Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-12-13
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  WINDY CITY TIMES

A Gay in the Life: Alfonso Rodriguez
by Ross Forman, Windy City Times
2013-06-19

This article shared 4198 times since Wed Jun 19, 2013
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email


Alfonso Rodriguez is a survivor.

"I overcame trust and intimacy issues as a result of being molested from the age of 6 to the age of 8," he said.

Rodriguez also survived an emotionally-abusive relationship, he said.

"I survived falling into the dark world of drugs and alcohol. I survived being homeless as a result of that part of my life. I survived thinking that I was going to die when I was diagnosed with HIV. I survived," Rodriguez said. "I firmly believe there was always something bigger than me with plans for my life; I just needed to take those few steps to make it happen and open my mind and heart to positive changes in my life.

"Today, I live a happy life as a full-time student."

Rodriguez attends Truman College, where he is in the LGBTQIA & Friends Club. He also is the communications officer for the Student Government Association, and said he likely will run for president of the LGBTQIA & Friends Club in August for the fall semester.

"I'm convinced I've always been aware of my sexual preference," Rodriguez said. "My mom shared with me that, when I was in kindergarten, I refused to wear a blue knit sweater. She'd put it on me and I'd run back to my room to take it off when she wasn't looking. One day she confronted me and demanded to know why I didn't want to wear the blue knit sweater. I said, 'Mommy, if I wear the blue sweater, then Johnny can't see me.'

"Johnny was a little boy in my classroom [who] had blue eyes. I figured that if he had blue eyes and if I wore anything blue, then he wouldn't be able to see me, that I would become invisible to him. Interesting how the mind of a 6-year-old works.

"Johnny and I were caught in the coatroom once after that, [though] I really can't remember what we were doing back there."

Rodriguez said gay student life at Truman College is, thus far, "a pleasant experience."

"When I got to Truman, there was a not-so-active [gay] club in place, but this past semester there have been two superstar role-models in the club [who] have made a difference, not only on a school level but in the local community, too. I'm very proud to have worked alongside Dr. Rudra Dundzilla, who is our advisor/sponsor; Marie Martin, president of the club; and Aaron Ramirez, vice-president.

"Marie and Aaron took the club to a different level that will serve as a platform for other students to get involved in what's going on in school and in our community.

"I'd like to keep the LGBTQIA & Friends Club involved in community events and perhaps take it to a service level where we volunteer at a local community organization as a group for worthy causes, such as working with displaced youth, feeding the homeless and wherever we may be of service. It's not about being in a club that matters, it's how we move as a whole in the community and what difference we make. If we're not making a difference in someone's life, or if we're not having an impact in the community we live in, then what are we doing? I know we have some pretty enthusiastic students at Truman College, and they [too] feel the same passion for getting out there and lending a helping hand."

THE STATS

Age: 42

Relationship status: Single

Neighborhood: Uptown

Hobbies: Movies, dining out, and window-shopping

Roots: Was born in Chicago. His mom is from Colombia. His dad is from Puerto Rico. They met at Amundsen High School and married at St. Mary of the Lake Parish in Chicago.

Favorite movies: Gia; Love, Actually; and The Holiday

Four people (living or dead) who you'd like to have dinner with: Meryl Streep, Michel Legrand, Ellen DeGeneres and Ernest Hemingway

Little-known fact: "I'm a little bit of a freak," he said, laughing. "I'm pretty much an open book. My friends and family know me well; I hide nothing and I'm very seldom censored; it's a flaw that I'm working on."


This article shared 4198 times since Wed Jun 19, 2013
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

After 30 Under 30: MAP Executive Director Naomi Goldberg 2024-03-25
- NOTE: In this series, Windy City Times will profile some of its past 30 Under 30 honorees. Windy City Times started its 30 Under 30 Awards in 2001, presenting them each year through 2019. This year, ...


Gay News

THEATER When growth is paramount: Jim Corti helps fuel Aurora theater expansion 2024-03-01
- Out actor/director/choreographer Jim Corti made his Broadway debut in 1974, in the ensemble of Leonard Bernstein's musical Candide. Director Harold Prince's acclaimed Tony Award-winning revival is often cited as a ...


