When Toronto drag queen Jade Elektra, aka HIV positive activist Alphonso King, Jr., stepped to the stage of the 2019 Toronto AIDS Vigil on Tuesday night, she knew she had a message. It wasn’t simply that she would become the first drag performer to sing live at the...
Fainting is weird, especially the third time it happened during one weekend. By that time, I knew enough to grab a safe spot – the front steps of the house, I had been admiring the blooms in the courtyard – before the queasy rush that had suddenly consumed me would...
My first job in AIDS in the 1980s was at the Los Angeles Shanti Foundation, an organization that provided companions for the dying. When our founding director, Daniel P. Warner, retired from the organization, the final candidates for his job met with the full staff...
This November, the HIV Cruise Retreat will celebrate its 15th Anniversary voyage with a cruise to the Caribbean from Ft Lauderdale. As the host and MC, I can’t wait to join them. Grab a floppy hat and some sunscreen and come along! For many in our happy group, the...
(Note: Be sure to read my piece on Steve's connection to The Eyes of Tammy Faye, as well as my post about Jessica Chastain becoming starstruck by Steve on the red carpet.) Brace yourselves, Gilbert & Sullivan fans. The Rev. Steve Pieters has a treat for you. Steve...
(The HIV community was dealt a sad blow this week when it was announced that the iconic non-profit HIV treatment advocacy organization, Project Inform, will end its programs. Project Inform’s Director of Research Advocacy, David Evans, has been working with the...
(UPDATE: On April 27, 2019, Ella Johnson's video proceeded to Nationals. She ranked first in the "Senior Individual Documentary" division.) When Ella Johnson made a video documentary about Greg Louganis for her National History Day project, she knew most of her fellow...
(This nuanced press release from Treatment Action Group addresses the "another person cured of AIDS" story far better that I ever could. -- Mark) New York, March 4, 2019 – Treatment Action Group (TAG) welcomes the report today of a possible long-term HIV remission...
(I DISAVOW THIS EDITORIAL ENTIRELY, DUE TO THE UNDUE INFLUENCE OF GILEAD PHARMACEUTICALS ON THE EDITORIAL PROCESS. YOU CAN READ MY STORY ABOUT THIS HERE. This Op-Ed appeared in The Washington Blade on February 22, 2019.) When I was diagnosed with HIV in 1985, there...
The GLAAD Media Award nominations are out, and for the fourth consecutive year My Fabulous Disease has been honored with a nomination in the category of Outstanding Blog. While the GLAAD Awards have risen in stature over the years (now comprised of two star-studded...
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