Text Voting & Daily Reminders
September 2, 2010
You can vote online each day AND text 102299 to PEPSI (73774). Right now we are ranked at #160 for the 50k grant, so there’s lots of ground to cover. Thanks so much for your support. Don’t be bashful about spreading the word, either. 
I really believe that we can get this done!
Positively Yours,
Shawn
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Pepsi Refresh Project: Vote For Us!
September 1, 2010
The Pepsi Refresh Project started this year as a way for people to make a difference in their communities. The idea is simple- come up with an idea, get the most votes for idea, then do your idea… well, Gwenn and I applied, and we made it to the voting phase!
Our idea? To educate 50,000 teenagers about sexual health in all 50 states. We have one year to accomplish this and are determined to do so, but the journey doesn’t even begin unless we get your vote. You can vote once everyday from September 1 until September September 30.
Please share this, we need all the votes we can get!
Thank you for the support, please wish us luck with a vote.
Positively Yours,
Shawn
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Thanks to First Five Donators… Next Three Are?
August 30, 2010
Thanks so much, once again, to Stuarts Draft High School’s Leadership Class for kicking off the donations in May. A big thank you to the first five donators to follow- Gayle Silfka, Jodi Perelman, Chris Reyrouck, Sara Boddie-Schick and Tom Donahue!
They snagged up my first batch of incentives- so I had to think of something really special for the next set of three donations. And the answer was easy. I recently blogged about the ADAP Waiting Lists, which Dab Garner provided. Well, I just happened to have a few of Dab’s AIDS Bears here with me, and they’d love to have a home with someone who cares about people with HIV.
So the next three people who donate will get one of these cuddly reminders that we still need to a) raise awareness about AIDS and b) have a cuddly stuffed friend to hold on to on those dark, stormy nights.
Positively Yours,
Shawn
CLICK ON THE LEMONAIDS GUY- ME!- TO DONATE
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Support Us in AIDS Walk Washington, Plz?
August 26, 2010
The AIDS Walk has snuck up on us this year- we can’t believe it’s in less than six weeks! Gwenn and I are walking on October 2, as we always do, with our friends in Team Supersnack.
You might remember that I wore a giant LemonAIDS suit last year. Here’s a link to the speech I made, graciously accepting the Whitman Walker Clinic’s Courage Award, which they give to someone living with HIV every year. This year I told them I still have HIV and a fair amount of courage, but they said they couldn’t give me the award two years in a row.
Earlier this year we spoke at Stuarts Draft High School, and were honored when the students chose us as a beneficiary for their own AIDS Walk in May. So thanks to Mrs. Bateman’s Leadership Class for the kickstart in fundraising. I wish we could let more people do the walking for us, but now it’s time to lace up the shoes and beg for money ourselves…
But wait- there are incentives for your generosity! Why? Because donating money to help people with HIV is cool. And altruistic. Sure, there doesn’t need to be bribes involved, but it never hurts. (Really, it’s just a way for me to say “Thanks” for your help.)
The first five donations of $25 or more will get to choose from one of the following items; imagine Gwenn pulling a Barker’s Beauty in her red dress:
- Synthetic Division, Symptom of Life CD: This is my band, you know, I blog about it all the time.
- Synthetic Division t-shirt or a Screw Smarter t-shirt
- a copy of Chicken Soup For the Soul: Think Positive…
The new Chicken Soup book will be in bookstores on September 28, but you can have it before then if you are one of the first to donate. Why do you want it? Because it’s inspirational, and your favorite LemonAIDS suit-wearing, wise-crackin’ positoid contributed a story for it. I’m only giving away 3 more copies (one was already snagged, thanks for the donation, Chris!), because we have to give most of our advance copies to our parents. So click on us to visit our donation page, and thanks for your continued support of our efforts to fight AIDS.
Positively (and “Negatively”) Yours,
Shawn & Gwenn
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Website: ShawnandGwenn.com
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Like what you’ve read? Then buy me an iced mocha or check out my new CD: Synthetic Division, A Symptom of Life, which is now on iTunes!
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New Issue of Poz, My Article Ryan White Article
August 20, 2010
The new issue of Poz magazine is out, and there’s an incredible article on the role that homophobia plays in the spread of HIV. I contributed to the issue as well, writing about the importance of remembering Ryan White 20 years after his passing.
Positively Yours,
Shawn
Watch, Friend and Follow me on:YouTube, Facebook and Twitter Website: ShawnandGwenn.com Also check out the lovely Gwenn’s Fashion/Coffee Blog
Like what you’ve read? Then buy me an iced mocha or check out my new CD: Synthetic Division, A Symptom of Life, which is now on iTunes!