Gay News

MOVIES Director Daniel Peddle on the sequel to the classic doc 'The Aggressives' 2023-12-05
- In 2005, Daniel Peddle released The Aggressives—a groundbreaking documentary filmed during the late '90s and early '00s in New York City that profiled several masculine-presenting/transmasculine people of color. Fast-forward to ...


Gay News

SHOWBIZ 'Black Adam,' Cyndi Lauper, Sondheim, Oscars, OutFest 2023-03-18
- Cultured Magazine recently profiled Quintessa Swindell—who became the first out, non-binary actor to play a lead superhero in the DC universe when they portrayed Cyclone in the 2022 movie Black Adam. Swindell grew up in Virginia ...


Gay News

Show about trans+ women models to debut Aug. 5 on Here TV 2022-07-29
- The Here TV docuseries Road to the Runway—which focuses on trans+ women models—will debut Friday, Aug. 5. The series profiles the 20 hopefuls competing in this year's annual Slay Model search. Cameras follow the women to ...


Gay News

Local writer from Hillman Grad Productions Mentorship Lab to tell stories about immigrant experiences 2022-06-04
- Growing up on the South Side of Chicago without any sort of U.S. citizenship, Ruben Mendive said he started developing his identity as a writer while he was sitting in front of the TV, devouring "every show that came out ...


Gay News

PASSAGES Writer, attorney, activist Takeia R. Johnson 2021-07-25
- The local organization Affinity Community Services announced the recent passing of Takeia R. Johnson. According to Johnson's LinkedIn profile, she was editor-in-chief and lead writer at Inclusion at Work as well as a Ph.D. student focusing ...


Gay News

SAVOR Talking with new Travelle Chef de Cuisine Qi Ai; Profile of Travelle's breakfast 2021-06-09
- Travelle Chef de Cuisine Qi Ai Travelle at the Langham (330 N Wabash Ave.; https://www.travellechicago.com/) has undergone a major change during the COVID pandemic: New Chef de Cuisine Qi (pronounced "tee") Ai was promoted from sous ...


Gay News

MOVIES Dutch journalist talks about making 'My Friend, the Mayor' 2021-02-17
- In the Amazon Prime Video documentary My Friend, the Mayor: Small-town Democracy in the Age of Trump, Dutch journalist Max Westerman profiles friend Sean Strub, an openly gay activist, activist, long-term AIDS survivor and POZ magazine ...


Gay News

Booksellers launch "Boxed Out" campaign, a look at consumer choices 2020-10-22
--From a press release - (New York, New York) 20% of independent bookstores across the country are in danger of closing. Today, theAmerican Booksellers Association launched the "Boxed Out" campaign to draw attention to the high stakes indie bookstores face this ...


Gay News

Author/academic John D'Emilio on new book, future endeavors 2020-10-01
- Queer Legacies: Stories from Chicago's LGBTQ Archives is a new book by Gerber/Hart Library and Archives President and University of Illinois at Chicago History and Women's and Gender Studies Professor Emeritus John ...


Gay News

Out Illinois State coach dives into new position 2020-09-16
- Logan Pearsall, an accomplished college diver who has since transitioned into master's level diving, was competing at the 2017 FINA World Masters Championships in Budapest, Hungary. He was doing a challenging inward dive from a one-meter ...


Gay News

Joseph Baar Topinka preserves legacy of mother: Pro-gay Republican Judy 2020-09-02
- Riverside resident Joseph Baar Topinka is still impressed with the resolve and stamina with which his late mother, longtime GOP politician Judy Baar Topinka, was able to "slug it out" in the political arena. "She got ...


Gay News

'Making Sweet Tea': Out NU dean talks about new documentary 2020-08-18
- Performer and Northwestern University Dean E. Patrick Johnson discussed his new film and the importance of reclaiming storytelling agency in a virtual Q&A Lambda Legal hosted Aug. 9. Johnson, dean of Northwestern University's School of Communication, ...


Gay News

Asha Ransby-Sporn talks building on the anti-racism movement's legacy 2020-08-05
- With anti-racism protests happening around the United States, in what some media outlets are saying is the largest movement in this country's history, demands to abolish the police have increasingly been a part of the rallying ...


 


Copyright © 2024 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.

All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS







Sponsor


 



Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.