Dwayne A Ratleff

My name is Dwayne Ratleff. I was born to an unwed mother in Ohio but grew up in Baltimore and Connecticut. As a product of the segregated Baltimore school system, I did not learn to read or write until the age of ten or eleven. After moving to Connecticut, I spent the first two years there as a Special Education Student. This quickly changed and I would graduated high school with honors.

Eventually I relocated to San Francisco which expanded my world beyond my wildest dreams. But life does have its ups and downs and I became HIV+. Living with HIV for almost 40 years has at times been emotionally challenging, but has inspired me to live life to the fullest. Perhaps someday I will write about that experience, but at the moment it is too heavy a pen to lift.

Dancing to the Lyrics is an accomplishment from a young boy who never thought he would learn to read and write. If anyone would have told me when I was in Special Ed that I would someday write an award winning book, I would have laughed in their face. Shortly after beginning the task of writing my book, I lost most of the use of my left hand in a tragic accident. Not to be deterred, I typed the book with one finger of my right hand.

Although hard at times, growing up Black and Gay in the Sixties was a blessing as well. It was obvious I did not “fit in” so I did not even try. There was no peer pressure because I had no peers. This provided a special kind of freedom. Follow your heart, not the herd.

I now am living in Palm Desert with my loving husband Michael and our Havanese dog (have needs), Lizzy.