In 1992, The NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt filled the section of the Mall in DC around the Washington Monument. I worked for nearly a week on that display. In the closet. Ignored by the president. Struggling. Uplifted. Torn. And ultimately resolved. I read names. I folded The Quilt. I consoled the sad and informed the curious. And I left, headed back to NY, to tell my parents and family what I had known since I was a child:their son was gay. I prepared to leave, to be shunned, on my own forever. Flash Forward. In 1996, The NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt grew to fill the entire Mall, from the Capitol to the Washington Monument. We had lost thousands. It was so big. It would never be shown in its entirety again. I worked on this display too. Out. Open. Proud. A sitting President visited The Quilt for the first time ever. Best of all, I held my mothers hand and hugged my Dad as the Clintons walked where we had walked. I cried as my Dad read names, including that of my college RA, Rich Gregory, whose Quilt I touched. Oh the times. They are a changin Come out. Be out. It gets better.
Posted on: Mon, 13 Oct 2014 04:02:29 +0000
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015