In 1987, when nurses would still flip coins to see which would enter the room of an AIDS patient and politicians debated sending those with HIV to an isolated island, something truly remarkable happened. And the passing Friday of the great Dixie Carter, 70, is a fine...
Gay Otter Love: “Thus with a kiss, I die.”
Romeo and Juliet they were not. For, dear reader, they were but Otters, they of fur and fang. And hark! Hear more! For Juliet wouldst find no sister here, for these loves were brave and happy males! An otter typically lives to a ripe old age of 14, at the outside. But...
Anita came out to play last night…
Sometimes the old girl busts out of her shell (how she breathes stuffed in a gym bag in the back of the closet I'll never know) and takes the stage. She got her chance last night, when my drag alter ego brought some laughs to a group of friends in recovery with her...
I’m MC’ing the HIV Cruise this October!
Warning: Very excited aging poz queen here. I'm so thrilled I'm leaking t-cells. I have the pleasure to announce that the coordinators of the annual HIV Cruise Retreat have invited me to join the voyage this year as M.C. I am humbled, flattered, and just plain damn...
Anita Mann as “Miss Pink Cloud”
My drag queen alter ego first appeared while in recovery at this event, which raised funds for Hotlanta Roundup, an annual gathering of gay and lesbian folks in recovery from drugs and alcohol. Here, Anita vies for the title "Miss Pink Cloud," and later in the evening...
Anita Mann’s infamous TV Set Number
Set to Nancy Lamott's "Don't Get Around Much Anymore," my drag queen alter ego battles herself locked in a TV set in this, her finest hour on stage. This performance was taped at a fund raiser for gay and lesbians in recovery from drugs an alcohol, since Anita (and I)...
You Gotta Have Friends
Is there anything more important than social support when living with HIV or AIDS? Four of my friends spent an evening comparing notes (and telling secrets) about sex, disclosure, and what our Moms thought about our HIV status in this video episode from April 2009. My...
Taking Care of Hal
I never dreamed I would be spending two months in Michigan helping my oldest brother through chemotherapy. But it got me outside of my head, beyond my own HIV diagnosis, and helped me focus on helping someone else. Sometimes, that's the best medicine of all.
Oprah Comes Calling
In this episode of my ongoing video series, Oprah reaches out to touch... me! It leads to bittersweet memories of Louise Hay (the "Hayrides" of the 1980s in West Hollywood), and of my gay brother Dick and his partner's struggle with AIDS. Also, I get an annual...
