How Does It Feel To Be Different Than Me? Are We The Same?”
I started volunteering for a non-profit organization called Atlas. It’s a Boulder County AIDS Project (BCAP) funded organization that promotes safe sex, HIV testing, and HIV awareness to Boulder, and its’ surrounding counties. Through education and frequent testing, the mission is to always be knowledgeable of your status, and if you’re negative, you stay negative. If you’re positive, you prevent the spread of the virus.
I was asked to be a part of the group of “core members” a few months ago. Since then, I’ve had the opportunity to meet a lot more people in the Boulder gay community that I normally wouldn’t have. In the first meeting I went to, I was surrounded by smart, attractive, funny men, who were not only passionate about their sexual health, but were also active volunteers in the gay community. Heaven.
It was a complete turn around from the gay people I had been hanging out with six months ago. No body was talking about how they were looking for ecstasy, or how they barebacked in the dorm showers. No, I was sitting in a room where people were passionate about their education, goals in life, and most importantly, their health. After spending some time meeting some new faces, and talking to old friends, I really felt like I was home. At first I was a bit skeptical about the type of guys that would be there. I was expecting the aberzombie asshole who couldn’t think for himself, that I usually met while attending a predominately CU function. I was pleasantly surprised, to say the least.
While I sat there filling out a HIV quiz about what I knew, and what I didn’t, the group (of about 35+) were talking about different STI’s, and what we needed to know about them. I looked around the room, and although there were many different types of gay men there (ranging from 18-35), everyone just got a lot. …somehow it worked. It was almost like they could put their differences aside and not just get along, but be friends.
Lets be honest, here. If there is one demographic of people that fight amongst themselves the most, it’s going to be the gays. I mean, we have drag queens, tranny’s, queens, twinks, bears, S&M Enthusiasts, Abercrombie preps, back beat boys, straight “acting” boys, wilderness men, club boys, ravers, circuit boys, muscle men… the list goes on. How on earth are they all going to find peace with each other? They don’t. Until they manage to pull it together for a worthy cause that affects ALL of them. Who knew that HIV would be the glue that holds the gay community together? For this, we can set down our weapons (weather it be our words, fists, or eyelash curlers) and our differences, to band together to support the discovery of a cure. If not to find a cure, then to promote a healthy lifestyle. It gives me hope that the world isn’t full of complete assholes, who just want a pump and dump.
I’ve been to a few Atlas outings since, and have a lot coming up in the future. I signed up for as many workshops, and volunteer opportunities as I could, because this is an amazing group to work with, and I actually enjoy waking up at 9 am on a Saturday (with a hangover) to make HIV Prevention Packs. It has changed my mood, and I feel good volunteering. I really enjoy it, and am very glad that I get to do it, again. Maybe I’ll meet someone worth meeting, there.
Matty Beautiful
