After moving to Utah in 1982 to dance with Ballet West, Peter Christie said he enjoyed himself as a young gay man in Salt Lake City.
His life “came crashing down” in 1995, Christie said, after he was diagnosed with AIDS. He rapidly lost weight and was at the edge of death, he said, adding that he felt as though his name was on a list that he somehow erased his name from.
“Lucky for me, some great medication came along at just the right time,” Christie said. “Because of that, I’m still here.”
Christie shared his story with a crowd of roughly 300 outside the Utah State Capitol on Saturday.