Antony L
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thread 1/18
My entry for the #ThreadChallenge recounts how i met my closest friend after writing a letter to a comic book in 1991, and per him, ending up saving his life.
03:55 PM - May 19, 2023
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Antony L
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thread 2/18
Back in 1991, I wrote a letter to the editor of the "Teen Titans" comic book comparing Stevie Nicks to the super hero character, Raven. To my surprise, they published it in the back of issue number 74.
04:14 PM - May 19, 2023
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Antony L
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thread 3/18
About 3 months later, I received an envelope in the postal mail. It contained a typewritten letter, from a 17-year old in a small town in Texas who saw my letter and it blew his mind to realize anyone else on the planet thought the same thing.
04:14 PM - May 19, 2023
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Antony L
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thread 4/18
At the age of 25, I felt awkward receiving a letter from a kid. But it was so earnest and wholesome. I was in college full-time, as a later-in-life student, working a full-time AND a part-time job to pay for it and my share of the rent. I stuck the letter in my backpack & forgot about it.
04:15 PM - May 19, 2023
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Antony L
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thread 5/18
A while later, I came across it while studying at my desk at my job as an overnight clerk in the trauma center in a Philly hospital. I read it again and decided to acknowledge the kid's letter.
04:16 PM - May 19, 2023
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Antony L
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thread 6/18
It was brief: Thank you for your letter, a couple of lines extra about how much I loved Stevie and Raven. Have a nice life. I thought: Bye!
04:16 PM - May 19, 2023
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Antony L
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thread 7/18
But he wrote back. We corresponded about the characters and discovered we both loved, loved, loved Wonder Woman as well. I sent him Stevie Nicks bootleg cassette tapes. We wrote back and forth for a few months. Then I received a different kind of letter. He came out to me as gay.
04:17 PM - May 19, 2023
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Antony L
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thread 8/18
I'm living in Philly & I know deep red Texas isn't a good place to be gay in 1991. He told me no one else knew, & that he was afraid. He didn't want to think about what would happen if he let his family know. So what started as me humoring a kid who wanted to be pen pals became something different.
04:17 PM - May 19, 2023
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Antony L
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thread 9/18
I came out to him & I kept writing. A couple of years later, he came to the East Coast to visit colleges he was applying to & I accompanied him on tours. He stayed with my roommate and me for two nights. I showed him Philly and snuck him into to his first gay bar.
04:18 PM - May 19, 2023
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Antony L
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thread 10/18
He went back home and we kept writing. Letters became phone calls, then AOL messages and comic book message boards, then Facebook, then email.
04:18 PM - May 19, 2023
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Antony L
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thread 11/18
He says my letters were his lifeline. I kept him feeling safe & loved. I made him feel like he could live a full life as a gay man because I was his example of how to do it & proof it could be done. Eventually, he came out to his family &friends, he says because of me living my life fearlessly.
04:20 PM - May 19, 2023
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Antony L
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thread 12/18
He says, he thinks things may have been VERY different had they not published that letter, and had he not seen it while waiting backstage for his pivotal line as toy soldier #2 at a rehearsal of a high school production of "The Velveteen Rabbit".
04:20 PM - May 19, 2023
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Antony L
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thread 13/18
What he didn't realize was he kept me going. Working 2 jobs while in school was agony. I was broke & had little to no time for family or friends but knowing I HAD TO keep going to inspire this guy was a driving force. Without him, I might not have been the 1st person in my fam to graduate college.
04:20 PM - May 19, 2023
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Antony L
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thread 14/18
We have stayed in touch without any breaks for over 30 years now as best friends. We talk every day. He came out to his family shortly after visiting me. It was hard at first but got better. He met a boyfriend, who is now his husband for over 20 years.
04:21 PM - May 19, 2023
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Antony L
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thread 15/18
In 2014, my husband threw a surprise bday party for me. My friend & his husband came to Philly as part of the surprise -the first time we were together in person since the college tours. This is a picture of us, shortly after all yelled surprise, as I'm realizing this guy in my kitchen is my BFF.
04:24 PM - May 19, 2023
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Antony L
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thread 16/18
Since then, we've all gotten together at least once a year, visiting cities together. In 2016 or so, we met Lynda Carter at a meet and greet in Nashville and told her our story. In 2018, we closed the loop and saw Stevie Nicks in concert for the first time together.
04:24 PM - May 19, 2023
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Antony L
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thread 17/18
And next March, we're seeing Stevie Nicks together again & there's an off-chance we'll get backstage passes and be able to tell her the story and thank her for bringing us together.
04:25 PM - May 19, 2023
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Antony L
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thread 18/18
As an aside, the same year as our first letter, I met Stevie Nicks briefly and asked her to autograph the comic book across the letter. She did, but I was so star struck, it didn't come to my mind to tell her the story. 😢
04:28 PM - May 19, 2023
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Maureen O'Neil
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In response to Antony L.
Loved your thread. You got my vote.
01:10 AM - Jul 19, 2023
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Antony L
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In response to Maureen O'Neil.
That's very kind of you. Thank you very much
07:28 AM - Jul 19, 2023
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George Roberson
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In response to Antony L.
Thank you for the story. I wish you and your best friend the best.
07:30 PM - Jul 04, 2023
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LaFleur
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In response to Antony L.
Refreshingly beautiful. Thank you for sharing.
07:38 AM - Jun 20, 2023
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Antony L
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In response to LaFleur.
You are welcome, and thank you for the kind words.
07:53 AM - Jun 20, 2023
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Gabe McGrath
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In response to Antony L.
Wow, amazing story and well told. Sometimes the tiniest things can lead to multiple life-changing events. Good luck with the Thread challenge!
03:17 AM - Jun 05, 2023
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Civil Canuck
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In response to Antony L.
This thread is wonderful, really choked me up.
12:46 PM - May 30, 2023
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Mary Ann Lyons
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In response to Antony L.
Thanks for sharing, hope your story inspires many more folks to support others in the way the two of you have done for each other🙂
02:44 AM - May 22, 2023
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Dave Sloan
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In response to Antony L.
This is such a heart-warming story. I have a feeling (and keeping my fingers crossed) that y'all get backstage to meet Stevie and tell her the story.
12:14 PM - May 21, 2023
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Claudia Citro
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In response to Antony L.
@deltabadhand This story warms me, and gives hope for us. Thank you.
10:24 AM - May 20, 2023
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Linda Eisenstein
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In response to Antony L.
What a magnificent thread! It only takes one person to make a difference sometime.
09:41 AM - May 20, 2023
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Janet aka April
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In response to Antony L.
What a fabulous heart-warming story. I hope everyone reads it.
09:37 AM - May 20, 2023
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