Tag Archives: kevin truong

A Note From Alan and Josh, in Greenville, PA…

“I was raised a real country boy; I learned how to drive a tractor before a car! I always knew I was gay; not all 12 year old boys imagine they’re Judy Garland performing “Over the Rainbow” as the lovable hobo during her Carnegie Hall performance! It wasn’t easy growing up for me; I was called a “faggot”, I had rocks thrown at me, I was pushed into lockers and I hated myself. I never thought I would be able to happy; I thought that being gay was a curse. I have a very supportive family; they loved me before I came out and after. Not all gay boys’ redneck-gun-toting-nascar-football-enthusiast accepts them after they admit the like boys. I survived high school and moved on to college. I had all but given up on finding a relationship; that was until freshman orientation.

I’m not a believer in love at first sight; but, when I turned around at a boring informational meeting I saw him. He smiled at me and that was it. After the meeting I ran back to my dorm room and found him on Myspace, it used to be a thing, his name is Josh! I got his instant messenger and was just about the message him; when he beat me to the punch. From that moment we were inseparable. The four years flew by. We finished school and moved to the city. To live the life I thought I wanted. We quickly found out that graduating with a bachelor’s degree during an economical repression was not easy. We began fighting; and grew apart. I thought moving back to Greenville would solve our problems and it did, for a little bit. Life after college still proved to be hard; we jumped from job to job and then the lying and the cheating started.

The constant lying and dodging had come to a halt when we had to finally admit that we weren’t happy. We broke up; I tried dating, but every guy I met for coffee, dinner, or terrible Channing Tatum movie couldn’t compare to Josh.

On January 10, 2013 I realized just how much Josh meant to me. I got the phone call that changed everything. Josh’s smart car was struck from the right side when a semi-truck failed to stop at a red light. He was in a coma for 18 days; I sat by his side every night. I waited for him to wake up-all I wanted to see were those bright blue eyes and that smile that I had fallen in love with. Life had come to a halt as I waited. Friends and family rallied together to give me support. When he first woke up; I was getting ready to leave for the night. I told him good night and that I loved him; his eyes shot opened, he grabbed my hand and mouthed “I love you”. It was love at second sight; I knew that we what we had and what we have is real love. For three months our lives became an endless cycle of doctors, hospitals, and rehabs. Josh finally came home in March and is making a full recovery.

Our lives are slowly settling back into some semblance of normalcy. We are planning on getting married next year. Our lives will never be the same; there isn’t a day that goes by when I don’t think about the accident and how lucky I am to still have the love of my life. I also now realize how important our fight is; when I first arrived at the hospital I was almost denied from seeing Josh; they barely gave me information and his parents had talked about moving him back home. These are things that devastate me still.

I can’t wait to marry Josh; the love of my life. This is just the beginning of our story; I can’t wait to where it takes us.”

photo by Alan and Josh

photo provided by Alan and Josh

Samuel, Writer, New York City

photo by Kevin Truong

Samuel, in his own words: To me, being gay means nothing terribly important. I’ve been so precious about other things in my world that I’ve abandoned my sexuality. I govern my life with other identities. I haven’t struggled to accept my orientation, so I don’t think about it too often.

Challenges have bee too accept myself for what I am – a gay, adopted, Asian-american / making it past my eighteenth birthday.

The gay community in New York City is overwhelming, yet not enough.

(With regards to coming out)

Steve: So, what was the highlight of everyone’s day?
Sharon: I’ll start. The highlight of my day was when Sam stopped by during lunch to say hello.
Steve: That was nice of you, Sam. What was the highlight of your day?
Sam: That now is the time for me to tell you I think I might be gay.
Steve: Well…you’re still 14, so you may not know exactly what you want yet. But mom and I both love you and support you no matter what.
Jake: And I love you too Sammy.
Sharon: Can you pass the broccoli?

Michael, Grade School Teacher, Portland, Ore.

photo by Kevin Truong

Michael, in his own words:“I’m a small town boy from Eastern Oregon. I grew up in a town surrounded by farm land, deer, barns and rivers in a peaceful valley hours away from any city. I never left my small town until I went to college at the University of Oregon. I ended up getting into Theatre and moved to New York City for a few years after college. It’s hard to define myself because I’ve been know to throw myself into new situations and been able to adapt well. In New York I served celebrities and mafia heads in a high end restaurant in mid town Manhattan. I booked modeling and acting jobs on the side while fulfilling my fantasy of making things happen in NYC. Eventually I missed the trees and returned to Oregon. I define myself as someone who is able to maintain a sense of self in any situation and loves to push my own boundaries.

I’ve evolved quite a bit in the past ten years. I now work with children and have my masters in elementary education. What’s important to me has changed a lot. What’s important to me now is being a part of a community and feeling like what I do gives back to a community that supports and fulfills me. I no longer worry about feeding my own ego like I did in my early 20’s.

Being a gay man to me is much more than helping people accept the fact that I love other men. I feel that that is something that shouldn’t even be questioned. I like that I can present myself as a person who is happy with who he is, no matter what that is. I am comfortable in my own skin. I treat people right and it makes me happy to connect with people on a personal level. I have a hard time finding someone who doesn’t enjoy being around me. I’m happy being who I am and what I’ve done with my life. I think that’s hard to find a fault in. I own my decisions and actions and don’t regret much. If someone doesn’t like me than it’s only because I represent some fault in themselves that they’re insecure about.

My coming out was not nearly as dramatic as most gay men. I came out to my two siblings on my 21st birthday which resulted in a group hug and cheers. My mother’s reaction was simply, “well now we can FINALLY talk about it!” I didn’t come out to my Dad until I brought home a boyfriend when I was 26. He was happy to meet him and they bonded over talking about photography. I’ve always felt that my sexuality is as big of a deal as I make it out to be. I’m incredibly proud to be gay and I would never want any alternative reality. Being gay has brought so many opportunities that I would have never had as a straight man. I’ve met incredible and colorful people from around the world and been able to do things that the average person from La Grande Oregon will never be able to do. Being gay has pushed me to know myself well and to give myself permission to have faults and embrace what makes me an individual.”