Thank You, Pedro

Yesterday was World AIDS Day, and every year on that date, I spend time reflecting on someone I didn't even know. He changed my life.

The year was 1994, and I was 14 years old. I was very into watching "The Real World: San Francisco" on MTV. I watched every week, disgusted by Puck, annoyed by Rachel and touched by Pedro.

Pedro Zamora put a face with AIDS. He was gay, and his relationship with his partner, Sean, was more respectful than many other heterosexual relationships I've seen on television. The relationship was entirely about caring and supporting someone, even though Sean knew his relationship with Pedro wouldn't be long-term. Sean gave his all; he made sure Pedro wasn't alone. Pedro spent a lot of time and energy on AIDS education. Though the show, I learned not to see Pedro as a homosexual with AIDS. I learned to see him as someone's son and someone's friend who was dying of an incurable disease.

I realized that it really doesn't matter what I think about homosexuality. It's not my job to pass judgment on the lifestyle choices of others. And this especially rang true when I saw the follow-up special about Pedro's death on November 11, 1994. I ran upstairs to my room as soon as the special was over and collapsed on my bed in tears.

This person I didn't even know was gone. The person who opened my heart was no more. I choke up thinking about it even now.

I believe that was the first epiphany of my life. It was on that day that I realized the value in human life. Once gone, it cannot be replaced. Pedro was a good person. He and Sean weren't having orgies and drug parties at Studio 54. They didn't swing from chandeliers. They were just people.

Pedro Zamora's death changed my life. I thank him for opening up my heart. He taught a 14-year old Mississippi girl that just because someone is different than you is no cause for hatred. He didn't ask me to approve of his lifestyle. He didn't ask me to care.

But caring is exactly what I ended up doing.