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We were singing “The Greatest Love of All” and then did a little skit and, for some reason, I had to have fake boobs, so my mom stuffed my bra with oranges. PGN: What was the worst mishap on stage? EG: So this happened when I was in elementary school. I just watched one of my old videos recently and I think I was terribly misguided. I was in a couple of musicals and the choir, and for a while I thought I had a fighting chance to be a singer. PGN: What was high school like? EG: I was a big theater geek. I came here in 2004 and got my master’s degrees in social work and human sexuality education from Widener University. Then in 2001, I moved to New York for about three-and-a-half years before coming to Philly. I had a boyfriend who decided to move to Hawaii to pursue a degree in marine biology and I thought it was a good opportunity for me to get out of Colorado. PGN: When did you leave Denver? EG: The first time was when I was 19. She was just very kind and, later that day after I’d changed and come back, she didn’t say a word, just let me blend back in. She did it all without getting alarmed or making a big deal out of it. Smart just gracefully came over and had my best friend take me over to the nurse’s station. It was only a five-minute test but I ended up peeing my pants and this kid Dustin - I still remember his name - looked up and pointed at me and shouted, “What are you doing?” and I yelled back, “I don’t know!” I started crying and Mrs. One time, just as the test was about to start, I had to go to the bathroom, but I didn’t want to miss the test. I always wanted to get the best grades and, back then, we had school-wide tests that were timed. I would get geeked out about getting the gold star next to my name. I feel I can share it now because I’m finally over it. I especially loved her because of an incident that took place in her class. Smart, who was not only kind and compassionate, she also had a great sense of humor. PGN: Who was your favorite teacher? EG: In second grade, I had Mrs. He’s been there for 37 years and wishing he could retire and go open up a bar in Mexico or something fun like that. My dad works for IBM, something to do with imports and exports. She’s in some sort of secret position that we can’t really talk about, but it’s pretty high up. PGN: What do the parents do? EG: My mom works for Lockheed Martin. We’ve always been close, but we’re much closer now that we’re forced to communicate about real issues versus just sharing space in a house.
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And honestly, I think moving away from Colorado helped strengthen the relationships that I had with my brother and sister. I got out of there as soon as I possibly could. I knew from a very early age that life in Colorado wasn’t for me. In many ways, not just related to my sexual orientation. Not in a bad way, like I was ostracized or a loner I just felt I was different than the rest of my family. PGN: What was life like in Broomfield? EG: I always felt slightly like the black sheep. My brother also has a child and I have my two dogs! I tease that my sister is actually the oldest sibling because she bought her house first, had her car paid off first, she has three kids, etc. Wait, they don’t live with my parents! Just in the same town.
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My brother and sister both still live there with my parents. And was about as exciting as the name implies. EG: I was born in a small town called Broomfield, which lies right between Boulder and Denver, Colo. Since 2004, she has worked as a research assistant, clinical coordinator for Congreso de Latinos Unidos, provided counseling to people affected with HIV/AIDS for COMHAR, worked as an adolescent therapist for The Attic Youth Center and now is executive director of Gay & Lesbian Latino AIDS Education Initiative, which is the only HIV/AIDS education program in Pennsylvania whose primary mandate is to address the needs of Latino sexual minorities. Elicia Gonzales has made an impact on Philadelphia in just a short time here.