Tom Weise

Born February 14th, 1967 in Hanover, Germany, Andreas Thomas Weise has been estranged from his parents since the age of twenty-three. He studied Political Science at the Free University of Berlin. He lived in Berlin and Sydney, Australia in the early '90s. In 1993 he was diagnosed with AIDS. In 1994-1995 he worked as an intern with "The MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour" in New York City. After finishing his studies he moved to New York, unaware that his HIV status prevented legal immigration. Struggling outside the system for employment, housing and health care, Tom met Jeffrey Davids and in 1997 they started Rentboy.com. One of the first online male escort services, it quickly grew into the world's largest. At last, Tom had a secure income, but it brought a double life. A public figure who marched in the Gay Pride Parade, hosted high profile parties, and received awards, Tom produced the first Hustlaball at the legendary club Stella's at Times Square. The party brings together male prostitutes, porn stars and their fans and takes place annually in cities such as New York, Las Vegas and Berlin. But he also lived another, much quieter life. He volunteered for care groups for children with HIV and fostered two African-American boys from Harlem for over five years. For many years he also led a group of people visiting detainees (illegal immigrants like himself) at a detention center at JFK Airport. Eventually, his public identity caused the loss of his two foster sons, leading to a period of loneliness, health issues and drug abuse until Tom retook control of his life. He found his partner Keith, with whom he now shares happiness and stability. Yet the threat of his immigration status remained, so they decided to leave America in 2007. Tom is now a legal resident of Paris, France, where he and Keith were one of the first same-sex couples to legally marry. They work for change in discriminatory immigration laws and hope one day to return to New York as legal residents.