Same, same, different...

A dingy dark alley way filters shards of light across its path & with curiosity I enter it. It replicates much of the hidden urban scape, except this one is filled with colour dancing from above - bright red lamp shades.

Same, same but different & I am happy I have found it.

Alice is transgender & at 7 knew she was in the wrong space. She has been beaten and tortured and has lived a life filled with tragedy. We stride along a walkway arm in arm & I make the comment:
"We could be mistaken as a lesbian couple".
She smiles.
My throw away line is a compliment to her & for one night she walks with confidence & not fear. A simple acknowledgement of who she is was important. It is for all of us at some time.

Same, same but different & I am happy & proud to walk with my new friend.

Tiffany is 6. She & her friends are HIV positive. They explain to me their superpowers which include:
* Fogging up your own glasses with your breath when it's cold...otherwise known as invisibility.
* Walking on chairs when the floor is wet or as the kids put it "they can walk on water".
* Getting sick mostly on Wednesdays, acknowledged by parents as the power of forward planning.

My superpower was my wearing my silly hat that makes me look like a cross between a koala bear & a moose hunter. It ensures I get my own seat on the train even in peak hour. I am accepted on this basis.

The kids explain I'm a UIAC. I ask what that means? "Uninfected AIDS carrier".
"How does that work?"
"It means you don't have it, but if Tiffany gets tired you have to carry her."

We laugh, I get hit in the arm and a game of tag which sees us race across the bridge commences. We laugh and play as all kids do.

Same, same, but different & I am privileged to have joined their game & laugh with them.

Shelly & I met in the middle of nowhere when I was trying to get somewhere which was anywhere I couldn't be found, she welcomed me & we became great friends. We both worked the night shift in the hospitality industry. Our days were long & it was a tough environment. We looked after our customers, kept our heads down and survived everything thrown at us. I ran restaurants and bars. Shelly was a sex worker.

Same, same but different & as a true friend should, I love her dearly!

This week Shelly revisited my world. She now works in the same industry but educating workers on health and creating support networks for those who may never step out of this life. In catching up, I met Alice & Tiffany & friends & realized how very lucky I am to know these people, how very lucky I am that they don't judge me, how very lucky I am to have a different life but to get to walk in their world.

When leaving Shelly said something very important. She said "Nat, your not one of us, but we will always welcome you cause you never judged. You got it. We're the same, you and I...but different. She smiled & was gone again...

This photo is for my new friends who may not be in my life for long but whose stories made an impact. They represent why I look down lane ways, why I listen & then decide, why I understand it is the person who is important & for that, I thank them.

Good luck with the operation Alice, though I really don't need another gorgeous friend to introduce lol...

Tiffany & co- they are awesome superpowers, & I'm glad you liked my silly hat....you're it!!

Shelly, you showed me great kindness & have taught me about respect & the diversity the world has on offer. It's always entertaining & you are always welcome in my home.

The 2014 international AIDS conference is over, & I have laughed & cried but have been left with hope. You see I know that people, all sorts of people, will keep trying and in this they will be united whoever they are...

Different, but the same.