Being raised in a progressive family, it took me several years to realize that the theory that people are people wasn’t a global view, just the one I had been raised with. My family had friends who were mixed race couples, same sex couples, people from many cultural backgrounds, it all seemed normal to me. When I met my soul mate, he came in the form of a gay man. We lived in a town that was not accepting of who he was and ran off to Seattle and Tacoma to go to the clubs where he could be who he was and just have a good time without worrying about what people there thought. Eventually, we moved to Seattle in the early 90’s, and frequently ran into the Sisters on the hill or went to Bingo the Sisters did, it was always fun and I loved the positive message they had.
Several years later, I had a baby, and my friend had HIV. It was a learning experience, ups and downs, but 12 years later, when he left this realm, it left a huge hole in our hearts and lives. I felt a need to do something for others, to honor this man and try to make it better for others who felt they had to hide part of who they were in any way. About a year after he died, I had the chance to see the Sisters on a regular basis and it hit me that THIS was what I wanted to do! Becoming a Sister has felt like coming home, I love it, but the best part is I am here to tell YOU, you are amazing, special and I think you are perfect being who you are, where you are!