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The Mother of Camp (One) Heartland
August 19, 2010
Received the news from Bob Bowers via One Heartland founder Neil Willenson. I have a friend who went to One Heartland- a camp for children with HIV- several years ago… it was the first time he spoke with other youths who were positive and it was a transformative experience for him. My thoughts go out to the Wolff family and Neil, as well as my thanks for standing up for kids with HIV. – Shawn
– for immediate release —
Dawn Wolff, “Mother of Camp Heartland,” Dies: Is remembered for a life dedicated to those living with HIV/AIDS Milwaukee (August 17, 2010) – Dawn Wolff, the “mother of Camp Heartland,” died on Monday, August 16, 2010.
Wolff was the mother of Nile Sandeen, the boy whose HIV status caused uproar in Mequon, Wisconsin. After learning of Sandeen’s struggle in 1991, Neil Willenson founded One Heartland, a camp for children affected by HIV/AIDS. Neil Willenson commented on Wolff’s life yesterday, “Her willingness to speak openly about AIDS back in 1990, when few did so, ultimately led to the creation of One Heartland. Without Dawn’s courage, thousands of children and volunteers would never have experienced Camp Heartland. The genesis of my 20 year journey in the HIV fight – and that of so many others – was Dawn’s desire to create a world that was far more accepting and understanding regarding HIV/AIDS. She was a powerful voice for acceptance and HIV education at a time when few women publicly disclosed their HIV status. She was a role model who was truly ahead of her time.”
Wolff is survived by her parents Don and Jackie Wolff, her sons Nile and Sean Sandeen, a grandchild and many other family members.
“My mother spent her life working towards tolerance and acceptance of those living with HIV/AIDS in our community and communities across the country. If there was any message that she wants to come from her death it is the same message of education, prevention, and love for the AIDS community. Just as she lived a life of hope we grieve and commend her to God with hope. She did not lose, AIDS did not win. To the contrary, AIDS, like death has no dominion over her,” stated Nile Sandeen, Wolff’s son who lives in St. Paul, Minnesota and is attending Luther Seminary.
Funeral details will be determined in the coming days.
One Heartland creates community, offers respite and builds lifelong skills by providing an accepting environment for children, youth and their families facing social isolation so that they may lead healthier and more fulfilling lives. Founded in 1993, as Camp Heartland, One Heartland provides the largest camping and care program in the nation for children affected by HIV/AIDS. For more information, visit www.oneheartland.org or contact Neil Willenson (neil@oneheartland.org) or 414-272-1118 x21.
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Like what you’ve read? Then buy me an iced mocha or check out my new CD: Synthetic Division, A Symptom of Life, which is now on iTunes!
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Bad ADAP News From Dab
August 17, 2010
Dab Garner of the Dab the AIDS Bear Project just posted some sobering news from the ADAP Waiting List report, which was made public on Friday the 13th. The number of people in the United States who are now on HIV drug waiting lists has reached 2,937… Scary stuff.
The state-by-state breakdown is as follows:
Florida: 1,178, Georgia: 339, Hawaii: 15, Idaho: 26, Iowa: 115, Ohio: 132, Kentucky: 246, Louisiana: 270, Montana: 7, North Carolina: 192, South Carolina: 262, South Dakota: 25 and Utah: 130
These “numbers” are flesh-and-blood people living with HIV who, for whatever reason, have fallen through the cracks of our complicated system and cannot afford HIV medications or do not qualify for other programs. It’s terrible to think that they could perish for the crime of being poor, or simply unlucky, when there are life-saving treatments available. If you live in any of the states mentioned above, it’s important that you contact your local representative and tell them that you support AIDS Drug Assistance programs.
Times are indeed tight these days for a lot of us. But we need to make sure that preventable deaths from AIDS do not happen on our watch.
Positively Yours,
Shawn
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Website: ShawnandGwenn.com Also check out the lovely Gwenn’s Fashion/Coffee Blog
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Friday the 13th and Bad Blood
August 13, 2010
I grew up as a huge fan of horror movies, and the series of Friday the 13th movies were among my favorite. Jason Voorhees and his machete justice inspired me and my friends to purchase a plastic hockey mask and play out the movies every time the calendar reached that sacred date.
The first movie is about his mother, avenging her son’s supposed death at the hands of “distracted” (sex-obsessed) teenagers who were supposed to be watching the young Jason at Camp Crystal Lake. But Jason was really alive, surviving in the woods, likely watching his mother butcher those poor campers. Not sure if he was waiting for his roll of toilet paper to run out or for the calendar to reach April 1st before he jumped out to show his mommy was safe, but either way he waited too long- thus witnessing the last camper and the decapitation of his mother.
That, of course, set off a series of sequels in which young Jason grows up and continues the Voorhees family tradition of avenging a loved one’s death.
