I had what I thought was the perfect set. Two days before my last show as Synthetic Division I woke up, put on my vintage Depeche Mode t-shirt and headed to the Infectious Disease Clinic for my bi-annual appointment with my HIV doc. I didn't eat before I went, like...
Entertainment & Pop Culture
Is Kanye West Telling Friends That Pete Davidson Has AIDS?
I was all set to chill out and play some video games, and then a gossip site ran a story suggesting that Kanye West is telling people that Pete Davidson has AIDS. I know, that's a lot to take in. Just focus on the someone using AIDS as an attempt at slander. I'll...
Betty White Was, Indeed, A Friend
On New Year's Eve, fans of Betty White mourned the loss of their adopted celebrity grandmother, who was just a few weeks shy of her 100th birthday. People Magazine released a lush magazine in December, celebrating her birthday early and taking advantage of holiday...
Goodbye Everybody, I’ve Got to Go: 30 Years Since Freddie Mercury Passed to Spirit
I recently blogged about Magic Johnson's announcement thirty years ago that he had contracted HIV. I was a junior in high school, and by the end of the day I'd heard my first Magic AIDS joke. Shockingly, even though Freddie Mercury passed shortly thereafter, I never...
Thirty Years Since Magic Johnson Disclosed His HIV Status
I was a junior in high school. Coming off a sophomore year that had been defined by some drama where HIV was concerned. I'd really fallen in love, and was experiencing my first dose of sexual activity. I didn't disclose my status, but I thought if we were just having...
Hemophilia: The Neglected of the Neglected Pandemic on VICE
Vice aired a special program called 'HIV: The Neglected Pandemic' to commemorate four decades of HIV/AIDS. Jonathan Van Ness narrated the program, and it was bopping along at a nice pace. But when it got to Ryan White, the boy with hemophilia who did his...
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,...
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...
Annie Lennox on HIV Prevention and Funding Needs
Last month Gwenn and I had the privilege of speaking about HIV education and prevention on Al Jazeera's The Stream, representing sero-discordant couples. Annie Lennox and activists from around the world were on hand to discuss the need for continued funding of HIV...
Donald Trump’s (Fictional) Presidential HIV/AIDS Survey Answers
Imagining a world where Republican candidates answer surveys by HIV/AIDS organizations... here's Donald Trump "discussing" the issues of the day. Enjoy. Positively Yours, Shawn On HIV research An extremely credible source has called my office and...