![]() My husband and I have adopted two children and not being a legally married couple would make adoption very difficult, if not impossible in some states. Sure, at this moment we have gay marriage but we’ll see how long we keep it. In terms of progress, the thing I have realised is that political gains come and go, as we saw with the reversal of Roe v Wade. What are the parallels between America now, and America in the ’80s, if any? Having a sense of humour is what sustains you and being able to find joy is what keeps you from going mad. ![]() ![]() But some of the funniest people I know are some of the fiercest advocates I know. People have this misconception that when you’re doing that sort of work you are dour or humourless. It’s something I’ve had a lot of experience, especially when I was younger, as an advocate and protester. How do you strike that balance between writing the joy that comes from being yourself and the hardships that come from being a part of the queer community? Sex finds a way and so I thought it was an honest part of the book. He could walk around a bath house proud and having fun and feeling – quite frankly – powerful, because he was desired. It was fun to have a gay character who struggled with homophobia but largely was comfortable with their sexuality. Then there are the scenes in the bath house. He doesn’t make anyone feel like a victim or a charity case. I really enjoy Trey’s relationship with the men in his care. What was your favourite part of the novel to write? I loved It’s A Sin because it had the female character who became a caretaker. It feels good to expand our understanding of this time period, when it started, who was involved, who was affected and who came to the front lines. What does it mean to you to contribute to that? It’s only recently we have started to see new narratives about AIDS that amplify marginalised voices in the community, like the Channel 4 series It’s A Sin. Their sample was preserved and when someone ran a blood test on it, they contacted him in 1985 and told him he was HIV positive. I received an email from someone who read my book and they had participated in a Hepatitis B study in 1979. In retrospect, people discovered that they had AIDS, or had met people who had died of AIDS, going back into the 70s. The thing that most shook me up was the realisation that for a lot of people, AIDS came into our consciousness when the New York Times wrote about it in 1981. I would do chores around the house, and listen to Bayard Rustin, or listen to Larry Kramer talking about his life. But the thing I found the most helpful when it came to getting the voice of people from time were the oral histories and videos. I’ve seen every documentary from How To Survive A Plague to The Celluloid Closet. In a weird way I have been doing research my entire life. What was your process for researching the book? Was there anything that caught you by surprise? Noteworthy projects: 'Joliet', True Story Based Crime Drama on two women who brought down The Outfit during the 40s & 50s 'Blue Rose', on sex trafficking, drawn interest from A-list stars management 'If Loving You Is Wrong', using a remake on the mega-hit title song has captured the eye of industry pros while its stage version had a successful exhibition 'American Cutie', a dramedy of a dysfunctional family for the 18-35 demo and called "a sexy, upbeat American Beauty" 'The Last Sacrifice', first of an erotic/horror trilogy, sent as a spec script, garnered a Screenwriter position for Impulse & Indigo Productions where he penned four scripts Write-For-Hire on the $4M 'Beneath The Stairs' "saved the project" according to the Producer 'Boulevard Of Broken Dreams', inspired by the famous Helnwein painting, won the 2012 Phoenix Comicon Best Fan Film Screenplay one of three writers chosen for the Screenplay Adaptation of Jack Goddard's Best-Selling Novel, 'The Survivor', for a Disney-DreamWorks co-production.Larry Kramer at Village Voice AIDS conference on J(Catherine McGann/Getty) Advanced Graduate of Hollywood Script Writing Institute in LA, CA. 'Screenwriting Kept Simple' available on Amazon, used to teach the craft online and as Adjunct Instructor 'at Scottsdale Community College. 'When Legends Meet' secured two distribution deals featuring Latin Grammy Winning El Gran Combo and Secreto of 'Tumba La Casa' fame. Selected to the 1st Annual Sundance Independent Producer's Conference. Critiqued over 1000 scripts for Hollywood Script Analysis in LA, CA. Award-Winning Screenwriter with 58 scripts, 18 sales (4 for a renowned studio), and 1 option. Skiotes aka "Yanni" of Yanni Enterprises, Inc.
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