I’ve seen The Avengers twice- rarely do I go to the movies these days, much less to see the same movie again.  Why did I do it?  Because The Avengers rocks!  And why does it rock?  Because the movie is about coming together to face a common threat to humanity.  And it’s funny as hell, too.

The parallels to the newly formed Poz Army are easy to make.  The Poz Army is about bringing people together to raise awareness about one of the greatest threats to our collective health- HIV.  I know this enemy well, it’s a virus I’ve been living with for over 25 years now.  One of my greatest tools in combating it has been humor, I can laugh at my own struggle but I never laugh at the threat this virus poses to other peoples’ health. It’s why I’m a sex educator.

I care about making life easier for people by giving them the information needed to prevent contracting HIV.  I care about those already living with HIV because I know the discrimination, depression and isolation that comes with an HIV diagnosis.

Caring about this issue is why I joined The Poz Army.  Read the mission statement about why a large group of advocates is needed in this day and age to keep things moving in the right direction.  Which is, ultimately, towards a cure for HIV. 

Here are a few reasons why you should care, too:

As people with HIV…
“We are harassed at our jobs.
We are kicked out of swimming pools.
We are told we can’t hold our grandchildren.
We can’t get life insurance.
We are sent to prison for having HIV.
We are discriminated against, stigmatized, beaten and sometimes killed merely for having a biological agent in our bodies.

The end of AIDS and all its related horrors must stop with us.” – The Poz Army

How to Enlist

(via the Poz Army)

Every successful soldier carries and uses the same basic equipment:
the right boots, a helmet, water and a weapon. Members of the POZ Army
will also use a few basics: a cell phone, Internet access and social
media.

Go to pozarmy.com to get started:

1. Sign up for our POZ Army e-newsletter.

2. Become a fan on Facebook and watch our wall for action alerts from the POZ Army.

3. Follow us on Twitter, and watch our Twitter feed for action alerts from the POZ Army.

See you on the battlefield!  Wait, we’re already there.

Positively Yours,
Shawn

Positively Yours,
Shawn

So, to erase any confusion, I’ve decided to call it “Eating Out AIDS”. I don’t think this will catch on, and maybe fewer restaurants would sign up for something called this. But I like it- it has a ring to it. Here’s a picture of me and friends Eating Out AIDS tonight at Blue Moon Diner.  Thanks again to The Nook, Sticks and Escafe for also participating in this delicious fundraiser for AIDS Services Group!

Positively Yours,
Shawn

Yes, eat at all of them!

Not in my neck of the woods? Then check out Dining Out For Life to see if there are any restaurants in your area that are participating. Be sure to thank them for supporting the local HIV/AIDS community so that they sign on again next year and that their generosity has not gone unnoticed. And if you don’t see your region represented? Ask one of the proprietors of a restaurant you frequent if it’s something they’d be interested in doing next year. The more people that get involved the better, because good food and good intentions should never go to waste.

Positively Yours,
Shawn

Positively Yours,

Shawn

Over the last month or so Gwenn and I have had a couple of speaking engagements. I still love doing it even if I hate the flying. It’s just that my ankle really craps out after being crammed up in those airplane seats. Also, the walks through the airports can be pretty epic. Gwenn is great at getting me to take a ride in an unoccupied wheelchair.  Most airports have an ample amount of them sitting around. Thank you Americans With Disabilities Act and people who understand that not everyone born into the world comes into with perfect health.

I’m also keeping busy with music, finishing up songs for an October Synthetic Division release.  Numb to the Numbers is the name of the album.  As always, my medical resume plays heavy in the songs, and that album title was chosen in part because of the last 25 years of HIV diagnosis, and the constant tracking of numbers (t-cells, viral load, etc). The last year of so is the first time that I can’t tell you off the top of my head what my last t-cell count was. But I can tell you that Bob Geise is the reigning Shawn’s T-Cells Champion and you’ll get a chance to take that title from him next month.

And possibly win a copy of My Pet Virus!

Ok, I won’t be a stranger. I’ll try to keep y’all updated more than once a month.  If I do disappear again please know that I’m happy, healthy and enjoying life.  Hope you’re having a great day and enjoying your life as well.

Positively Yours,
Shawn

Pedro Zamora left us all too soon in November of 1994.  I got to know him through my television, and boy did he open himself up, appearing on the then socially relevant reality show The Real World. I’d just graduated high school, and had no idea what laid ahead for me in terms of life goals and how I’d feel however much time I’d be given.

Pedro was a huge influence and help in getting me to get comfortable in my own skin with HIV- I hung on every word when he appeared on the show. He was only three years older than me, but at that time he may as well have been the President in terms of how I looked up to him.  On the show, he fell in love with fellow positoid Sean Sasser.  They normalized love with HIV in the mix.  After his passing, his Real World roommate, Judd Winick, wrote the incredible graphic novel Pedro & Me. For anyone who wants to learn more about him, I highly recommend this book. MTV also aired a biopic called Pedro a couple of years ago, which is definitely worth a view.

Born in a leap year, today would have been Pedro’s 40th birthday.  I would be remiss if I didn’t pay homage to one of my biggest influences.  Happy birthday, Pedro, and thank you from the bottom of my positoid heart.

Positively Yours,
Shawn

The EP contains 4 remixes of a song I wrote back in 2003. “Borrowed Time” really was a turning point for me in terms of songwriting. I’d overheard someone suggesting that I was on borrowed time due to my HIV status. I guess I internalized the comment because a couple months later I was writing a song about it.  The chorus of the song goes like this: “Am I borrowed time, do I have much left? Is it not sinking in, that I am checking out?”

Big thanks to The Lunarium and kuanes for hooking up the fabulous remixes of a song that holds a special place in my thinblooded heart.  And big thanks to Andy Deane for the cover photo. 

About the tune… I wrote the song a few years after my HIV diagnosis was upgraded to an AIDS diagnosis in 1999. In July of ’99 I had 38 t-cells, but I started on HIV meds and played my first live gig as Synthetic Division in late September of the same year, thanks to the meds boosting my immune system back up. My new friends in C’ville welcomed me into the local underground goth/electro community and encouraged me to play shows- something I’d always wanted to do.  The sound of Borrowed Time was inspired by playing those live shows after regaining my health and, consequently, the energy to write new music.

Now it’s a decade later.  I’m still writing. Not playing out quite as often, and with my bum ankle I need to seriously consider how many shows I want to book later in the year when Synthetic Division releases a new album and plans a mini-tour on the East Coast.  But that’s months down the road. I’m not on borrowed time. I’ll still be here and I’ll deal with whatever comes my way.

Positively Yours,
Shawn

I know a lot of folks in my viral boat struggle over the thought of finding someone that can accept HIV and the common misconceptions that make up the virus’s entourage.  It’s a lot to worry about, but ultimately the best we can do is be honest about who we are, pass along the facts and hope that people are willing to open their minds to that information.  Regardless of how someone reacts to you, ultimately your long-term health and happiness is dependent on your ability and willingness to love yourself.

So think about all you’ve accomplished- all you’ve been through- and give yourself the best gift you can on Valentine’s Day.  Be simple, be creative, but what really matters is… be your most beautiful self.

Positively Yours,
Shawn