Twenty-five years after the world became aware of the scourge of HIV / AIDS, there is still very little on the Internet directed to gay widows, men and women who are grieving the loss of their life partners.

Hence this group. It is intended to be a source of support for any gay person who is grieving the loss of a life partner. In addition to providing a forum for people to talk about their shared experiences, it will provide links to existing and developing resources for gay widows. We will also try to keep abreast of social development that affect the lives surviving gay partners.

Regarding word choice: "Gay" and "widow" are both loaded with meaning, often conflicting, often inflammatory. Here we are trying to be as generic as possible. "Gay," in this context, means "not straight" (not that there's anything wrong with that!), regardless of gender, inclusive of lesbian, bisexual, and transgender. Likewise, "widow" means "surviving partner," regardless of gender (or role in the relationship.)

This group is designed to be a companion to the moderator's "Gay Widows" webpage, which is badly in need of updating. It is not intended in any way to compete with WidowNet, the original online group for widowed persons and still the best place for any widowed person to find online solace and support. "Gay Widows," if we make a good go of it, will complement other resources.

Some words to remember:

In time, every sad thing
will become happy.
The sad ending is only because
the author stops telling the story.
It goes on.
It is just untold.

Francis Falls in "Twin Falls Idaho"