Yay for Mondo the Brave

Let's just forget about the fashion for a moment. Thursday night's "Runway" was a good one simply for the "awwww" factor and the emotional kick to the gut.

I was so proud of Mondo for deciding, that after 10 years of secrecy, he wasn't going to hide who he was anymore and come out as HIV positive. In this day and age, "the cocktail" has resulted in many HIV positive people living long, healthy lives. HIV is no longer a death sentence as it once was thought of. Still, he comes from a conservative Catholic family and has a mother who told him to never tell anyone else that he's gay. When you feel you're an outcast in society, I can only imagine how much more important your family must become to you and how much more their acceptance becomes important. I completely understand why he felt he needed to keep the secret from them.

That's why I felt it was so brave and such a wonderful step forward for him to come out. Good for you, Mondo! And good for you, also, for winning your third challenge in a row. I'm not sure if it's a "Runway" first, but it was certainly well deserved.

Back to business: I'll make my summary quick today. Everyone except for Mondo sucked. I hated everyone's design Thursday night. I blame the mothers. The show was so sweet and invited everyone's mother (and Christopher's partner and Michael C.'s son) to come surprise them in the workroom. They got the rest of the first work day off to hang with their fams. I think they all got distracted by emotion to turn out good clothes. Everyone except for Mondo, whose outfit was pretty awesome.