The Gambia: Another Fake Cure Story…
January 23, 2011
These fake cure stories are really starting to piss me off, and this one is particularly egregious. It’s the President of The Gambia, Jammeh, who has been affectionately dubbed “The Kanilai Monster” for his less-than-warm and fuzzy approach to rule.
This article in Freedom News explains how the ruler’s fake care is affecting the region’s health care:
“As we stand today, the MRC has closed its HIV/AIDS clinic because of fear of offending the monster. People with the disease are now left with the option of either seeking Jammeh’s fake cure or going to one of the under-equipped government clinics. Medical practitioners on the other hand are scared to say that there is no cure for HIV/AIDS. The results has been that there has been very high rates of HIV prevalence in the Fonis…”
Read the entire article here, and how Jammeh is upset about how he is being labeled here.
Positively Yours,
Shawn
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Florida Facing ADAP Funding Gap
January 22, 2011
Florida’s AIDS Drugs Assistance Program is facing a $14 million budget gap- more like canyon- and HIV/AIDS activists, lawmakers and drug companies are trying to find a solution that tides over state residents until the new fiscal year begins on April 1. To read the entire story, click here.
AIDSmeds.com has compiled a list of drug companies that are offering help to those who are having trouble making ends meet. Drug companies come under a lot of fire, but I’m glad to see that they are recognizing the severity of waiting lists and the health insurance game of Twister that many of us with HIV play.
Positively Yours,
Shawn
Watch, Friend and Follow me on:
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Website: ShawnandGwenn.com
Also check out the lovely Gwenn’s Fashion/Coffee Blog
My CD, Synthetic Division, A Symptom of Life, is on iTunes!
SHARE THE BLOG. NOT THE VIRUS.
5 Things About HIV They’re Not Telling You- by Mark S. King
January 21, 2011
Mark S. King of the wonderful site, My Fabulous Disease, recently sat down with Sean Strub to discuss “Five Things About HIV They’re Not Telling You”. It’s the antithesis of Death Anus, in that they discuss real science and hopeful information about HIV and how much we’ve learned since the death ads of the late 1980s. This is such a great conversation between two long-term survivors and thrivers with HIV. Watch and learn.
Plus you get to see them in a one point ping pong match to determine the greatest ping pong player of all-time with HIV. SPOILER ALERT: Mark wins.
Positively Yours,
Shawn
Watch, Friend and Follow me on:
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Website: ShawnandGwenn.com
Also check out the lovely Gwenn’s Fashion/Coffee Blog
My CD, Synthetic Division, A Symptom of Life, is on iTunes!
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My Pet Virus “Book Club” on Facebook
January 20, 2011
When my humorous memoir about growing up with HIV was published in 2006, I was doing a lot of self-promo for the book on MySpace. I hardly ever log into that account these days, because it’s a Spam Hole.
Even though Facebook slinks closer and closer to the same fate as MySpace, I figured it would be smart to create a page for the book there and move over some of the pictures I received from people who were enjoying the book. If you like the book and are on Facebook, join (Like) the group, I’ll be sharing more pictures and little knick knacks about the book, such as the following pearl of wisdom and insight:
“At first cats think the book is about actual pets… but once they get over that, they seem to really warm up to the content of My Pet Virus.“
Yes, I just quoted myself. Join the group already!
Positively Yours,
Shawn
Watch, Friend and Follow me on:
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Website: ShawnandGwenn.com
Also check out the lovely Gwenn’s Fashion/Coffee Blog
My CD, Synthetic Division, A Symptom of Life, is on iTunes!
SHARE THE BLOG. NOT THE VIRUS.
India, Marriage and HIV
January 19, 2011
The latest issue of Poz Magazine is out, and there’s a great cover story on the stigma of having HIV in India and how married women in that country are often scapegoated and ostracized for contracting HIV from their husbands.
Doesn’t make sense? Then read the article, especially if you don’t understand how institutionalized and legislated homophobia greatly contributes to the spread of HIV and the unnecessary suffering of those who contract this virus.
Positively Yours,
Shawn
Watch, Friend and Follow me on:
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Website: ShawnandGwenn.com Also check out the lovely Gwenn’s Fashion/Coffee Blog
My CD, Synthetic Division, A Symptom of Life, is on iTunes!
SHARE THE BLOG. NOT THE VIRUS.
Scare Tactics in HIV Prevention
January 18, 2011
In case you missed it, an ad for HIV prevention ran in NYC and was met with mixed reactions from the HIV/AIDS community. Here it is:
The “Death Anus” ad, as Sean Strub called it, is obviously aimed at the sexually active extremity of the gay community. You’ll notice within seconds that the NYC Department of Health left no ethnicity out, everyone seems to be represented, their concerned eyes speaking the universal language of fear and anxiety. It’s got a really retro feel, like the commercials and ads that used to run nationwide in the 1980′s, in the days when HIV was considered a death sentence.
