ON QUEERNESS & SURVIVAL
CurtisHoulihan,62:
“When COVID happened, it highlighted to me that I had kind of already been living in a survival/death situation. COVID and HIV/AIDS both had very similar themes of death.
The only analogy I’ve been able to think of for both is it kind of feels like you’re in a dark room with hundreds of people. And every now and then, a sniper goes off and kills someone. It could be someone next to you, it could be someone far away, it could be you.
That’s the Fear.”
ReneeImperato,75, atChristopherPark, homeofmemorial statuesforimportant leadersintheGay RightMovementand StonewallRiots
“Those statues in there, I knew them.”
“I remember almost skidding off the road when I first heard the word “gay” on the radio. And if wasn’t gay rights, it wasn’t equality for gay people. It was gay disease. And suddenly, no one could hide in the closet anymore. And everyone knew a gay person.”
Curtis Houlihan, 62“I would go to diners with my friends on a monday night and we would go to the hospital after, visit a few friends.
RobArango,61
They would be dead by Thursday.”
“There were two things I went through as someone ‘who survived’. First there was the fear. That was the biggest thing, the fear. But also, there was the idea of watching so many young people die. I helped so many friends die, and I was in my 20s. It’s hard. I think that does irreversible damage.”
CurtisHoulihan,62
JoeMacal,onrelationshipspriortoJose, whohemet12yearsagoandmarried in October 2022
“For a while, being in a long-term relationship was never really an option.”
“Marriage equality was something I never foresaw happening.”
Curtis Houlihan, 62
“I moved in almost instantly. I just knew it. It felt right.
When you know, you know.”
Joe Macal
ReneeImperato,75,inresponsetoastranger harassingthemandcommenting ontheirpenissize
“Just because I’m gay doesn’t mean I’m desperate”
Renee’s tattoo that reads “The future is femme”
ManonthestreetapproachesRenee:
“You look like a guy who knows where things are”
Renee:
“First of all, I’m not a guy”
Man: “Guy, girl, whatever.”
Renee:
“WHATEVER? Whatever?? I’m a woman.”
“One time I was walking down there, right in front of that apartment building, with the Paris isBurningpeople. A white gay couple poured boiling water out the window, onto us, The hate is in our community too.”
Renee Imperato, 75
“We live in a scary world. With the anti-trans legislation and all of the laws being passed. Kids are getting murdered by assault weapons in classrooms and people are worried about a man in drag hurting them.”
RobArango,61
“They’re trying to take away our park. They want us gone. They want us dead.”
“They’re trying to take away our park. They want us gone. They want us dead.”
