SPECIAL FEATURE homelessness, we have had issues with people. For example, if you have a backpack on, people automatically assume that means you’re homeless. JASON: I did have a guy throw the “f” word at me when I was walking with a girl and two guys along Colfax. Larmarques wasn’t with me, but the guy called me a faggot, and I beat the shit out of him. The people I was with pulled me off of him because they worried I could’ve killed him. They pulled me off, and then we left. But that was just the guy’s ignorance. When people have a problem with us being gay, it’s few and far between. For the most part, people look down on us for being homeless, but not because we’re gay. Before you moved to the hotel, how did you find time for intimacy? JASON: We didn’t have any. LARMARQUES: We could have soft moments anywhere, but as far as like, being intimate, it was really hard. We just didn’t. It wasn’t that we didn’t want to…. It’s hard to “get down in a tent.” There’s not enough legroom. There were times when we were invited to someone’s home, and we would have privacy there. I am really glad we have a place now. Now that you are in a place, how is it different? JASON: It’s normal now. I’m a creature of society, but it’s nice to have a place that is our space, where we can be alone. LARMARQUES: It does feel normal. We can take a shower together. He can wash my back, I can wash his. How do you work through any tension between you? LARMARQUES. We argue and then, we just move on to the next thing. We might mention it later, but it’s not a “hold this over the other person’s head” thing. We say what it is that bothers us and then we just move on,” We just have to talk about it first. JASON: It’s good to have someone who can tell you stuff they’re upset about, and you don’t get mad. It’s more of realizing, “Okay, I guess I’ll take a look at myself.” How do you guys support each other emotionally,? JASON: We just know what each other wants. How do you make your relationship work? LARMARQUES: It’s important to always have a sense of wonder. Just be open to suggestions and don’t be afraid to be open to or consider other ways of doing things, or else you’ll be stagnant. It’s nice to be able to be with someone who’s just as openminded to other ways of doing things about things as I am because I can say something completely off the wall to Jason, and he can take it. It’s nice to have someone to bounce ideas off of. JASON: We realize that everybody needs to be more openminded. Be open to suggestions and not so quick to judge somebody because when you do that you might lose out on a lot of meaningful experiences. I don’t judge anybody because I’m trying to learn something new. There is no religious book or doctrine that says you can’t make life better for yourself. That’s what we’re doing. Making life better for ourselves and each other. ■ VALENTINE BY GIGI GALEN February 2024 DENVER VOICE 11
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