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Stonewall Strong

What gay men's struggles and successes reveal about resilience and community

With Bill Bailey at Waterford, Virginia's annual House & Garden Tour, October 6, 1991.
Relationships
Learning Love and Loyalty in the AIDS Crisis

John-Manuel Andriote on April 20, 2024

A Personal Perspective: Bill's early HIV diagnosis loomed large, but as death neared, the love and loyalty between us outshined the painful memories.

A Personal Perspective: Bill's early HIV diagnosis loomed large, but as death neared, the love and loyalty between us outshined the painful memories.

Hope is more powerful than optimism. It gives a sense of agency, power, and motivation.
Resilience
Hope Is a Choice to Make Things Better

John-Manuel Andriote on March 1, 2024

Personal Perspective: Hope is different from optimism because hope involves believing that you can act in ways to bring about the positive outcome you optimistically hope for.

Personal Perspective: Hope is different from optimism because hope involves believing that you can act in ways to bring about the positive outcome you optimistically hope for.

I called the tree my "tree of life" because it inspired me to keep moving forward even after a serious medical diagnosis.
Wisdom
The Mardi Gras Message: Live While You Are Alive

John-Manuel Andriote on February 1, 2024

Personal Perspective: They may look like mere Mardi Gras beads on my rearview mirror. But they represent the resilience and joy of living I found in New Orleans.

Personal Perspective: They may look like mere Mardi Gras beads on my rearview mirror. But they represent the resilience and joy of living I found in New Orleans.

Resilience
Curating What Fills Your Mind Can Shape Your Resilience

John-Manuel Andriote on December 19, 2023

A Personal Perspective: There is a lot of darkness in the world today. But our holiday light festivals remind us to look for light even in the darkness of winter.

A Personal Perspective: There is a lot of darkness in the world today. But our holiday light festivals remind us to look for light even in the darkness of winter.

Wisdom
Responsibility Means Accepting Our Poor Choices, Too

John-Manuel Andriote on November 16, 2023

Personal Perspective: We're glad to own good choices that lead to positive outcomes. But we also must take responsibility for choices that bring negative results.

Personal Perspective: We're glad to own good choices that lead to positive outcomes. But we also must take responsibility for choices that bring negative results.

Memory
Visiting Ancestral Roots Reveals Similar Courage and Ache

John-Manuel Andriote on October 24, 2023

A Personal Perspective: This isn't a travelogue about my trip to Greece but is more of a survey of my thoughts and feelings about being from a place and belonging to a people.

A Personal Perspective: This isn't a travelogue about my trip to Greece but is more of a survey of my thoughts and feelings about being from a place and belonging to a people.

Resilience
Helping to Heal the World Begins Within

John-Manuel Andriote on September 22, 2023

A Personal Perspective: Autumn, and the Jewish holidays it brings, offer an ideal time for reflection on our inner healing and how we are helping others to heal, too.

A Personal Perspective: Autumn, and the Jewish holidays it brings, offer an ideal time for reflection on our inner healing and how we are helping others to heal, too.

Trauma
Tragedies Happen: It's Up to You to Grow Afterward

John-Manuel Andriote on July 11, 2023

No one is responsible for the tragedies that befall us. But we are responsible for choosing whether to adopt a growthful attitude to life and its challenges—or not.

No one is responsible for the tragedies that befall us. But we are responsible for choosing whether to adopt a growthful attitude to life and its challenges—or not.

Giovanni's Room Bookstore in Philadelphia is marking its 50th anniversary.
Resilience
How the Oldest U.S. LGBTQ+ Bookstore Supports Resilience

John-Manuel Andriote on June 13, 2023

A Personal Perspective: LGBTQ bookstores have always offered far more than books. They are community centers and places where people find culture, hope, and resilience.

A Personal Perspective: LGBTQ bookstores have always offered far more than books. They are community centers and places where people find culture, hope, and resilience.

Resilience
How Giving Directions Reveals Your Character

John-Manuel Andriote on June 7, 2023

A Personal Perspective: I was filling my rental car with gas when an older lady asked for directions. The simple exchange led to thinking about how I wanted to live my life.

A Personal Perspective: I was filling my rental car with gas when an older lady asked for directions. The simple exchange led to thinking about how I wanted to live my life.

Relationships
Choose to Flourish, This Year and Always

John-Manuel Andriote on January 11, 2023

Personal Perspective: Choose to flourish by nurturing the parts of yourself and your life that blossom with regular feeding and watering.

Personal Perspective: Choose to flourish by nurturing the parts of yourself and your life that blossom with regular feeding and watering.

Friends
Equity Is Key to Ending HIV/AIDS

John-Manuel Andriote on November 30, 2022

Personal Perspective: World AIDS Day puts to the test whether we truly support equity by how we mourn those lost, support survivors, and seek to prevent new infections.

Personal Perspective: World AIDS Day puts to the test whether we truly support equity by how we mourn those lost, support survivors, and seek to prevent new infections.

Trauma
The Journey From “Why Me?” to “Why Not Me?”

John-Manuel Andriote on October 24, 2022

Personal perspective: Have you ever felt you aren’t telling a fully truthful story about yourself because you worry about what others will think? Embrace your own humanity to free you from that worry.

Personal perspective: Have you ever felt you aren’t telling a fully truthful story about yourself because you worry about what others will think? Embrace your own humanity to free you from that worry.

All the cows in the large pasture made their way to see the man who stepped out of his car to photograph them.
Wisdom
What Does It Mean to Leave a Legacy?

John-Manuel Andriote on September 22, 2022

How often do we pause and think about what we want to leave behind after we're gone? What if it has nothing to do with money or material possessions? What will it be?

How often do we pause and think about what we want to leave behind after we're gone? What if it has nothing to do with money or material possessions? What will it be?