to this week’s Story Update. Today, we’re going to be speaking with Michael Anastasio who shared his story with us about four years ago. Before we spea...

by Michael Dain

1960s: A Trip To The Met Was “The First Time I Remember Any Attraction For Men.” I first became aware of being attracted to men when growing up in the mid-sixties, when I was1970s: Melba Moore Performing At Bathhouse Changes Gay Teen’s Life. Okay, so in the early seventies when I was around 15 and attending Bronx High School of Science, still feeliComing Out To Parents In 1975: “You’re Our Son. We Love You. Be Home By Midnight.” Okay, so around in 1975, just a little before I turned 18, I was talking with my brother.1981: After Protest At Harvard, “I Was Out For All The World To See.” After high school, I took some time off because at the time I didn’t think I wanted to go to college. 1985: “Heartbreak Is A Natural Part of Relationships.” Here I am in Boston in 1985. After taking a hiatus from Divinity School, I had resumed taking classes again and I met mFear Surrounding AIDS In The 80s: “I Might Have Already Been Infected. I Didn’t Know.” I started hearing about AIDS or as it was called in the press at that point, Gay Rela...

by Ted Chapin

Coming Out To Parents in the 1970s Wasn’t Easy But “Time Heals All.” Every every gay man knows at some point in their childhood, certainly by puberty, that – what their a1970s: Embracing Interracial Gay Love. “This Is Just A Great Big Family. Let’s Drop All The Prejudice.” Jacob and I moved to Philadelphia in 1972 because I was starting th1978: Celebrating Thanksgiving With Family Of Choice. “They Wanted To Welcome Me To Their World.” Well, I came out in 1970 in New Haven in the year after Stonewall. And the wReceiving A False-Positive HIV Test In The Mid-1980s: “I Thought This Could Be It.” Eric and I got to San Francisco in 1978. It wasn’t a good place to bring a boyfriend bec1988: “God, If You’re There, Please…I Need To Fall In Love With Someone Who’s Not Going To Die.” Well, it was April, 1988. I was living in San Francisco. There I was, a1990s: Following Societal Progress Gay Man Has To Learn “How To Be A Spouse Of A Gay Executive.” We were living in San Francisco. It was in 1993 that we had to move to Boston2000s: A Civil Union In Vermont And A Marriage In Massachusetts. “We Celebrate The Day We Met.” Well, Torrence and I moved to Boston in 1993. We were part of that South End g...

by Sheila Bligen

1950s: Experience During Naptime: “It Was An Inkling Of A Difference.” So being a native New Yorker, I started my early childhood education on the Lower East Side. I was fourLate 1950s: Neighborhood Crush: “She Was The Sexiest Thing I Had Ever Seen.” Okay, so in the late fifties, we – the big migration – so we moved from the Lower East Side t1960s: First Kiss With Another Girl Was “The Kiss Of Life.” So I’m 17. I’m living in Spanish Harlem and I’m venturing out to Harlem at this point. So Diane becomes one “I Learned How A Broken Heart Actually Feels.” So now I’m 17. I’m a senior in high school. I start to venture out. So I’ve become friends with Diane. Her house was a coFalling In Love, Breaking Up, And Reuniting: “Every Day Was The Best, Best, Best, Best Day Ever.” From my twenties into my thirties, I’m dealing with men and I’m living mOn Being Called An “Elder”: “I’m A Human Being. I’m Sheila. End Of Story.” I’m 67. And if I have to be put in put in a box, I embrace the term queer. But, I don’t...

by Jim Darby

1950s: Sailor Spends A Night In Jail After Gay Bar Is Raided. In 1952, I received what we call the SSS, Selected Service System envelope. Every young man who got one of those, of...

by Jay Blotcher

1970: Gay 10-Year-Old Boy Finds Creative Way To Convince Mom To Buy Teen Magazines Well, I grew up in a small town called Randolph, Massachusetts, which is about 15 miles south o1982: Following Homophobic Police Taunt And Arrest, AIDS Activist “No Longer Believed The Police Only Arrest Bad People.” I graduated college in May of 1982 and a friend of m1983: Gay Man Transitions From Bathhouse Towel Boy To AIDS Activist. Being a gay man of 22 years old in New York City is an experience for anybody. It’s learning who you are, i1989: ACT UP AIDS Activist Takes On The New York Times In the latter part of the eighties and the early part of the nineties, my life in New York City was dominated by AIDS activ 1992: Friend Who Died From AIDS “Gave Us The Gift of That Absurd Memorial.” So it’s April of 1992 and I’m at Beth Israel Hospital on the east side of Manhattan. And it�...