"A True Love Story..."

Sid and Partner - L.A. Pride

I met Sid when I started volunteering at a charity called Impulse LA. It's a foundation that raises awareness through education and advocates safe sex within the gay community.

When I moved to LA from London I didn't know anyone and was always looking for ways to meet new people. I heard about Impulse through a friend and decided to get involved. Every so often, Impulse holds events and we volunteer to work them in shift rotations. It's usually two people per shift and for one of the events, Sid and I were placed together. I hadn't met him before at any of the previous meetings so I was a little shy. However, the shyness quickly evaporated under his warm and calm nature.

We started talking and couldn't stop. The 3 hours working felt like 3 minutes. After our shift was over, it was still relatively early so we decided to grab a drink and keep the conversation going. We've been together ever since.

As for the picture, it's us at Impulse, we're taking part in the recent LA Pride Parade. It's something I've always loved participating in, even back home in London. The feeling of community is overwhelming and makes me feel proud. As I was arriving to meet the group at our founders apartment, I heard the news of the Orlando attack. My stomach sank. How can the sight of two men kissing boil up so much hatred?

At every pride parade around the world there is always a designated area that protesters are given to voice their narrow-minded opinions. It baffles me why they're given a platform to preach their hate but unfortunately that's the case. As we approached the chants of the protesters, without hesitation, Sid and I grabbed each other and kissed. It wasn't about trying to antagonize a group of homophobes. It was simply our way of saying, "No more. We will not live in fear or hide who we are."

We kissed for each and every single one of those victims who will never get to kiss their loved ones again. It started a ripple effect and everyone around us started kissing too. It was so heartwarming to feel such unity in the wake of a terrible tragedy.


The Way We Met  Modern day fairy tales // Love stories in all variations 
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