▁city , ▁Pet rel is ▁discovered ▁he ▁could ▁make ▁money ▁as ▁a ▁sex ▁worker ▁and ▁engaged ▁in ▁" l ots ▁and ▁lots ▁of ▁unsafe ▁sex ." ▁After ▁gradu ating ▁high ▁school ▁in ▁ 1 9 7 7 , ▁he ▁spent ▁the ▁following ▁summer ▁h itch h ik ing ▁across ▁the ▁United ▁States ▁to ▁San ▁Francisco , ▁California , ▁where ▁he ▁lived ▁for ▁the ▁next ▁three ▁years . ▁ ▁In ▁San ▁Francisco , ▁Pet rel is ▁witness ed ▁the ▁White ▁Night ▁ri ots ▁at ▁San ▁Francisco ▁City ▁Hall , ▁a ▁reaction ▁to ▁the ▁len ient ▁sent encing ▁of ▁Dan ▁White , ▁conv icted ▁of ▁killing ▁San ▁Francisco ▁Mayor ▁George ▁Mos con e ▁and ▁open ly ▁gay ▁Super visor ▁Har vey ▁Mil k . ▁Pet rel is ▁rem embers ▁feeling ▁out rage ▁on ▁hearing ▁the ▁news ▁of ▁White ' s ▁sentence ▁and ▁said ▁of ▁the ▁property ▁destruction ▁he ▁had ▁watched ▁that ▁night , ▁" I ▁remember ▁feeling ▁that ▁was ▁okay ▁— ▁that ▁you ▁had ▁to ▁have ▁this ▁destruction ▁of ▁personal ▁property ▁to ▁send ▁a ▁message ... to ▁gay ▁people ▁here ▁in ▁San ▁Francisco — ▁[ White ' s ▁len ient ▁sentence ] ▁is ▁not ▁okay . ▁And ▁we ▁had ▁to ▁look ▁out ▁for ▁ourselves ▁— ▁even ▁with ▁the ▁relative ▁liberal ▁att itudes ▁of ▁San ▁Francisco ." ▁ ▁Pet rel is ▁moved ▁to ▁New ▁York , ▁in ▁ 1 9 8 1 , ▁where ▁he ▁renew ed ▁his ▁acquaint ance ▁with ▁a ▁male ▁couple ▁he ▁knew ▁from ▁his ▁te en age ▁vis its ▁to ▁the ▁city