Reverend Steve Pieters has survived AIDS for decades. He was the first gay man with AIDS to be interviewed by Tammy Faye Bakker, and says that he has been amazed at how those 25 minutes he spent with Tammy Faye have reverberated through his life, more than almost anything else he has done. He says so many people have said his interview with her helped them come out or even saved them from suicide, by helping them realize they could be gay and Christian, or that God was not punishing them with AIDS for being gay.”
The Eyes of Tammy Faye recreates Tammy Faye Bakker’s interview with Reverend Pieters. Why did Tammy Faye Bakker decided to invite him for an interview? He accepted the invitation, overcame stumbling blocks and took great care to protect his integrity and the safety of others living with AIDS as well as dispelling damaging myths about how AIDS was perceived in its early years.
How Reverend Pieters decided to go into religious leadership is a lesson in personal insight and the determination to take charge of and change a life on a painful path. He seems to have a natural ability to make others feel safe and comfortable.
He is now working on his memoir, I Keep on Dancing: My Journey Through Aids, which will be out in the spring of 2024. His challenges continue, but so does his determination. He acknowledges that his theater training has helped him in his religious work; he will tell you about that. His remarkable stories are lessons in persistence and a feel for accepting a challenge. He defies odds. And, he does it with candor, intelligence, eyes and heart wide open and with an unfailing sense of humor.
His love letter to his readers is such a good idea! And, like every other step he has taken, he puts thought into it, thought that considers the effects his actions will have on others. That he focuses on the well-being of others in his sphere is central to how he lives; you can see it in his eyes as he talks about his life.
