Who's That Boy...........


No it's not a twist on the Eve song (Who's that girl?), nor Madonna's hit back in da 80's, but my brief Bio, so anyone checking my Blog knows a little about me.

I'm a native of Rochester, NY where I lived for over 30 years of my life and recently moved to Philadelphia to explore a different city and make new connections in my life. I grew up in the inner city of Rochester in a lower middle class integrated neighborhood. I'm the oldest of four and my parents are still married and still live in the same house they've had for 27 years. My parents have always been supportive of me and who I am, even when I came out to them over 10 years ago. My brother's and sister are cool too and while we don't talk all the time, we support each other as family does.

While in Rochester, I worked in Chemical dependency treatment for a number of years and obtained my credentiling as an alcoholism and substance abuse counselor. On December 1, 2000 (how fitting a time) I went on to work in a Community Based Organization called the MOCHA Project, where I did HIV prevention work with Black gay men. While I was there, I decided it was time for me to go back to school to pursue my master's degree. In 2004 I obtained my master's degree in social work and decided after I was done, that I was going to move to a new city. I'd never lived anywhere other than Rochester, so it was a big move for me, but one that I have not regretted at all.

For those of you that have been to Philly, you know it's a big city, but in some ways it's small as well, which was a prefect pace for me, coming from a small city. There are a lot of beautiful things about this city, many of which I have yet to experience. When I initially moved here I was dating someone, but it didn't work out, so I found myself for the most part alone in a city where I didn't know many people. Just about the time my relationship was ending, I met a couple of people who have since become friends and helped me through those rough periods. A few months after the ending of that relationship, I met someone quite special who has moved into my heart and captured it.

Presently I work in HIV-related Behavioral Science Research on a national study funded by the CDC. We're looking at the variety of factors putting Black Men who have Sex with Men at risk for for HIV. I am also a facilitator for Many Men Men Many Voices, a group level intervention for Black gay men. I've been lucky to have gotten a gig doing this intervention on a national level with some talented people that are committed, like me to improving the lives of Black Gay men. I also work part time as a mental health therapist in a outpatient mental health clinic in the Germantown section of the city. So all this and having a man keeps me quite busy.

Dayum, as I was reading this I realized that all I wrote so far was kind of bland and doesn't describe my personality at all. Well one thing that I think anyone who knows me would say is that I'm real and a down to earth person. I have a heart of gold and would help anyone out that I can if I consider them a friend. Being the people person that I am, I'm up for helping anyone, but I go that extra mile for friends and family. I love music and am always listening to something in my office, at home or in the car. The music I mostly listen to is Hip Hop ( I miss the old days) R&B, and house/dance music. My baby is getting me an iPod for Christmas, so I can't wait for that so I can take all my music on the go without having to carry all those cumbersome CD's. You can see my profile for some of my favorite artists. I enjoy concerts, good food, watching movies, hangin' with friends and having fun. Another thing that people who know me well would say is that I can be foolish and love to make people laugh. Laughter is so important in life, especially in these times when tragedy and disaster has almost become the status quo.

Well I'm looking forward to meeting new people throughout this experience and I hope that people check in on my Blog regularly. Peace for now.

Lee