Al

Ever since I was little I can remember being more fascinated with guys than with women. Women and I get along well as friends, but I can tell I am partial to guys.

My sister got in a fight with her husband about that. Her husband said, "I know your brother's gay." My sister hit him over the head with a frying pan. She beat him up, because I'm her favorite. She says, "He is not gay," and she called me up.

She says to me, "Well, me and George just had a big fight." I said, "About what?" She says, "You." I said, "What did I do?" She said, "He kept insisting you were gay, and I kept telling him you weren't."

I said, "Well, he's right." Then she felt bad. She apologized to him and asked me why I went through my life living that lie. I said, "Because of the way you reacted, hitting him with the frying pan."

You never know what's going to come out of our family. My father didn't accept it at first, but my oldest sister was good about it. She says it's my life. If I'm happy, do whatever makes me happy. My father's better now than he was. Everyone in my family's pretty acceptable.

The way I met my lover is I got off the bus in New York, and I was walking down the street with my suitcase. This guy comes up, hits my suitcase, knocks it all over the street, and he starts walking off. "I don't know where you was raised," I said, "but anyone that knocks over anyone's shit like that would help them pick it up." So he came back and helped me pick it up. Then he apologized and went on his way.