Humans of AUP: Jorge Sosa

"My grandparents and friends would ask me: 'Why major in philosophy?' Why? Well... I liked it, I was going against the mainstream ideas of college majors. After finishing my Bachelor's at the Catholic University of Quito, I studied at SUNY University in Buffalo. My strongest languages were Spanish, German and French. I then took an MA in Library Science on a Fulbright scholarship at the University of Kentucky. When I returned to Quito after my studies, I actually kept the Buffalo and Kentucky American feeling since I got offered a job at the American embassy library in Quito.

Many things happened when I returned. I worked at the embassy, created a library school program, took up the director position at the University of San Francisco in Quito. But when I noticed the intolerance of homosexuality in Ecuador I felt bothered by it. Public display of affection between gays would lead to your arrest. I was infuriated, so I became involved in the LGBT community. Imagine me, a 28 year old dressed in suit and tie screaming at old congressmen: 'We are normal people! We are just like you!' Fortunately, homosexuality was depenalized a year later. All of the sudden... I fell in love with a French man... Something completely unexpected.

That's one of the reasons I am here in France today. I came out to my parents and they were very proud of me. The pressure of who I thought I needed to be was gone. Now my boyfriend and I are about to get married. He and I love to go to art galleries, museums and just tourist around Paris. Anybody living here, in one of the most interesting cities in the world, needs to take advantage of that. We shouldn't settle in our apartment and spend the day watching TV, we should all go out and expand our artistic vibes. That's probably what I will do every day after I retire."

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