Troy Barber

TROY BARBER

Graduation: April 1991

Degree: BS, Zoology

Activity: Spencer W. Kimball Scholar

Mission: Italy Catania

Occupation: Pediatric Resident

Current Location: New Mexico

After graduating from the Y in '91, I moved to St. Louis to attend medical school. It was during my second year that I finally started to reconcile being Gay and LDS. While continuing to live a prototypical active Mormon life, I started to meet other Gay men for the first time. I especially enjoyed a social group for guys in their 20's which met at a local church...basically a Gay Family Home Evening group. They even joked about running on "Gay Standard Time." I fit right in.
Recently, I have been amazed to learn how many old friends, roommates, mission companions, etc., are also Gay. I kick myself now for not having come out sooner. It would have been great to have dated a nice returned missionary (they're few and far between out here in the mission field).
The last three years have been an exhilarating period of personal growth and deep joy. Dating and building successful relationships have helped me become a better, more whole person.. Currently, I'm keeping busy examining the ears of screaming toddlers in Albuquerque, New Mexico.