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| Aurelio Tolentino (left) with his partner Roi Whaley. Tolentino applied for permanent U.S. resident status at the behest of his employer, an Oceanside, Calif., hospital. He didn’t expect his HIV-positive status would lead to deportation, believing a nationwide shortage of nurses would exempt him. (Photo courtesy of Tolentino) |
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HOME > NEWS > NATIONAL NEWS
By: LOU CHIBBARO J COMMENTS
 
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to romantic and “intimate” conversations through camera hookups on their respective computers, Tolentino said. They met in person for the first time in June 2005, when Whaley arranged for a rendezvous at a New Orleans hotel.
“It was like cloud nine,” Tolentino said. “After two days in New Orleans, we drove to his house in Mississippi. That’s when we decided to be a couple.”
Over the ensuing months, Whaley flew to California and the two vacationed in Palm Springs. The gay-friendly resort town made such an impression on the two that they considered moving there together.
When Tolentino’s application for permanent residence status led to the government’s discovery that he was HIV positive, Whaley jumped into the legal battle to help fight the deportation order.
Separated by Hurricane Katrina
The two were to discuss Tolentino’s legal strategy at Whaley’s apartment in Gulfport in August 2005 when an impending hurricane forced the cancellation of Tolentino’s flight from California to Gulfport.
Hours later, Tolentino watched the TV reports of Hurricane Katrina from his home in Long Beach with horror. With landline and cell phone communication cut off, he could not reach Whaley for nearly 24 hours.
“I didn’t know if he was alive. We learned that so much of Gulfport was destroyed. It was so horrible.”
When he finally reached Whaley, he learned that Whaley had evacuated his apartment shortly before a tidal surge resulted in floodwaters rising to the level of the roof of his apartment building, destroying all his possessions.
“I drove to my brother’s place, taking my computer, my important papers and my car,” Whaley said. “That’s all I had left.”
It was at that time that Tolentino provided the moral and psychological support he needed to get through a crisis that literally upended his life, Whaley said. Among other things, Whaley was forced to relocate into a FEMA trailer.
With most local banks destroyed by the storm, many residents, including Whaley, could not gain access to funds to pay bills, including cell phone bills.
“The computers and ATM machines were all knocked out,” he said.
When Whaley’s cell phone provider threatened to cut off his and other local residents’ service for lack of payment, Tolentino sprung into action in California. He created a web site calling on customers of the provider nationwide to threaten to cancel their service if the company cut off its customers in hurricane-damaged areas. The company quickly backed down, Whaley said.
A few months later, Tolentino, who did not have a driver’s license, enrolled in a driving course, got his license, bought a new car and drove across the country to join Whaley — this time permanently. Tolentino moved into the trailer and quickly got a job at a Gulf
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