For the first time in his life, Tom is finally feeling settled after discovering the western Algarve and renting a property in Burgau. Achieving this life has not been easy for Tom, whose extraordinary autobiography Living off the Edge , recounts his struggles to survive and live happily in spite of the euphoric highs and devastating lows that life has thrown at him.
Born Tom Weise in Germany, he had an unhappy childhood with parents and a brother who he later came to realise had all been abusive. He came out to his parents when he was 20 and their reaction was very non-caring and nonchalant. At that time, Tom knew it could be a death sentence. After travelling the world, he arrived in New York, where a gay subculture flourished and he would be accepted living with the virus. But he was stoic and overstayed his visa. This meant he had to resort to the seedier elements of life under the radar.
He became a dancer in nightclubs and a rent boy. Thousands died of AIDS in the s; Tom survived, but every year he suffered from related illnesses. Luckily, I survived long enough to be able to take the new treatments available by the mids.
Then in , with the start of the internet, he started a portal rentboy. This led him away from prostitution and to become well known in the gay and lesbian world. Having seemingly overcome his own difficulties, Tom turned to philanthropic endeavours for others. His own status as an illegal alien inspired him to help others in a similar situation. He funded and started a programme with Riverside Church in NYC which mentored immigrants who were detained.
He even tried to bring attention to those on hunger strikes through his radio show. The centre β named after a transgender individual β gave a meal and a bed to LGBT children and youths who had become homeless, often as a result of their family not accepting them.
