Larry's Killers

I saw a film this afternoon, "The Mormon Proposition" about the millions of dollars the Latter Day Saints raised to deny homosexuals the right to marriage in California. It's hard knowing that kind of hatred and destructiveness is still around. I've lived through so much of it, and even though I can see some improvements have been made and friends are quick to assure me that I live in the "Most Liberal City In Texas" it doesn't undo the years of being crapped on. Because of the kind of bigotry practiced by people like those who fought to pass Proposition 8, some of my friends killed themselves when they became HIV positive. They couldn't rely on their families, they didn't feel safe at work or safe from eviction because of their health, and they thought they were gonna die anyway. Why wait to have your family to disown or curse you for your sexuality on top of all the rest?

One of my friends, Larry, was a fabulous dancer. He looked like a movie star cowboy from the 1940s; muscular, with a bright smile and dimples, and the best western clothes with crisp starched shirts and shiny boots. (I'd seen Larry in drag before, too, and that was quite the transformation.) He was such a gentleman - maybe five or six years older than me so that'd put him at about 29 when he shot himself in the head. He just couldn't cope with being HIV and disappointing his small town family if they found out. I hold these religious tyrants - these propagandists and buyers of legislation with their tax loopholes and hateful agenda - responsible for Larry's death. They can create an environment without hope for someone who is at their most vulnerable.