Article: Stronger than the mighty cirque: when Cirque du Soleil fired openly gay gymnast Matthew Cusick from his dream job for being HIV-positive, he fought back and won.(Gays in Sports)

When openly gay gymnast Matthew Cusick was called into a meeting with Cirque du Soleil officials last April, he thought he was taking the final step in his lifelong quest to be an acrobatic performer. The Maryland resident had quit his job as a gymnastics coach and broken up with his boyfriend to participate in four months of training in Montreal. With that training completed, Cusick had just signed a contract to fill a position Cirque had offered to him in a Las Vegas show.

But the meeting was not about travel arrangements or final details, as Cusick expected. Instead, he was fired for being HIV-positive. "It was a total shock," Cusick says. "They said due to my ...

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