Cul-de-sac of Homeless Gay Love

Cul-de-sac of Homeless Gay Love

True story. Nobody bothered us until the preacher took notice from the church nearby. He ran us off on Sunday morning.

A state trooper had already stopped by. He checked all our documents. My boyfriend & I & my mini van all came up clean in 1999.

The trooper explained. We were technically on interstate property. You can hear & see traffic through the woods. There's no prohibition from "resting" here overnight. It doesn't look like we're living here. No trash in sight. Remote. Secluded. No complaints registered. Just a welfare check on routine patrol.

Two soft-spoken guys sleeping in a clean van. Obviously a gay couple. Sometimes when people realize we're a homeless gay couple, they are extra nice. They think we're being persecuted. Kicked out from somewhere. Yet our love perseveres. But really it's poor life decisions.

One Sunday morning we slept late in the van. The preacher took notice. I suppose he thought he was helping. He wanted to hook us up with Workforce. We both had jobs.

He wanted us to stay at the Salvation Army shelter. You must be in by 10 p.m. My boyfriend was a dishwasher. He got off at 10. If you miss a night, you can't return to the shelter. 

This preacher didn't understand homelessness. He had no sympathy. He had audacity to tell us to move along. 

We did so quietly. We didn't want any trouble.

Cul-de-sac of Homeless Gay Love