Blog Posts + Articles + Happenings
Astrology and Cancers
I've had a long-running joke about my cosmic placement in the universe, and how I was destined for medical drama due to my horoscope sign- Cancer- having the same name as a killer disease. A syndicated horoscope called Free Will Astrology provides Gwenn and I with...
Things To Do Today If You’re HIV Positive
Today is National HIV Testing Day. It's an important thing to know your status, and it's good that we have a day to remind people that testing is available, and it's quick and easy. (Testing locations and info on HIV testing can be found here.) But what if you're...
Happy Godfather’s Day
I'm a proud Godfather to a 2-and-three-quarters year old. Her name is Evie. Her mom, Lauren, is one of my best friends. On the day that Evie was born, I drove at a moderate-to-brisk-pace in front of Lauren and Gwenn with my hazard lights on as we all headed to the...
Coolest Thing Ever Written About Us (by Charlotte Martin)
So Gwenn and I have been out as a sero-diverse couple for over a decade now. Safer sex with a smile and trying to enlighten people that positoids, people with HIV, can have a healthy relationship is at the top of our list of goals. As a result of being out there,...
Tracy Morgan’s Dad Had HIV
Usually when someone apologizes for a public/personal misstep, the only thing that comes across is that they are sorry they got caught. On Monday I blogged about Tracy Morgan's homophobic rant at one of his stand-up gigs earlier this month. In the last couple of weeks...
Tracy Morgan’s “Scare Tactics” and HIV
In early June, during one of his stand-up comedy routines in Nashville, Tracy Morgan made some anti-gay remarks that didn't come across as a laughing matter. During what has been described as a rant, Morgan said he would kill his son if he learned he was gay. The...
The “Ready to Live” Music Video Shoot
Last Monday Gwenn, two friends (thanks Sara and Ben for coming along!) and I hit the road for the two-hour drive to DC to participate in an HIV/AIDS anti-stigma music video. The day went very smoothly outside of the fact that Gwenn was feeling a bit under the...
30 Years of AIDS, A Personal Timeline
Today marks 30 years since the first report on what would become known as AIDS was published. Poz interviewed the doctor, Michael Gottlieb, who penned that report for the latest issue of their magazine. Poz has also compiled a timeline of the epidemic, which is worth...
Congratulations Micah and Christina
Over the weekend, I had the honor of officiating the wedding of my good friends Christina and Micah. Some months ago, at the coffee shop (where else?), they asked if I would do it, and they seemed surprised when I quickly said "Sure!". A few years ago, I'd officiated...
Casting Call: DC Anti-Stigma Video… We Need YOU!
On Monday, June 6, Gwenn and I will be participating in an anti-stigma music video to help people with HIV feel like exactly what they are- productive, meaningful members of society. The director, Monte Montgomery, has done some great videos already. Check them...
Bad Blood Airing on PBS in June
Last year I got to speak with Marilyn Ness for Poz about her documentary, Bad Blood, which details the treatment history of people living with hemophilia and how that ran headfirst into the AIDS crisis, forcing the bleeding disorders community to spearhead safety...
Guilty of “Being Positive” While Being Raped?
Everyone has heard about the white-collared, white-haired sexual assault case that occurred in NYC. The season finale of Saturday Night Live began with a parody starring the comical likeness of the assailant. If you're not familiar, basically a rich, high-standing...
Happy Birthday to Gwenn
The love of my life. Thanks for making this journey worthwhile. I love you with all of my positoid heart!Positively Yours,Shawn
The Fiji Mermaid, Coney Island and Acting Scared
Gwenn and I spent the weekend on Coney Island. We were there to film a horror short, conceived by local artist Russell Richards, in which I agreed last year to play the role of the film's lead. It's about a young man who has lost the love of his life-...
Brain Drain & HIV
I don't carry around a lot of concerns about my health as it relates to HIV. Being diagnosed at age 11, and now living happily in my mid-30s, my view of living with HIV has gone from the early days of "I'll deal with this on my deathbed" to "I'll do my best to...
Eloquent with Rage, ONE Condoms and Will.I.Am.A.Moron
My good buddy Bob Geise noticed a prompt from ONE Condoms over on Facebook to write a poem about condoms. Being the good poet and writer that he is, Bob channeled his frustration over a recent interview that Will.I.Am of the Black Eyed Peas conducted with Elle...
Poz Commemorates 30 Years of AIDS
It's been 30 years since the first published reports of what would come to be known as AIDS. And Poz Magazine has decided to commemorate this by talking with 31 (one extra to grow on!) long-term survivors... I am over the moon to still be here, having been diagnosed...
Obama Kills Osama, and Other Insights
This is the image that is flying around Facebook today on the heels of the big news that, over the weekend, Osama bin Laden was killed.Not sure who mocked this up, and I'm too lazy to search and give proper credit. But I liked it. It's rare that a Democrat...
Video From Umlaut Tribute to Bryce
Here's a few clips of a few of the moments referenced in the previous blog entry... Andy Deane, ChaCha Stowers and Conley Jones performing "Evensong" by Bella Morte Then I said a few words, shared a funny moment I had with Bryce, and told people to grab some...
Yesterday Was a Good Day
Yesterday started with a coffee date with friends, then I picked up an old pal from the airport and took him to his mom's house, where I had dinner with another childhood pal as well as my own loving mother. A vicious rainstorm broke out on the journey, which scared...
Mocha Moments & Happy Easter
Recorded this gem on Friday afternoon, even though I was pretty tired from the travel to Wisconsin. Thing is, Mocha Moments with Shawn Decker has become wildly popular, registering over 50 views in just one week since it's debut. At this rate, in 12 years time I may...
Meeting a Favorite Positoid, Losing Another…
Big thanks to the Student Global AIDS Campaign for inviting me and Gwenn to speak at the University of Wisconsin Madison this week. We spoke in the Memorial Union, in the middle of a bar... was the first time a contact said, "If you want to grab a beer before the talk...
New Vlog Series and Gwenn’s One-Year Blogiversary
Had a big World Hemophilia Day weekend with no bleeds whatsoever. I tried to get as much out of my friends as possible, with one pausing me to ask, "How many holidays does one guy get?" See, I pull similar stunts around World AIDS Day and my birthday. ...
World Hemophilia Day: New Rules by Me
Sunday, April 17, 2011. World Hemophilia Day. It's a day when we reign down gifts and love upon the greatest gift God ever gave to this world- people with bleeding disorders... or, as I call us, "thinbloods". We are undoubtedly the world's chosen people. Why? Because...
Stephen Colbert Talks Planned Parenthood
Last week in the world of politics, it was all about the threat to shutdown the government, a potentially lethal job-killing move by Republicans to get sugar-coating on some of the behind-the-scenes dealmaking that commoners like us aren't privy to. What is...
About Last Week (Chapel Hill, NC and Springfield, MA)
Last week was a busy one- Gwenn and I spoke at UNC Chapel Hill and also at an HIV/AIDS conference in Springfield, MA. It's always an honor to be invited to speak, but what made the Chapel Hill visit unique from any other college talks is how it happened. The person...
Video Reviews, Depeche Mode Covers, Cobain Remembered
Got lots swirling around in the ol' nugget today, but I want to lead out with yet another remembrance of Kurt Cobain. I know many think he's overrated and overmentioned, but this week marked 17 years since he took his own life... time flies, doesn't it? Near the end...
TODAY: National Call-In Day to Fund Domestic HIV Programs
Today is the day- make a quick call to your representatives to urge them to continue funding HIV/AIDS programs in the United States. Whether you are a democrat or a republican, these programs are necessary to insure the safety of our fellow Americans who are living...
Synthetic Division “Out of Time” Music Video
Here it is, my band's first ever music video, featuring stop motion and Playmobil toys- including a hospital! Funny thing is, the inspiration for this song came in part from a hospital visit in late 2009... so the creator Dirk Roth's concept really fits the song and...
Synthetic Division “Out of Time” (lyrics, vid on Monday!)
It's tough being my own publicist, I tell ya. The job doesn't pay, and my client is a major dick. But aside from that, I can't really complain too much I guess. Just pass along info on "the boss". *sigh*__________As I mentioned earlier this week, the first Synthetic...