I was born to the then proud parents of Gerald & Aline on August 29th 1956 in 'Georges Dumont' Hospital (as it was called then), in Moncton, N.B. - the second born, after Janet (Aug 27, 1955). After me came Nancy, then Paul, who would later die of pneumonia at 2 months of age. A long gap of 8 years followed before Mom had 3 more sisters for me (a very sarcastic Yipee). I get along very well with all of them, which is important for me.One of my friends was Terry Despres, whom I would eventually go through puberty with (at age 14), even though he was a year younger than me! All was going well (sexually) until he asked me to be his boyfriend - I told him I never wanted to see his face again. I DID see it again a few years later, when he moved to Montreal, then Toronto. I tried dating this girl, Suzanne for a month - but all we ever did was hold hands and (peck)kiss. I knew that was NOT what I wanted. Maybe I didn't know what I wanted, but I knew what I didn't want. I decided to move to Toronto myself in 1981, but it would take 2 more years for me to 'come out', by writing a letter to Terry's parents in Moncton. We had quite a laugh about the whole 'scene' that I made years ago - but at the time, I wasn't ready to admit it to myself just yet. If it wasn't for him, I don't know where I'd be today - he helped me to get acquainted with the gay scene - bars, et al. I'll never forget the first time I went to a bar where he worked - STAGES - upstairs from The Parkside (remember???) and saw two guys kissing - I was overcome with shock and panic, but decided it would be best to hang around and learn something about this new life I was starting.
I participated in the first 'march' in protest of the baths being raided; I joined a gay bowling league (Toronto Historical Bowling Society); took a keen interest in dancing - at Badlands to do some line dancin' and two-steppin' and square dancing (in which I am still active). I took a night school course in sign language, Italian language, and sewing (dress making) - although these last three things were not gay-affiliated, they are hobbies and interests that came along after I developed my new self.
Moving to Toronto was definitely the best thing I ever did. I dated, just like everybody else, but nothing seemed to work out. I had a lot of emotional baggage with me for years, which my best friend, Abdul helped me with - I would jokingly call him my psychiatrist.
I'd had minor back problems for years, and felt I was too skinny, so I decided to get a membership at the 'Y' when I was 38 years old. I had lots of warehouse jobs in the past, so my body was toned, but now I wanted to get in shape, and put some muscles on my tiny frame. I found out what was wrong with my back when I took a bad spell in 1997 - I was in constant pain and could hardly move by the time Friday rolled around. A trip to my favourite doctor confirmed that I had 'facet syndrome' - due to wear and tear of a certain spot on my spinal column. Today, I do lots of stretching, excercises (abdominals) to keep everything in check. Getting in shape also gave me more confidence in myself and boosted my self esteem (just ask Abdul - he's seen the changes). Today, I am well adjusted and play well with others (as my report card would indicate).
I took a course in computer electronics in 1996, and today I work in that environment - both electronics, and computers. My interests are expanding in the computer industry, as I am learning more about HTML (making web sites). I admit, I am no expert in the field, but I understand the basics.