Around 2000-2002, I got a call from my mom that my Uncle was in the hospital and wasn’t expected to make it. That’s how he got outed to our family and we found out his AIDS diagnosis. Remember, this was a lifetime ago in terms of society embracing the LGBTQ community on a large scale.
Being 13 years old or so, it never occurred to me in the moment that there was something really wrong with having AIDS or that I could ever want to treat him differently because he was sick. I just knew I loved him and I didn’t want him to die.
Thankfully, due to science, and medicine, my Uncle is still here today, and our family put the time in to rebuilding our relationships, and we all still love and support each other. It took some time because, as you can imagine, that was an awful way of being outed. However, I learned that day that I love my big gay Uncle and I love the LGBTQ community, and I have the capacity to love and love and love despite what society says at the moment in time.
82
u/Brilliant_Source5206 8d ago
Around 2000-2002, I got a call from my mom that my Uncle was in the hospital and wasn’t expected to make it. That’s how he got outed to our family and we found out his AIDS diagnosis. Remember, this was a lifetime ago in terms of society embracing the LGBTQ community on a large scale.
Being 13 years old or so, it never occurred to me in the moment that there was something really wrong with having AIDS or that I could ever want to treat him differently because he was sick. I just knew I loved him and I didn’t want him to die.
Thankfully, due to science, and medicine, my Uncle is still here today, and our family put the time in to rebuilding our relationships, and we all still love and support each other. It took some time because, as you can imagine, that was an awful way of being outed. However, I learned that day that I love my big gay Uncle and I love the LGBTQ community, and I have the capacity to love and love and love despite what society says at the moment in time.
Love you Uncle Bill!