(Note to reader: the details of this story are so real that some of the actual details of this story have been changed to protect individuals in the story)
If you are going to cross over from Venezuela into Colombia you can do it in the north along the coastal plain between Maracaibo, Venezuela, and Barranquilla or Cartagena, Colombia. You better hope your bus has air conditioning. On most any day during the heat of the day, the humidity is 99% and the temperature is above 90 degrees Fahrenheit or 32 Celsius. It is also a 10-hour bus ride and a long ways from the main highway that runs from Bogota or Caracas. More in line with a direct route between Caracas and Bogota or Medellin and up in the primary South American mountain chain are two cities. One in Colombia and one in Venezuela. The weather here is vastly improved often dipping into the 60’s (F). The cities are Cucuta, Colombia and San Cristobal, Venezuela. The population of the area is about a million people. It is here that most of the refugees that travel out of Venezuela cross the border. Venezuela Aid Live was held on a bridge at one of these border crossings. Most of the drugs headed to America pass through airstrips to the north and south of these two cites. And the national highways connect here. Elevation range from 320 meters (1,000 feet) to over 3200 meters (10,000 feet) in some of the mountain passes a few miles away.
Outside the two big cities, the area, as with most mountain areas in South America, gets very rugged and quite crocked. The original settlements in these cities date back to the 1500’s long before the American Revolution. It is here among one of these mountain passes we want to take you. Not one of the supper high mountain passes but still one that you can only get to by crooked roads. One where the towns are small and the gossip is big. Where the air is clean and the children play in the streets. Where people work hard just to buy food for the night. A place where everyone goes to church and all men are straight and often drunk. It is a place of contrasts, old churches, modern highways, oxen pulled carts, and McDonald’s. A land of extreme beauty and hostile backwards customs.
This was the life of Jorge, the oldest son of Juan and Maria. Jorge was a have happy boy one that brought his mother laughter and joy. Jorge has 6 younger brothers and sister and he does what he can to help his mom. His parents did not get married and he sees his dad on occasion. The other man that his mom brought home has left also. So the contrast of the beautiful lush crooked mountain towns is also true of Jorge’s family home.
When we first step in on Jorge, he is about 11. The story of that night is worth shouting about but this story has basically never been told out of shame and despair. Jorge is a cute boy full of smiles. He misses his daddy and likes to be around any man that will show him affection. His mom does the best she can so he tries to help out by taking a job here and there. A local shop owner asked if he could come in and clean the place twice a week. Usually, the shop was empty and Jorge would lock up when he was done and go home. But on that evening as he was locking up two men approach from the park across the street. They dragged him into the shop and took turns with him. Afterwards they threaten him and beat him up and then they just left him there naked in the darkness. What the Fuck!! By the time we got to this point in the story, I was crying. My heart was pounding and I know I had to help Jorge somehow.
Who knows how long these men had been watching Jorge or how much planning when into trapping him inside the shop. They certainly watched him long enough to know that he was gay and that he was an easy target. Some say that these men turn the boy gay but science is clear that the men targeted the boy because he was gay. Predators prey on those that are outsiders and those do not have a strong family to support them. So at the age of eleven, Jorge’s mountain home turned in a very dark shadow and a twisted rocky mountain path. He never told his parents about that horrible night that leaves him crying through most days and falling asleep to nightmares at night. And this is not the end of the story. With no one to talk to, his gayness was soon the gossip of the whole town. At 14, Jorge entered high school last year. His mom still goes to church and the local church tries to help. His dad is ashamed of him. Neither one of his parents knows what to do.
Soon after starting high school several of the boys in school attacked him, beat him up, and threw him down a steep hill, they also beat his friends that tried to defend him. Now Jorge is afraid to be alone but also afraid to go out. He dropped out of school. He works as he can for his mother at her taco stand and cleaning houses but with the COVID 19 quarantine, they had to close the taco stand. They struggle to get food and often go without.
Mi Novio goes to church at times with Jorge’s mother and as Mi Novio was chatting with me he started telling me about this family he along with others in the church were helping with some money for food. He would tell me a little about the story and I would want to know more. Jorge’s story is compelling and sad but also one that can have hope infused back into it. I said we need to find a way to help Jorge, he needs to get back into school. The church has been doing what it can for the mother to get food. However, everyone in Venezuela is struggling to eat right now. Plus, they have never been told the full story about Jorge or how suicidal he is. Mi Novio does not tell the other church members that he is gay because it causes problems. He believes that most around him know he is gay but he does not talk about it. However, when Jorge’s mother reached out to Mi Novio to talk to Jorge because Mi Novio had been helping with food and getting work for the family Mi Novio open up to Jorge and told him that he was gay too. Then Jorge started talking and told Mi Novio the rest of the story and his feelings that life was not worth living and how mad he was at God for letting this happen to him. Since then Mi Novio has been just trying to keep Jorge alive and feeling good about his future.
Yes, some of you that are reading this can feel this terrible pain that Jorge feels because you have been there or know someone that has. It would not take a lot to help this boy out. He needs to get back into a safe schooling environment. To do this he needs a basic computer, internet connection, and tuition for an online high school. We could add a little extra for food for the family. I am estimating $300 for the computer, $400 for the internet connection per year, tuition is unknown, and another $800 for expenses and food. If some of my gay friends or allies could chip in and help, maybe some less and others more, we could cover this cost and get this boy back on track with a brighter future. It would be nice if we could get him some counseling too. Maybe once he is online one of you could help with that or know someone that could.
Mi Novio will continue to help Jorge by being a friend and mentor and with food to feed his family as we can. Right now we just want to keep him alive. We cannot solve all the world’s problems but we think this one is a good place to start and worth fixing. We are looking for those that get this and are able to help. As little as $5, $10, $20, or $25 a month would go a long ways. We are here to answer any questions you might have.
Thank you, Montell Snyder
Update: we have been able to get Jorge back into school online but he needs some counseling. He only speaks Spanish. He is dealing with issues that are beyond our ability to help with. He is a good kid but may need some extra help. If you are qualified and interested in helping please leave a message for us. We will worry about making sure he has the connection to have some private online seasons with you.