I’ve heard that speculation too, and while I’m not sure if there’s any empirical evidence to back it up, it resonates with me.

Certainly Lenny’s differences from me made him a far more interesting partner. I mean, I learned Yiddish from him, I learned about an older New York City I had never seen, I learned about an older era of the queer experience, and I met cool people I never would have been exposed to if I’ve been partnered with somebody more like me.

I’m sure he could have said the same about things he learned and experienced through me.

Our differences kept us curious, interested, and engaged with one another.