Once I finally escaped Utah my life just blossomed. For the next 20 years one amazing opportunity after another just fell in my lap.  

I was a double agent spying on the KGB for the Americans in Munich, Berlin and Moscow. Then I then moved to NYC and found my dream job in the news industry, traveling throughout Europe, Africa and Austral-Asia, but while living in Sydney it all came to an abrupt end. 

Suddenly, I found myself unemployed, sick with chronic fatigue as a result of my HIV medication, and self-medicating with meth.  

After 9/11 as America rushed into an unjust war. I apologized to a Muslim friend for my countrymen. Then I returned to Utah to sober up and be near my family. When the USA attacked Iraq I adopted a dog and named her "Mir" the Russian word for "peace." 

I discovered the Bush Administration was paying for HIV medication in Africa, but not in smaller American states where people were still dying needlessly. So, I founded The Campaign2EndAIDS Utah and started lobbying for state and federal funding to pay for HIV/AIDS medication.

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/i-woke-up-this-gay/donations