“We won't die secret deaths anymore. The world only spins forward. We will be citizens. The time has come. Bye now. You are fabulous creatures, each and every one. And I bless you: More Life. The Great Work Begins.”
― Tony Kushner, Angels in America

"Finding Connection and Clarity: How We Use Prayer to Seek Guidance and Peace"

https://medium.com/@myselzstore/list/supplication-or-invocation-or-prayer-225c53efdd19

Gen Z continues to be among the least knowledgeable generations about HIV — only 37% of #GenZ adults are knowledgeable about HIV, on par w/five years ago. For many, 1988 is literally a lifetime ago. For those of us who lived through the peak AIDS years*, the costs of forgetting are too high:

https://glaad.org/releases/glaad-commemorates-world-aids-day-2024/

*We all didn’t survive. According to the CDC, 100,777 people died from AIDS in the United States between 1981 and 1990

#WorldAIDSday 'All The Way Through Evening' (2012), the story of the #HIV #AIDS crisis in #NewYorkCity as you've never heard it before…

Sung by yours truly, filmed by Rohan Spong (with the ever-missed Mimi Stern-Wolfe)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFJddhvJRcc&list=PLC50360C909D45136&index=4

“If the early AIDS movement and our ACT UP veterans taught us anything, it is how to collectively and fiercely fight for each other and never give up in times of despair.” https://www.vogue.com/article/world-aids-day-is-still-a-call-to-action #WorldAIDSDay

Today is #WorldAIDSDay. In the early 2000’s I volunteered with an organization that held a camp twice a year for inner city families from Baltimore and DC affected by the disease in the mountains of VA. Among other things, I photographed the camp activities and took family photos. I would rush down to the local CVS and have the film developed and printed so that we could give each family a photo. Some of the families told me that my photo was the only family photo they had.

I had several children who were my little buddies. One young girl, M, would get off the bus and look for me when they arrived. She would run up and hug me and ask if I was going to take her fishing. I loved M. She lost her mother in the mid ‘00s to the disease. M was also HIV positive, a result of transmission from mother to child before birth.

Many of the families told me how grateful they were for those weekends. That we have them the only vacation they ever got. We made a difference. As treatments became more effective and the AIDS epidemic waned, funding became scarce. The organization that sponsored the weekends collapsed and grassroots efforts by the volunteers failed to raise enough money to keep it going. I lost touch with M. I think about her often, but especially today. If she’s still with us, she’d be in her early 30’s.

Never forget the pain, trauma & suffering that was so unnecessary.... Love is a blessing, never a curse!!!

Wishing you all a safe & blessed World AIDS day....

#Advent is now trending across Mastodon

#WorldAIDSDay is now trending across Mastodon

It’s World AIDS day.

PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis) has transformed the world. You can take a pill to prevent you from contracting HIV. It’s a total no-brainer: if you’re having sex outside of a monogamous relationship, you should take it if you can. (But bear in mind PrEP doesn’t protect you from other STIs so condoms are still a good idea.)

We could eradicate HIV transmission entirely if everyone who can protect themselves did so. In Ireland and the UK you can get it for free from the GUM clinic, there’s really no excuse not to!

Also, U=U, get tested, know your status and don’t be a dick.

Today (Dec 1) is #WorldAIDSDay. Everyone, everywhere, has the right to quality healthcare services in the fight against HIV and AIDS.

https://www.who.int/campaigns/world-aids-day/2024

OpenStreetMap, the free geo database for everyone, can be used to share, record and spread data on HIV Facilities.

e.g. https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/HIV_Facilities_Tagging_(MapBeks)

Everyone has a role in challenging HIV stigma and making the world a better place for people living with HIV. What will you do to help end HIV stigma?

Thank you to the AIDS Committee of Toronto for meeting with me to discuss the challenges AIDS Service Organizations are facing due to health care funding freezes (effective cuts). As #WorldAIDSDay approaches, we deserve a government that is committed to preventing HIV's spread and supporting people living with AIDS. #OnPoli #Ontario #Toronto #ToPoli #NDP #OntarioNDP #TorCen #TorontoCentre

Professor Graham Brown opening up the #WorldAIDSday dinner meeting in Naarm. Great to hear an acknowledgement of the critical role of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the fight against #HIV/#AIDS as part of the acknowledgment of country.

Is it homophobic or wrong to conflate #Pride with #WorldAidsDay? So for example when a corporate Pride network is telling you of all the things they achieved in the year, does celebrating World Aids Day count as an #LGBTQ+ activity? Is this perpetuating a stereotype? #HIV doesn't discriminate.