So how does Jason’s story relate to AIDS? Was he part of a top secret Reagan Era abstinence-enforcing unit? That sure would explain his penchant for cutting romantic encounters short. And, in writing the above, is there something in the origin of Jason’s story that tells the saga of the hemophilia community’s bloody crossroads with the AIDS epidemic? Parents of the children who were infected with HIV through blood product treatments banded together with the rage of Jason’s mother, learned the wrong-doings and failings of the institutions sworn to protect them and then sought justice and answers.
Perhaps I’m overthinking it?
Either way, there’s a new documentary out on the hemophilia community’s history with HIV and other blood-borne illnesses. It’s called Bad Blood, and it will be available on DVD on World AIDS Day, December 1st. I’ll be posting a reminder as that date nears… in the meantime, if you’re out camping and you hear something rustling around in the woods… well, my best advice is to use a condom, and hope that you are able to finish up before any uninvited guests join the party.
Positively Yours,
Shawn
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Website: ShawnandGwenn.com
Also check out the lovely Gwenn’s Fashion/Coffee Blog
Like what you’ve read? Then buy me an iced mocha or check out my new CD:
Synthetic Division, A Symptom of Life, which is now on iTunes!
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Filmmakers Looking For Young People With HIV
July 23, 2010
Got a message from my friends at the MTV Staying Alive Foundation about an upcoming film about young people and how they deal with HIV. Filming will begin in 3 weeks, so if you’re interested in participating then fill out the Contact Form on my website and I’ll forward your information along.
You must be:
- in your late teens or early 20′s
- willing to go public with your HIV status
- willing to participate in a hot dog eating contest…
Okay, the last bullet point I made up.
The filmmaker explained to me that the main goal of the project is to show that young people with HIV lead full and constructive lives, show how they integrate the issue of protection into their sexual lives and also convey the (emotional) transition into adulthood. Sounds interesting, right? The MTV Staying Alive Foundation has put out such great programming about youth and HIV issues over the last ten years, I’m so happy that they continue to show that those of us with HIV are just regular people with regular human emotions.
Hope everyone has a nice weekend ahead of ‘em. Don’t eat too many hot dogs.
Positively Yours,
Shawn
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Website: ShawnandGwenn.com Also check out the lovely Gwenn’s Fashion/Coffee Blog
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Microbicides, Men and HIV
July 21, 2010
This year’s International AIDS Conference, which happens every two years, is taking place right now, and Poz is reporting on all of the exciting news coming out of Vienna. One of the bits of news that is generating the most interest is a study of the use of HIV preventative microbicides.
Basically, it’s an HIV-fighting drug in gel form, which can applied inside the vagina before having sex, thus reducing the risk of HIV transmission. Though the gel is due for more trials and is likely several years away from being made available at your neighborhood drug store, the initial results have been promising, and the evolution of moving away from condom negotiations and putting women’s safety into women’s hands (and vaginas) is being hailed as a “game changer”.
When Gwenn and I were discussing this news item, my first thought was a personal one: I’d love to have that gel in my nightstand. I’d love to say goodbye to my old friend, the condom, and see what all this skin-on-skin penis-to-vagina fuss is all about. But she made a very astute point, “Once again, the woman has to bear all the responsibility.” She likened it to a woman not wanting to get pregnant, thus having to go on birth control because a lot of guys don’t like condoms, or get offended, or whatever the excuse is.
And ultimately, the excitement the AIDS community feels has to be recognized for what it is- an admittance that man has failed. A deadly virus that is transmitted through sexual contact, in the end, wasn’t motivation enough to take safe sex and condoms seriously. A scientific knowledge of how this virus is transmitted couldn’t combat the moralistic “ban” on condoms, including the United States eight-year ban on comprehensive sex education under President Bush Jr.
It really disgusts me. Sexual evolution is a slow and- in modern times- needlessly painful process. I know I view sexual health through the lens of my own infection, which occurred very early in my life and caused me to adapt to the reality of being infectious and juggling that with my own sexual urges. I’ve made it work, and have a partner in Gwenn who is HIV negative, open to talking about sex, and we have a relationship that is healthy and keeps her safe.
So what happens when the gel becomes available? Does she have to ingest pills (birth control) and cram medication up her vagina just so my penis can enjoy a little extra sensitivity? And, in the end, is that fair?
Ultimately, the game changer needs to be an adjustment of the time-honored, religiously backed theory that man is superior to woman, and that man knows better and is to be obeyed. We are all biological equals- gay, straight, white, black, female, male, hermaphrodite, whatever the case may be. What HIV has taught us over the last twenty years is that, when it comes to sexual decision-making, the male has proven to be unqualified for the role of sexual decision-maker.
And, if anything, our excitement and hopes over this new gel only proves that point.
Positively Yours,
Shawn
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Website: ShawnandGwenn.com Also check out the lovely Gwenn’s Fashion/Coffee Blog
Like what you’ve read? Then buy me an iced mocha or check out my new CD: Synthetic Division, A Symptom of Life, which is now on iTunes!
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