This ad is trying to reawaken a community at risk to the dangers of HIV infection. As they say, “It’s Never Just HIV”. But one of the problems I have is that the ad throws positoids under the prevention bus, so to speak. I’m not a fan of prevention messages that make people with HIV feel subhuman, or add to the anxiety that already exists for those with a positive status. But then again, these ads weren’t created to make me feel better about myself, were they?
In my own mission statement, helping those already living with HIV move forward with their lives with dignity is just as important as explaining the reality of living with HIV to those who need to take their own sexual health seriously enough to avoid risky behaviors that could lead to infection. It’s a fine line to walk, but I feel like it can be done effectively. Having written that, would someone who is not taking their sexual health seriously gain anything from reading one of my funny blog entries? Or seeing a picture of me smiling with an iced mocha? Perhaps they’d scoff and say, “See? HIV is no big deal.”
It’s doubtful they’d come across the Death Anus ad, think of their unsafe sexual habits, and have the same reaction.
A question I have is whether or not scaring someone who is at risk will actually lead them to get an HIV test. If I were taking risks and I was worried, I’m not so sure I’d want that reality check. I think that fear is the reason why a lot of people don’t find out they’re HIV positive until they fall ill and are forced to confront the situation head-on. By that point, it is conceivable that others have been put at risk, because you can’t disclose your status if you’re too scared to get tested and have convinced yourself that you’ve “dodged the bullet”.
I’m trying to be understanding of the goals of the Death Anus ad, without just tearing it apart for lack of a better phrase. If it offends a handful of people but ends up saving a few lives, then I guess my uneasiness over them is justified. At the end of the day, I’m just not convinced that scaring people shitless offers real motivation to change behaviors, but I guess- from time to time- it’s worth a try even if it’s not my personal style or strategy.
Positively Yours,
Shawn
Watch, Friend and Follow me on:
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Website: ShawnandGwenn.com Also check out
the lovely Gwenn’s
Fashion/Coffee Blog
My CD, Synthetic Division, A Symptom of Life, is on iTunes!
SHARE THE BLOG. NOT THE VIRUS.
Must-Read Poz Blog Entries
January 17, 2011
So I’m a little winded at the half-way point of my Month of Blog Entries, and that is why I’m handing off to a few other Poz Bloggers today, because there are quite a few entries that I think you should check out.
At the beginning of the year, Poz Editor-in-Chief Regan Hofmann, wrote a great article on how the newly elected Republican house majority can- and will if allowed- hurt the HIV/AIDS community with their attempts to lay the political smackdown on Obama by repealing healthcare measures intended to help those of us looking up from the unique perspective of daily life with serious medical (and financial) concerns.
Also, Poz founder Sean Strub weighed in on the NYC “Death Anus” HIV ads, and why the heavy-handed approach shouldn’t have made it past the planning stages but instead the horrifying ads were run on TV. The big question is: do scare tactics work? Do they have a place in HIV prevention? Another Poz blogger, RIchard Ferri, explains why he thinks they do. It’s interesting to read both perspectives, because valid points are made on both sides of the issue.
Tomorrow I’m going to post my thoughts on Death Anus.
Hope everyone had a great weekend!
Positively Yours,
Shawn
Watch, Friend and Follow me on:
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Website: ShawnandGwenn.com Also check out the lovely Gwenn’s Fashion/Coffee Blog
My CD, Synthetic Division, A Symptom of Life, is on iTunes!
SHARE THE BLOG. NOT THE VIRUS.
Shawn’s Tool Academy Welcomes: Larry Brown
January 16, 2011
North Carolina state representative Larry Brown, in discussing his support of opposite marriage, decided he’d chime in on HIV funding issues. He said: “I’m not opposed to helping a child born with HIV or something, but I don’t condone spending taxpayers’ money to help people living in perverted lifestyles.”
And with that, Larry Brown has been inducted into my Tool Academy Hall of Shame, joining other elected luminaries such as Dave Schultheis and Virginia Foxx (another North Carolina congress “person”). I know, we’re not supposed to call people names anymore after the tragic events in Tuscon, but I do think we need to call attention to insensitivity and ignorance.
Positively Yours,
Shawn
Watch, Friend and Follow me on:
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Website: ShawnandGwenn.com Also check out the lovely Gwenn’s Fashion/Coffee Blog
My CD, Synthetic Division, A Symptom of Life, is on iTunes!
SHARE THE BLOG. NOT THE VIRUS.
LIFE IN PHOTOS
Face Time fun with my Goddaughter. She was digging our phone chat- even though we were about three feet away from one another.
Making the enemy quit out with @squirrel_munky and @vaineos :)
Closing out the Joe with @gwennbarringer this afternoon.
Caught in full Mocha Mode...
Speaking About Sexual Health
Since 2000, Shawn and Gwenn have been speaking about sexual health together, sharing their personal story and empowering others to be safe. If you are interested in having them speak at your event, fill out the Contact Us form.
Check out Shawn's music and buy his book, My Pet Virus, which is now available on Kindle!
It will be the funniest book you've ever read about someone having AIDS... guaranteed!