Eric Thomas and his friend Felix were both young gay men living in the Bronx. The difference that set their lives on different paths came from their homes and churches.
Eric explains:
“[My mom] kind of came around, and we were able to kind of, sort of start from there with this new understanding of Mom and her out gay son. Felix’s mom asked him, ‘Who’s this guy Eric, and why is he always calling here? No son of mine is gonna be a faggot. Get out of my house.'”
The two paths Eric and Felix were set on had predictable destinations. Eric has gone on to get his Ph.D. in biblical studies and live a life of happiness and health. Felix, with no one to turn to, became involved with drugs and contracted HIV/AIDS, which ultimately killed him.
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“I always think about Felix,” says Eric. “I think that he’s looking down on me now, and I hope he’s proud. The more that we tell our friends’ stories, the more that they’re with us. Hopefully we will live in a world where no parent would say, ‘No son of mine is gonna be a faggot; get out.'”
This is Eric’s story:
“I’m from Driftwood,” a collection of “lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer stories from all over the world,” appears weekends on LGBTQ Nation. For more true LGBT stories, or to share your own, visit “I’m from Driftwood.”
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