39 Facts About Pedro Zamora

Pedro Zamora was born in Diezmero, San Miguel del Padron, on the outskirts of Havana, Cuba, to Hector Zamora, a food-warehouse worker, and Zoraida Diaz, a housewife.

In 1980, when Pedro Zamora was eight, his family left Cuba for the United States during the Mariel boatlift.

Pedro Zamora's mother died of skin cancer when he was 13.

Pedro Zamora focused on his schoolwork as a means of coping with his mother's death.

Pedro Zamora was an honor student, president of the Science Club, and captain of the Cross-Country team.

Pedro Zamora excelled socially as well; his Hialeah High School classmates elected him as Most Intellectual and Best All-Around.

Pedro Zamora initially planned to become a doctor, as his mother's death had inspired him to study medicine.

At 14, Pedro Zamora's father discovered that he had a boyfriend.

Pedro Zamora's father was accepting of Zamora's homosexuality, but concerned about homophobia and its potential dangers.

In late 1989, in his junior year of high school, 17-year-old Pedro Zamora donated blood during a Red Cross blood drive.

Pedro Zamora decided to be tested for HIV, and on November 9,1989, the results confirmed he was HIV-positive.

Pedro Zamora's goal was to graduate from high school before he died, and he did so in 1990.

Pedro Zamora lectured at schools for all ages, at PTA meetings, and in churches.

The constant travel exhausted Pedro Zamora, sometimes forcing him to cancel speaking engagements.

Pedro Zamora attended the 1993 Lesbian and Gay March on Washington, where he met Sean Sasser, an AIDS educator, who would eventually become his partner.

Pedro Zamora sent an audition tape for the show, thinking that he could reach more people simply by the national exposure than by constant travel.

Six months later, Pedro Zamora was cast on the show, beating out 25,000 applicants.

Once all of the castmates were in the house, Pedro Zamora informed them that it was he who was HIV-positive, showing them a scrapbook of his career as an AIDS educator.

Pedro Zamora was concerned how HIV would possibly affect her and the others in the house.

Pedro Zamora was afraid to bring up her concerns during the initial meeting, for fear of seeming intolerant.

Later, Pedro Zamora educated Campos about HIV and AIDS, which eased her apprehension.

On one episode, Campos brought Pedro Zamora to meet her Spanish-Mexican family in Arizona.

Winick stated that Pedro Zamora had an almost "clairvoyant" ability to broach sensitive subjects.

Pedro Zamora educated Winick subtly through casual conversation, so much so that Winick did not even realize it.

Pedro Zamora was suffering night sweats, bouts of pneumonia, fatigue, and weight loss.

Rainey's antagonism towards Pedro Zamora included mocking his Cuban accent, dismissing Pedro Zamora's and Sasser's relationship, and multiple homophobic comments.

Pedro Zamora announced he was moving out, as Rainey's antics had become intolerable.

The other castmates unanimously agreed that they wanted Pedro Zamora to stay, and evicted Rainey.

Pedro Zamora was able to participate in activities like parasailing during the cast's trip to Hawaii, giving viewers the impression that he was healthier than he actually was.

The castmates knew he was unwell and often covered for him during their weekly confessional interviews, saying Pedro Zamora was doing fine when they knew otherwise.

Pedro Zamora visited his family in Miami before returning to San Francisco to live with Sasser.

Pedro Zamora went to the MTV offices in New York, and could not recognize where he was.

Pedro Zamora is said to have expressed elation and was able to respond, though Mily Pedro Zamora stated that whether he understood who was calling is unclear, given the severity of his PML.

Pedro Zamora had received Medicaid, but was rejected for any private company coverage due his pre-existing condition of HIV.

Winick's experiences with Pedro Zamora would help shape his work in mainstream superhero comics, which would receive considerable media attention for storylines in Green Lantern and Green Arrow, which explored gay or AIDS-related themes.

Pedro Zamora became a pastry chef in Atlanta, Portland, and finally Washington, DC.

Pedro Zamora was active in youth and mentoring organizations, and he and Kaplan served as foster parents to a four-year-old girl.

Pedro Zamora died at his home on August 7,2013, at the age of 44.

In June 2019, Pedro Zamora was one of the inaugural fifty American "pioneers, trailblazers, and heroes" inducted on the National LGBTQ Wall of Honor within the Stonewall National Monument in New York City's Stonewall Inn.