World AIDS Day + Matthew Shepard's Legacy

​Current Curiosities

[Reading] ​Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 by Tim Hamilton

[Listening] Lovett or Leave It Presents: Bravo, America! (with Dorinda Medley)

[Watching] Heated Rivalry 


World AIDS Day

Today is World AIDS Day. And for this first time in nearly 40 years, the United States government will not recognize World AIDS Day, a day honoring those we've lost, reflecting on the medical and societal progress we've made, and celebrating the resilience of the diverse communities impacted by HIV/AIDS.

Trump and his Republican Party continue to pass legislation, sign executive orders, and update policy guidelines targeting and harming queer and trans communities, stripping us of basic rights. Not recognizing World AIDS Day is part of the wider MAGA agenda to erase LGBTQ+ communities from American society.

Trump's violence against queer and trans communities is not limited to the United States. His administration made cuts to global HIV prevention programs denying nearly 2.5 million people access to preventive medications. A true accounting of the consequences of Trump's callus and deadly decision may never be known.

This is why real, active allyship matters. This is why supporting and voting for diverse candidates for public office matters — because our health and our very lives are on the line.

Local LGBQT+ Healthcare Resource
The two major hospital chains in town are not always affirming or welcoming to queer and trans patients and often their providers do not have the necessary education to address the specific healthcare needs of LGBTQ+ communities. 

Canopy Medical Center is a safe, affirming option for LGBTQ+ healthcare in Fargo-Moorhead. I received my Mpox vaccine doses at Canopy in 2023 when Sanford Health refused to provide it. My experience at Canopy was great — and I cannot recommend Heidi and her team more highly!


Matthew Shepard | 1 December 1976 - 12 October 1998

Today is also Matthew Shepard's birthday. He would have been forty-nine years old.

I was twelve when I watched the initial coverage of Matthew's brutal murder in Wyoming on The Today Show while getting ready for school. As a closeted queer kid living in red-state North Dakota (which has sadly only become redder), I became terrified of my own identity. That morning, I learned being myself could get me killed. That morning, I doubled-down on concealing my identity, choosing to become (or at least outwardly appear) straight.

I spent the next decade actively hiding my real self from others. I dated girls. I played football (for a season — gross). I joined track and cross-country. I developed a frat boy persona (uff da​) based on straight guys in movies like American Pie. I wanted to be Josh not Christian​, though that I was using characters from ​Clueless should've been, well, a clue that this was not going to work. 

In college, exhausted, my straight-presenting veneer slowly and unexpectedly began to crack. Between freshman and senior years, I went from exclusively dating women to discreetly exploring my identity. But senior year, an argument with a roommate in which I was outed sent me running right back into the closet. (Also, an invasive grilling from a campus pastor earlier in the week didn't help.)

When I turned twenty-five, I decided it was time to finally and fully be myself, to come out. I was ready. And I did. (More on that later. Maybe. Who knows.) 

For me, there are two legacies of Matthew Shepard's life and death. First, I take my safety and the safety of other LGBTQ+ folks incredibly seriously.

As a queer adult, I felt safest living in Lawrence, KS. I lived in LFK, a liberal bubble in red Kansas, for nearly a decade while working on a PhD. In Lawrence, I felt safe dating and holding hands in public — just existing.

Then, I moved back to Fargo, ND. Even though West Fargo is my home, the metro has become increasingly more conservative and reactionary in the Trump years. In Fargo, I realized I was reverting to old habits — concealing my identity, locating quick exits when near groups of cishet white men, etc.

Ultimately, I prioritized my safety and moved to Moorhead, MN, on the east bank of the Red River. Moorhead feels safer, more affirming and is filled with community-oriented and curious folks. In Moorhead, I live comfortably as myself. (And yes, I avoid crossing to the Fargo side of the Red.) 

Second, Matthew lived openly. His life inspires me to live authentically, to be visible and vocal. I bring my full self into my work with college students, corporate and nonprofit organizations, and in the community.

At nearly forty years old, I suppose I am a queer elder. I feel like it's my responsibility to be visible and vocal and take up space because queer and trans people have historically not had long life expectancies, and to bring this post full circle, we do not have many queer elders in the generations above us due to the silence and inaction of Reagan Administration during the early days of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Being a queer elder is a privilege.

Today is World Aids Day. Today is Matthew Shepard's birthday. Today we honor both. 

Thank you very much for your time. If you have recommendations or curiosities, please fill out this nifty contact form.

Sending y’all supportive, well-caffeinated vibes, 

Creighton 

Today’s Pen(cil): Jacques Herbin Converter-Filling [Fountain Pen] | Sailor Shikiori Zaza [Ink]