Features and Interviews

On September 24, realize, Canada’s national organization that fosters positive change for people living with HIV and other episodic disabilities — formerly known as the Canadian Working Group on HIV and Rehabilitation (CWGHR) — held its annual Forum. The subject this year was Coming of Age: Exploring our Collective Response to HIV and Aging. In the past few years, medical science has provided us with the knowledge to drastically improve the health and extend the lives of people livin

Bob Leahy: Hi Tammy. I’m going to first ask you the obvious question: why the need for a name change from the Canadian Working Group on HIV and Rehabilitation (CWGHR)? Tammy Yates: Well as you know Bob, since 1998, the organization has really been a leader and a catalyst for improved access to rehabilitation services, including mental health services, here in Canada and internationally. We have done that by bringing together research, education, policy, practice and connecting people who wo

The scene opens with seven men sitting on chairs arranged in a circle. An awkward silence permeates the room until a counsellor among them asks one of them to begin. Lucas ponders what his family might think if they ever find out that he’s hooked on crystal meth. Chen is next. He lists all that he has lost: his house, his job, his partner. Then Jeremy talks about his desire for love and acceptance as Alex, the main character, gives him a knowing look. Empty Nest is a short film, written by

This article by Emily Newman previously appeared at Betablog.org here. We’ve come a long way since the days when fighting for LGBT rights demanded action such as the Stonewall Riots. Or a critical need for HIV medications prompted protests blocking traffic on the Golden Gate Bridge. The world saw success come from those tactics—and now, more than ever before, people who are part of marginalized populations are able to stand up and demand that their voices are heard. For access to bath

Bob Leahy: Let’s talk about the RiseUptoHIV campaign which you are well known for, particularly for your T-shirts. Kevin Maloney: Yes, it was a two-pronged campaign. The name “RiseUptoHIV” came to me in the middle of the night. I was thinking about how I was rising up to the challenges in my life at the time when I was diagnosed in 2010. The “No shame about being HIV-positive” story telling campaign started in 2013 – people would send me their stories and photos, which I would pos

(left) Bruce Richman, co-founder of Prevention Access Campaign, with longtime HIV/AIDS activist Professor Carrie Foote, Indiana University-Purdue University; Head of HIV Modernization Movement   Bob Leahy: Bruce thank you for talking to PositiveLite.com. Tell me first of all why you are driven to do this work. Bruce Richman: Well I was diagnosed with HIV in 2003 and I’ve experienced the impact of stigma and discrimination for many years and in many different ways, but not as much as othe

This article by David Pelletier previously appeared on CATIE's Positive Side here. Une version française est disponible ici.  For Benoît Lachambre - dancer, choreographer, founder of the Montreal-based Par B.L.eux dance company and seasoned teacher of contemporary dance—artistic expression is all about sharing and communion. This aspect of his work is so fundamental that since the mid-1990s he’s been breaking down “the fourth wall,” the invisible barrier that separates the

Barry Haarde is a remarkable 50 year old long term survivor of both HIV and HepC who is about to embark on his fifth transcontinental bike ride for Wheels for the World 2016: Saving Lives by the Mile.  Since 2012, Barry has ridden over 10,000 miles to help raise $150,000 for Save One Life. Barry's goal this year? 5,000 miles--from Everett, Washington through 22 states to Key Largo, Florida! He will ride from July 17 - September 11. Bob Leahy: Hi Barry. This is your fifth transcontinental bi

So don’t mind if I fall apart There’s more room in a broken heart. — Carly Simon, “Coming Around Again” When Will Armstrong emerges from heart surgery in just a few days, he will have weeks of hospitalization ahead. He will also have expensive new hardware in his chest and a devoted animal waiting anxiously at home. What he will not have is a pulse. Will, a 44-year-old living in Atlanta, is having a Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD) implanted, and it will push the blood flow

Bob Leahy: Thanks for contacting me to speak about this, Claudia. Tell me first about your own situation in as much detail as you wish.  Claudia: It’s been 23 years since my diagnosis and then two years ago I was diagnosed with manic depression, or bipolar disorder.  Describe the symptoms Claudia, for those who don’t know.  In my personal experience I have dealt mostly with the symptoms of depression, but two years ago I started having signs of something else. I couldn’t sleep, lif

"In my mind, one of the worst things that anyone could have done was to say that AIDS is a manageable disease. In my life it’s never been quite manageable."  Bob Leahy: Thanks for talking with us Sean. Let’s talk first about the photos you posted on Facebook – photos of a man dying. Tell me what you know about them. Sean McKenna: Well, my neighbour’s husband a year ago was built like a brick shit house, one of those people that would sit by the pool and everyone would stare at. In t

So the first Thursday of this month was the Mayor of London and Greater London Assembly elections which saw Sadiq Khan, Labour MP, beat his Conservative rival Zac Goldsmith to become the new Mayor of London, meaning the Labour party has taken back London’s City Hall after eight years in Conservative control. London has again done a first and elected its first Muslim Mayor in what the local UK press has described as “London choosing hope over fear and unity over division.” Okay, so let�

Josh Green and cast, from Broadway Bares 2015 (credit: Benjamin Ryan)  When Benjamin “Ben” Ryan began taking dance classes ten years ago, the personal venture was a complete whim. After all, he was in his late twenties at the time – ancient for a beginning dancer – and by his own admission, was “just awful” for the first few years of classes. And nothing about his vocation as a writer specializing in the science of HIV suggested that Gene Kelly was trapped inside. Cue the vict

The Canadian Positive People Network (CPPN) / Reseau Canadien Des Personnes Seropositives (RCPS) is a new independent network for and by people living with HIV and HIV co-infections in Canada. We exist as a people’s network to represent the needs of all persons and communities affected by HIV and HIV co-infections. We help ensure the movement is coordinated nationally, provincially, regionally, and locally to benefit the affected people and communities, and that we are connected with the glo

Bob Leahy: Hi Steven I’ve already read some of your story through your blog. I thought a good place to jump in would be ithe point you were diagnosed  - because that was a pretty hard point in your life. Were you living on the streets at that time?  Steven Tingley: I was actually living at Covenant House, a homeless youth shelter in downtown Toronto. I came to Toronto about fourteen years ago from a small town called Salisbury, just outside Moncton, New Brunswick. I was about 20 at the ti