3 hours ago, titan1978 said:

an adult I often look back at MTV and The Real World of that era as being to only places I saw other young LGBTQ folks just existing and not being a stereotype. MTV did a lot to help LGBTQ+ folks have more mainstream lives. In other media of the era we had films/tv with gay men dying, same sex kissing with women mostly for the straight male gaze, and people being made fun of. Paul Lynde and Liberace come to mind. And even with catty Paul Lynde I see a lot of anger in his performances as a gay clown on game shows. MTV showed us living and having fun, falling in love, etc. I know people learned a lot from Pedro and then a few seasons later Danny being involved with an active duty military man, because of don’t ask don’t tell. It was a different kind of reality tv back then!

So much truth. I came after the fact due to living in an area of the South that didn't have MTV so I didn't see THE REAL WORLD until I was at college. And my first season (though I caught up quickly due to MTV back in the day re-airing old seasons like how they do that story pranks and purpose accidents whatever show they do now) was Boston with Genesis. And as a poor background double minority, I didn't care that it was a female. I never felt so seen or related. By her and Kameelah tbh. New Orleans with Danny was another experience. And then to finally watch San Fran with Pedro. They were all so normal and I didn't feel out of place anymore for maybe liking someone who was not the norm in my area of the world or living life and seeing there is more life out there or being in an actual relationship.

On 5/18/2026 at 7:33 PM, titan1978 said:

We saw Stone decline in a very realistic way, from one medical issue to another because soaps have so many episodes.

At the time, Stone/Robin on GH, Jeanie Boulet on ER, and Pedro on The Real World had an actual impact on American culture when it came to people living with HIV. Pedro being a real person telling his story and then dying had actual policy ramifications. President Clinton made a speech about his impact. Less than 10 years before that people in Reagan’s WH publicly mocked gay men dying from AIDS. Those stories were huge in what they did off the shows.

The performance of Stone's health decline should be put in the Hall of Fame of Soap Opera Performances.

On 5/18/2026 at 7:52 PM, Khan said:

I, too, remember Pedro and the impact he continues to have on a generation that still remembers when an HIV diagnosis was an automatic death sentence. It's sad what "The Real World" would devolve into in the years to come, but Pedro's story might have been the show's and MTV's bravest hour.

I'm a Michael Jackson fan and I remember finding out that the "Gone Too Soon" song on the Dangerous album was dedicated to a teenager named Ryan who had HIV/AIDS.