Vinny Cusenza

Vinny Cusenza (right) and his lover Steve at an AIDS Walk in 1985. It must be hard for young queer people today to imagine what it was like to be LGBT in America from 1981 to 2000. It’s hard enough for me to recall how I survived the daily assaults on our community without falling apart. I’ve yet to encounter an account that captures the maelstrom inside me during those years—denial, terror, love, loss, grief, rage, despair, and hope.