Louie: So let’s start out with your name and what part of Philly you grew up in?
Wilmer: My name is Wilmer Sanchez and I grew up around 7th and Allegheny.
Louie: Oh, I grew up in 9th and Allegheny. It was hell but fun.
Wilmer: It was pretty good, I had a normal childhood, ya know. Running around, playing in the streets, riding bikes, or staying inside. I was an only child for 10 years then my little sister came along.
Louie: What else do you remember about growing up?
Wilmer: I always felt like I was diffident. I always felt like there was an attraction to other males. I always that something…not that something wasn’t right but that something was definitely different about me than the other boys playing basketball outside.
Louie: Did you ever talk about it with anyone?
Wilmer: No one. I always kept it to myself. I was always afraid of what other people thought but at the same time, I didn’t notice that it was written all over my face. My parents always had a feeling but I didn’t know that they had that feeling or what I was exuding to them, but no, I didn’t talk to anyone about it.
Louie: Not even a “cool” aunt?
Wilmer: No, not even a cool aunt.
Louie: When did you feel comfortable talking about it?
Wilmer: Wow, that is a great question. I would have to say when I got older, when I finally got older. During my childhood, it was always “don’t ask, don’t tell.” We didn’t bring it up, we didn’t talk about. If anybody had an inkling or any idea about it, it just wasn’t brought up and that is how we always kept it. Even though during middle school and high school, I didn’t talk about it. It was always this “swept under the rug” situation. If you figured it out then you were lucky but if you didn’t or have all the facts lined up to figure it out, you were just kinda in the air with it.
Louie: Is it still “don’t ask, don’t tell?”
Wilmer: Now everybody knows. My mother knows, my father knows, all of my family and friends know, we just don’t talk about…me and my mother, my mother has just started to open up and I can talk to her about certain things. Me and father, we still don’t. It’s like “ok” but we don’t discuss it. But my mother has been coming around recently and it feels good. My sister as well, she is 16 now and she knows, she’s not dumb. Lol
I grew up in a religious household and went to church every Sunday. Same with my grandmother - went to church all the time and I guess because of that I never came out and said anything because I probably didn’t want to disappoint them. I even had girlfriends growing up. I went through that whole faze when you gotta try to find yourself and make others believe that this is who you are and yeah, that is just what it was.
Louie: So you kissed a girl? lol
Wilmer: I kissed a girl and I liked it! But I like boys more lol
Wilmer Sanchez, Philadelphia
Photo and Interviewed by: Louie A. Ortiz-Fonseca
