Monthly Archives: August 2014

Thach, Wardrobe Stylist, Ho Chi Minh City

photo by Kevin Truong

photo by Kevin Truong

photo by Kevin Truong

photo by Kevin Truong

photo by Kevin Truong

photo by Kevin Truong

photo by Kevin Truong

photo by Kevin Truong

photo by Kevin Truong

photo by Kevin Truong

photo by Kevin Truong

photo by Kevin Truong

photo by Kevin Truong

photo by Kevin Truong

photo by Kevin Truong

photo by Kevin Truong

photo by Kevin Truong

photo by Kevin Truong

photo by Kevin Truong

photo by Kevin Truong

Thach, in his own words: “When I was 18, I told my Mom that I was gay. Both of us cried a lot. She was worried that I had been affected by my gay friends and she wanted me to go to see doctors. I explained to her that I was not sick, it was just who I am. After calming down, she said she could not force me to be someone else and told me to become a good man and make my family proud.

After that, facing my Mom was a challenge to me and it took quite some time to normalize the conversations between me and my family members. Having support from family is the greatest thing to me and it’s not easy for other people to have that.

My family and my life are important to me now. I don’t pay attention to what people say and think about my sexuality. I just live and work well to make my family proud of me as I promised. And I have never regretted or never blamed myself for being gay. I even think that is a gift affectionately granted to me by God.”

A Note From Andre, in Toronto…

“I’m André and I’m a 23 years old Brazilian chubby guy. Being gay for me, as with most of the people, wasn’t so easy. I have always knew that I was gay but as my family was always super poor, we used to live in the “favelas” where the discrimination is way more stronger because of their lack of knowledge. I always thought that I had an extremely happy and acceptable life, well, I have never got beaten or mistreated by anyone; However, while I was remembering my life history I concluded that that’s not the truth. I was miserable because I tried to hide myself 24/7, and living a lie makes you lose thousands of unique memories and denies your own happiness.

Until my last year of high school back in Brazil I pretended that I wasn’t gay, yet I have never said that I was straight either to anyone. But then one day I decided to tell a friend and three months later to my mother. It obviously wasn’t easy for her and she got the weirdest reaction ever (in the next day she told all her friends and neighbors, it was so embarrassing). After that I became happier, I became more confident, unfortunately I am still shy for most of the things lol.

After this event, I felt that I could do everything I wanted, I could express myself freely without fear of my parents discovering. I think that after living this lie for so long God (or the universe , or any spiritual leader that that people believe in)brought into my life a succession of good stuff. I got accepted in the Federal University, which was a source of pride to my poor family that couldn’t give me a high quality education, and of course wouldn’t have enough money to pay the college tuition . Afterwards, I got an internship in a multinational oil and gas company that was considered impossible to most of my friends. Meanwhile I learned how to see love beyond any stereotype, I loved a super skinny guy, and positive, and one that looks more bottom than me LMAO. In this flashback through my life I noticed that after I became out, even the way I smiled became different. I realized that my old way to smile had never seemed truly happy. I think what I am trying to say is that I AM PROUD TO BE GAY.

I got an good life with all my true friends, I got the internship of my dreams, my parents were happy because I have a good quality education sponsored by the government, and a short time ago the Brazilian government offered to continue my high education in any part of the world for two years. And now here I’m in Toronto – Canada representing my country, traveling around the world, living by my own in a totally different place, and learning a whole new language for free. That’s why you are probably finding a bunch of English mistakes in my text (I am still learning, okay?). Well, I am still a student but my next step is to finish this study program that I am in, so finally I can give something good back to my family that is still in the reality that I left.

In conclusion, I realized that life can be good if you are good with yourself in the first place.”

photo by Andre

photo by Andre

photo by Andre

photo by Andre

photo by Andre

photo by Andre

Edu, Quality Assurance Test Leader, São Paulo

photo by Kevin Truong

photo by Kevin Truong

photo by Kevin Truong

photo by Kevin Truong

photo by Kevin Truong

photo by Kevin Truong

photo by Kevin Truong

photo by Kevin Truong

photo by Kevin Truong

photo by Kevin Truong

photo by Kevin Truong

photo by Kevin Truong

photo by Kevin Truong

photo by Kevin Truong

photo by Kevin Truong

photo by Kevin Truong

photo by Kevin Truong

photo by Kevin Truong


Edu, in his own words: “I think being gay is just a part of my personality but it is not the main thing about me. I think either gay or straight I would be looking for the same things. You know, I’m a human being who wants to be loved, to grow, to experiment things and so on.
On one hand there is the prejudice explicit or implicit, depending on the culture/city/country you are in, but on the other hand you are free to build your own path in life. You don’t have to necessarily follow the steps the society pre-programmed for you, like to marry, to have kids and to buy a flat in the suburbs. You can choose being single, having an open marriage, spending your money traveling the world because you don’t have kids, or whatever you want to. I notice that many people are afraid of this freedom; they prefer living in the box. For me I see it as a blank canvas I’m free to paint as I please.

My biggest challenge was to go through the bulling I suffered during school time. Bullying is a topic that is much discussed these days, but back in the 80’s it was really complicated to be a shy/nerdy/gay kid. One interesting thing is that I was bullied for being gay before I understand what sexuality was all about or even actually having a sex drive.

My biggest success was to overcome a very limited scenario in which I was born and raised. I was born in a poor family in the suburbs with all its financial difficulties. My parents and grandparents helped me out as much as possible for me to study and to grow as a decent person. I took all chances and I was the first on my family to go to college and have “a real big job”. I am grateful to all of them.

I could define São Paulo gay community in one word: diversity. You can find here the princesses (in Brazil they call them Barbies), bears, indies, hipsters and so on. I find it refreshing because I come from a city in which the only gay archetype that is acceptable it the buffed-all-waxed-suntan-lined-porn-star-look-a-like guy.

Getting out of the closet was complicated just in my head. Once I figured it out and accepted it was all natural. I didn’t have “the conversation” with my mother; my family knew it all along.

(If I could give myself advice before coming out) I would say to myself: “relax and go ahead. It won’t hurt and once you are out they will respect you more than being in the closet.”