Author: nomadictwink

Comfort in the Wrong Place

Candy stores are dime a dozen in New York. In any area tourist frequent, there is at least one if not two or more brightly colored candy shops filled with Midwestern tourists. These shops are filled with merchandise that will end up in a dumpster in a maximum of 5 years and decaying candy that has been out for far too long. These stores are a comfortable place for sight seekers in the big city. In a way, these candy store are a good metaphor for the midwest. Homes decaying with the outdated views of people who live in a bubble filled only with white middle class protestants. They visit cities to just go to the same stores they have at home and visit candy stores that started rotting years ago and where dust collects on candy people still buy.

When straight men dictate your healthcare

A lot of Americans have no idea what PrEP does for the LGBTQA community. Officially known as Truvada, PrEP taken everyday increases your prevention of contracting HIV by 99%. However, this drug that has helped stunt an epidemic that killed more than 39 million people. The drug costs more than $1,500 a month, or $18,000 a year. and the real tragedy is that it only costs $6 a bottle to manufacture. Of course it is no surprise to the average American that the pharmaceutical industry has a history of marking up pills astronomically . Sadly, this means that only privileged individuals can afford it, or it is an extreme burden on others.

Today I was informed my father’s firm will be suspending my prescription of PrEP because any medications over $1,000 raise premiums for everyone. When asked if all medications over $1,000 were being suspended, I was told that my medication is a “life-style choice” and that the firm doesn’t view the medication as life threatening. So several straight white men decided what was appropriate for my healthcare. Of course this is no shock as congress is mostly straight white men who are the ones who are deciding what women can do with their bodies and other things that don’t effect them. When did taking care of your body become a life-style choice? Even in 2019, gay health is not a priority.

So it begins

Life in the city is crazy for everyone. It’s just a fact. The world of a gay man in the city is a different type of wild. It is a whirlwind of partying, sex, love, heartbreak, and dancing. This world is hidden to the rest of society. It happens behind closed doors, packed clubs, and in dark hallways. Of course you see the occasional gay couple in at a restaurant sipping wine or in a park holding hands. But, a large portion of the LGBTQ community is still fearful of showing any type of love in public. Even in a progressive city like New York, you get glares or get called a “faggot” for show affection in public. Simply giving your significant other a kiss in public can be a risk. A lot of this is a carry over of internalized homophobia and bullying from adolescence into adulthood. There are so many issues inside the gay community that need to be addressed, but even now we’re still fighting just to survive in society. We party our butts off in our “safe-places”, but as soon as we walk out the door, the men who can pass as straight, disassociate with the rest of us, and the men who can’t pass, put back up their defenses. This is such a trivial thing compared to other marginalized communities like people of color or even the trans community. But non-the-less, being called a fag is still hurtful. I don’t think that in this political environment, this will get better – but I have to hope someday it will.