Calixto Martinez, Mike Bergeron, and Edwardo Rodriguez

Calixto Martinez, Mike Bergeron, and Edwardo Rodriguez at Fort McCoy in Wisconsin. Printed in GayLife, Friday, August 8, 1980. Original caption: "Calixto Martinez (left) and Edwardo Rodriguez (right) pose with Gay Life's managing editor, Mike Bergeron. Calixto and Edwardo are lovers. Calixto cut all his pants into shorts only to discover that the other refugees in the camp recognized him as being gay. Several of the non-gay refugees tried to rape Calixto and lover Edwardo stepped in to protect him. Edwardo was stabbed. A Minneapolis sponsor attempted to get both Calixto and Edwardo out together. Ultimately, they were represented by two different agencies. The agency representing Calixto allowed him to leave with the sponsor. The agency representing Edwardo would not allow him to go. Calixto refused to leave without his lover. Eventually, Calixto was convinced that he should leave and they would continue the attempt to get Edwardo released. A tearful moment came for the GayLife staff members when Calixto boarded a bus for Minneapolis. Edwardo just sat down in the corner of the yard, sighed, and watched his lover leave without him." Thom Higgins papers, Manuscripts Collection, Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul.