Blog
A Bloody Good Time on World Hemophilia Day
This World Hemophilia Day I thought it would be fun to share some whimsical blood-lettings of days past... having four-and-a-half decades of life with hemophilia under my belt, I've certainly seen my fair share of my own plasma. So without further ado,...
Do The Ryan White Thing (1998 Positoid Column, POZ Magazine)
The following is a Positoid column I wrote when I was 22, published in the January 1998 issue of the magazine. I'll catch you on the other side to explain how Ryan had one more surprise in store for me... Lying on my bed last night, scarfing cookies and...
A Telling Moment- Do I Feel TOO Safe?
Picture it: it's eight days after my Johnson & Johnson vaccination. I walk into a coffee shop on St. Patrick's Day. My friend who works there is wearing a festive green hat. Irish folk music plays in the background. As I notice how extra covered up my friend is,...
I’m Vaxx’d. Great! Now What?
On Monday afternoon I got the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. We drove about two hours to get it, because information in Charlottesville (where I live) was slow to come by in terms of when I'd have the opportunity to get vaccinated. It may be because...
Condoms: A Love Story For International Condom Day
You never forget seeing your first condom. I was probably 10. One day at my grandparent's swimming pool, one of the older boys down the street, a rebel who claimed "Rowdy" Roddy Piper as his favorite wrestler, pulled me aside. "Know what this is?" "A balloon?" I...
Rush Limbaugh and His AIDS Update
In 1990, then 40-year old Rush Limbaugh aired a short-lived segment on his radio show called "The AIDS Update." He'd make wisecracks about the epidemic while songs like “Kiss Him Goodbye" and “Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places” played. He'd later claim...
The POZ/Beatles Connection: An Interview With Sean Strub on the Anniversary of John Lennon’s Passing
Tuesday, December 8 marks forty years since John Lennon's murder at the age of 40. In the frantic moments that immediately followed the tragedy, Sean Strub was among the first people on the scene. He was 22 at the time and five years removed from an HIV diagnosis,...
Is The Additional Tax of Aging With HIV Coming Due?
Growing up in Waynesboro, Virginia, I often saw how the threshold of the age of 40 is met: with dread. Lots of jokes about having one foot in the grave. Uncles and aunts complaining of new aches and pains, bemoaning the fact that they have gotten older... truthfully,...
Record High CD4 Count Related to COVID-19?
The last five years or so, my average t-cell count has been around 600. In January, before the Covid-19 lockdown, my count was 635. I'm more than thrilled with that because, paired with my consistently undetectable viral load, it's a sign that my...
Anyone Else Missing More Doses of HIV Meds?
Since I started taking HIV medications in 1999, I've been very good at not missing any doses. Even during my extended period of week on/week off (2003-ish to 2013-ish), I was diligent about remembering which day was the start day for another week of pills....
I Have HIV. Video of My HIV Negative Partner Getting Tested for HIV #NHTD
My partner, Gwenn, and I have been together for two decades. During the entirety of our relationship I've been HIV positive, and she's been HIV negative. Last year for National HIV Testing Day, we thought it would be a good idea to show just how easy the...
On Starting My First One-A-Day HIV Regimen
Yesterday I started my first ever once-a-day HIV drug regimen in Biktarvy. This isn't an endorsement, nor are any of the treatment options I've chosen. I just really wanted to discuss this in the context of the long road it took me to get here.Being...
Why I’m Rocking My @theaidsmemorial Shirt At 80s Night
This weekend I'm going to be fronting an 80s coverband called Film On Girls for an 80s Prom Dance Party. It's a ton of fun getting together with some friends and performing songs like "Everything She Wants", "Safety Dance", "Into the Groove" and "Tainted...
World Hemophilia Day
Today is World Hemophilia Day. Being born with this rare bleeding disorder has certainly shaped who I am. I know people like to say their "illness" doesn't define them: I get it. I know where the sentiment comes from because I've shared that feeling as well. But I do...
#POZat25 How POZ Entered My Life At The Right Time
1996 was a pivotal year for me. At age 20, after being diagnosed with HIV for half of my life, I was finally ready to talk about the virus. What had been a difficult thing to think about and a subject I went out of my way to ignore was suddenly fair game. After a...
The #UEqualsU Issue of POZ
Kudos to POZ for shining a spotlight on #UEqualsU in the latest issue of the magazine. A lot of folks still need to learn what that means: that an undetectable viral load for someone who is HIV positive means that, while still living with the virus, they are unable to...
Back to School!
School is back in session, and sexual health should be included among the many things that teenagers and young adults are learning about. But unfortunately, it isn't a priority. The CDC recently reported an increase in Sexually Transmitted Infections, with half...
#DoingItMyWay Through the Ups and Downs
This Summer has been a doozy. I kicked things off in June with some mild depression. Apparently I have Seasonal Summer Depression- my love pointed this out a few years ago. I'm not sure why my spirit starts to sag as Summer kicks in, but it does. Thankfully, by...
HIV Testing While Traveling
I'll never forget this story. Someone was telling me about the low turnout they had for a testing event. When it was over they had no idea what went wrong- they'd promoted the event, which seemingly had the community's interest. Then when the day came, very few...
Going Viral, Bleeding Out My Ass and #DoingItMyWay
I recently spoke to POZ about a tweet that went viral. You can read about it here: https://www.poz.com/article/hiv-tweet-regarding-selfmade-billionaire-kylie-jenner-goes-viral This is the story about the behind behind the story. The nitty-gritty details about the...
#DoingItMyWay Gwenn Gets Tested For HIV (video)
My partner, Gwenn, and I have been together for twenty years. For the entire length of that time, I have been HIV positive and she has been HIV negative. We've educated together about how HIV is and isn't transmitted and we both believe that everyone should know their...
#DoingIt Knowing Your HIV Status is Always in Style
A few weeks ago I played an 80s cover set with my friends at an 80s Prom. It's always fun to sing some of my favorite songs of the decade by artists such as Thompson Twins, The Cars, Dead or Alive, Simple Minds... don't you forget about me? Are you kidding me? Who...
My World Hemophilia Day
World Hemophilia Day is a day that I use as leverage to have friends give me hugs. Or buy me a drink. Pretty much whatever I can squeeze out of my rare bleeding disorder, I go for it. I've got just one shot a year to make it happen. You might be thinking, "Well, what...
Help On Wheels: A Tribute to Barry Haarde
The hemophilia community suffered a great loss this month when Barry Haarde passed to spirit. I invited his blood brother (that's what us hemophiliacs call each other) and fellow cyclist Vaughn Ripley to write a tribute... and what a tribute it is. One...
Your Cure: An HIV Anthem For Everyone
Your Cure (Company) from MerceTheSeries on Vimeo. Last September I had the privilege of going up to Brooklyn to play a cameo role in Merce, Season 2. I remember the first time I heard about Charles and Tyne's web series, they were fundraising for season 1 and they had...
Grieving Las Vegas
The airport was quiet. My partner, Gwenn, and I were leaving Las Vegas on a Monday, always preferable to the chaos of a Sunday departure when everyone is heading back home to the normalcy of their everyday lives. But the stillness of yesterday's trip was different....
Why I Love Charlottesville and Hate Hate
You have probably heard about the recent happenings in Charlottesville, Virginia, where a "Unite the Right" gathering of neo-nazis and white supremacists ended—to the surprise of few—with the intentional murder of an anti-hate, civilian protester. I want to write...
32 Years Ago: A Ryan White Milestone
Jeanne White-Ginder visited her son, Ryan's, grave this week and posted this picture to Facebook. Friday, June 30, 1985 marked 32 years to the day when Ryan was denied admittance into Middle School because of his HIV status. It's a moment that changed his life and his...
#DoingIt National HIV Testing Day
Gwenn and I are proud to be a part of the CDC's Act Against AIDS campaign, "Doing It", which is all about HIV testing. As a sero-diverse (poz/neg) couple, we think it's important for everyone to know their HIV status. We enjoy a healthy relationship and we feel that...
Why I’m #DoingIt For National HIV Testing Day #NHTD
Today is National HIV Testing Day. I'm HIV positive, and my partner, Gwenn, is HIV negative. We both know our status and that's important for our health. A couple of years ago, we made a video to show just how easy testing for HIV can be with our friend, Jason: More...