Toronto, ON
Canada
Cawthra Square Toronto AIDS Memorial since 23 June 1993
2700 names
When We Were Young
Had dinner with Chrystyna last night, the first friend I made when I came to Toronto in my early 20′s. Last night Chrystyna mentioned Dan, a name I hadn’t heard in ages. Dan died of aids just before Chrystyna and I met and so his name used to come up all the time back then. And back then I knew of no one with hiv or aids, but through this first new Toronto friendship there was suddenly one degree of separation. Hearing Dan’s name again was a trigger as strong as any olfactory sense experience – suddenly I was enveloped by the feeling of being this fresh, wide-eyed kid again, living in a big city for the first time having first Big Gay Adventures. Text © Shaun Proulx Himbo! Photo © Glen Hart Picasa

29 July 2008
Shaun Proulx, Toronto