About Me — Alejandro Luz
Gay | Latino | Fitness | Tech
Hi! I’m Alejandro Luz. I currently work as a Technical Support Specialist for a software company and I’m an aspiring Data Scientist with a curiosity for AI and Machine learning.
Over my lifetime, I lived in the following cities:
- San Diego, CA
- Leeds, UK
- Oakland, CA
- San Francisco, CA
- New York, New York (the city of my dreams)
Fun fact? I’d do anything for a cinnamon roll. The first time I tried this delicious dessert was with my mother. We’re sitting in a booth and she’s cutting into this giant bread overflowing with cream cheese frosting. A fresh aroma filled my nose. It’s none other than the legendary Makara cinnamon which blasted my senses the moment we entered the mall.
My eyes were drawn to the burly man making the rolls. He’s behind a glass wall working on a flat marble counter. With a pin roller, he smoothed the dough into a rectangular shape. He used a spatula to spread a large stick of butter all across the dough and his hands to add a thin layer of brown sugar. He rolled the dough gently from a sugary rectangle, into the dreamy spirals that make a cinnamon roll and then cut 4 inch pieces with a dough knife before baking them in the oven.
“Ready? Open up!”
My mother shoved a morsel of cinnamon bread into my mouth. A blast of warm sugar, creamy frosting, and cinnamon returned my attention to a white paper plate with the word “Cinnabon” inscribed all around the edges. My mother had massacred the giant cinnamon roll into small pieces for me to devour. I was 5 years old tasting Cinnabon for the first time. I was obsessed.
This is one of my fondest memories of childhood. My parents always found a way to reward me, despite the challenges of being low-income earners.
Growing Up
I came from humble beginnings. My parents are the most hard-working people I know. My mother worked as a house cleaner and was paid under the table while my father worked in landscaping. Both of them escaped Honduras during an extreme time of poverty and violence in hopes of creating a better life for us.
I’m the youngest of three in a family of five. My parents instilled Christian values and education at an early age. Faith greatly shaped my life and I devoted most of my time to teaching children, volunteering for the worship band, and church administration.
In grade school, I began writing poetry and short stories. This activity allowed me to create a safe space for my imaginations to run wild, however, being in your own thoughts makes it harder to find friends. In high school, I still didn’t make many friends, so I started journaling. If I couldn’t find friends to share my secrets, then I promised myself to be honest in writing. Being true to my thoughts was therapeutic in a time when mental health never existed in my family.
Today, it serves as a memory bank. It teaches me life lessons I’d otherwise forget. It’s a history book full of my most terrible storms and greatest victories.
Coming Out
My whole world collapsed the day I came out as gay. My relationship with my family and my community crumbled. My immediate family rejected me, but I found my own way to survive without them. I moved out and took agency of my own life.
In 2015, I studied abroad in England. During spring break, I traveled across Europe and met incredible people along the way. I took a solo trip to Krakow and toured the Auschwitz concentration camps. I realized there’s a whole world outside of my childhood zip code. After graduating from college, I left my hometown for the Bay and surrounded myself with a supportive chosen family.
I discovered new ways to express myself by exploring new music, painting my nails, and immersing myself in gay culture. Fear no longer held a foothold on me, despite the homophobia that had imprisoned me for so long.
A New Medium of Expression
Today, I share my life on Instagram through stories and posts that inspire healthy, fitness lifestyles. On threads, I publish inspiring thoughts and ideas.
Now, I’m using Medium to expand my expression. I’m ready to share my story and speak to issues affecting my community. My hope is to open up about my most challenging times, inspire others to cultivate their own identity, and celebrate the beauty of queer stories. And maybe, just maybe, talk about my cinnamon roll obsession.
What is unique about my blog?
I’ll be using an audio feature built into Medium to record my voice. Aside from reading my article, you’ll also experience the writing in my authentic voice. I want my readers to be immersed in the passion of my work and feel the full breadth of emotion each story carries.
You can find more of my projects at www.alejandroluz.com. If you enjoy my work, please clap, comment, or follow me! Inspired to support me? Click here: https://buymeacoffee.com/aleluz.
