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...
HIV/AIDS
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...
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....
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...
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...
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...