Living with HIV

agree or disagree? The following article was submitted in response to the aidsmap article “The Diminished Self’ HIV and self-stigma” which PositiveLite.com republished.  Communities  that  are stigmatized can be especially hard on one of their own. This is the dynamic of any group that has been stigmatized. Stigma is complex and of course a better self image is intrinsic to fighting it.  Causation is not complex. Stigma comes from external forces and belief systems,

Too often, those who engage in more subversive, at least in terms of “traditional” American culture, activities, including prostitution, drug use, kink, polyamory, and barebacking, are presupposed by society as being bad Americans. Community organizations have for years conflated being a “good gay citizen” with less risky, and heteronormative, sexual behaviors. For example, right now, social conservatives within the gay community are cheering on the slow march toward gay marriage equa

After ruminating in my last column about my lack of success with online entanglements – dating, screwing, cuddling or any of combination of the three – I decided to retire from the online game.`  I've deleted my profiles on Scruff and Manhunt, relieved that I’m no longer the victim of my own GPS savvy, anytime, anywhere desires.  The allure of those online sirens –wonder if of my ‘favorites’ are online today—left me ever searching, writing less, frustrated more. So instead, I�

“Family means no one gets left behind or forgotten.” David Ogden Stiers  A close friend was recently asked whether there’s a need for a local people living with  HIV (PHA) group in Victoria. The question is an interesting one and simple to answer. While there are regional and provincial PHA groups there are not a lot of local groups across the country.  As people living with HIV we are in a socially and politically precarious position. Worldwide the pendulum is swinging in both di

Yesterday I was out with my camera enjoying a cool, sunny day. Not many people like the coolness in the air but I’m absolutely loving it. I had my (smart)phone with me. As I was walking I saw something I wanted to use the camera for and I noticed I had missed a call from my doctor’s office. In the text message the nurse said it wasn’t anything urgent but to call when I could.  So I called and found out the call  was concerning my CD4 count. It had risen to 520; it ha

It’s a quiet Wednesday night, a little too quiet. A little over two weeks ago, I turned my social networking apps on my smart phone off. I have also stayed away from any websites that I frequent for possible chat and meeting people. No, I’m not depressed or dating anyone, but rather, a sense of complete immobilization in one aspect of my life has come over me.  Since the end of my long-term relationship seven months ago, I have grappled with disclosure. How do I approach this new reality

 This article originally appeared on aidsmap.com here. Let’s suppose you’re part of a community where HIV is common, but you hold negative views about people who have the virus: because of fear, or ignorance or a generally conservative viewpoint. You might say things like “Most people with HIV get it from being weak and foolish” (22%); “You can’t trust people like that” (24%); “They should feel guilty for what they’ve done, really” (36%). Secretly, you fear HIV and are

This article by Warren Tong  from TheBodyPRO.com first appeared here.  A person living with HIV who is on treatment in the U.S. or Canada can expect to live almost a normal life span, according to a study presented at IAS 2013. The study, conducted by the NA-ACCORD (North American AIDS Cohort Collaboration on Research and Design), estimated the average life span to be 71.4 years in 2006-2007, an increase of 15 years from 56.1 in 2000-2002. The researchers followed 22,937 people from the U.

There was a time when I could not even conceive reaching the age of 46. I remember when I turned 18 and the age of 30 seemed like a million years away. I can remember thinking that 30 was ancient. I was diagnosed  HIV+ at the age of 23. I immediately thought that I would never see 30. So by the time I  reached  30 I was amazed that I was still alive. I was living in New York City, in a serious relationship and my lover at that time took me home to meet his parents in Santa Rosa, California

A Qi Magazine article written by Christian Hui, Photography by ACAS (@ACAStoronto) This article also appears on the website of ouragenda.ca here.  I was born in Hong Kong in 1978. As a child, I never imagined I would become a community worker or activist. Instead, I was raised with traditional values and expected to become a professional such as a lawyer,  accountant, or other successful provider for the family. Secretly, I harboured wishes to become a singer instead. As a child, I knew I

Have you ever been at a loss for words at an event or painfully aware that you are reading your speech word for word?  Problems confront speakers all the time but what does it take to make a successful speech? I’ve already written an introduction blog entitled “7 Speaking Tips” - it proved to be one of my most read blogs.  You can see it under “Blogs” on my website www.denise-becker.com.  It explains how to feel comfortable and avoid pitfalls. This blog takes you one step furthe

Every now and then, here in Québec, we get all worked up over how HIV tests are reported to public health authorities. If I am not mistaken, Québec is the only jurisdiction in Canada where HIV testing remains non-nominal — meaning that a name is not attached to the positive result when it is sent to the public health authorities. In an attempt to have better HIV surveillance and eliminate the counting of second tests as new diagnoses, we changed our system in 2002, making use of an encoded

So you have recently discovered that you are HIV positive? Your head is probably spinning and you probably have a hundred questions going around in your head, “What do I do now?” “Who do I tell?!” “Am I going to die?”  Don’t worry, we all were like that when we first discovered our diagnosis and every emotion that exists is currently going around your head like a whirlwind.  I want to share with you things that may or may help you though these initial stages of the rest of yo

No matter who you are or how old you are, everyone loves a Super Hero. Everyone loves the feeling of safety, knowing someone always has your back and when times get hard someone will step in to give you a helping hand to make things all better. I mean c’mon, who in the world doesn’t like or believe in some sort of Super Hero. Our Super Heroes may go by many different names, but in one way or another we all believe in the power of a Super Hero. When it comes to living with HIV or AIDS many

Photograph by: Jean Levac , Ottawa Citizen By Joanne Laucius, From  OTTAWA CITIZEN August 7 DAVID HOE is an AIDS activist and former federal public health adviser. He learned he had HIV in 1988 and almost died in 1996 before he was pulled from the brink by the arrival of new antiviral drugs. He recently celebrated his 70th birthday and is among the growing number of HIV survivors who are living well into their retirement years. David Hoe calls it “the Lazarus thing.” In 1996, he wa