Bobservations

Work on the kitchen goes on; we are awaiting the delivery of the specialty tile I ordered so we can get the hood installed and the light up, but our contractor Craig was here this week installing all the knobs. He had a “management” question so naturally I was summoned from the office to the kitchen to discuss the issue, but first Craig apologized:

“I would have been done sooner but Carlos keeps coming out here and bothering me.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Why are you sorry?”

“He was bugging me in the office so I kept sending him out here!”

And Carlos chimes in:

“I can hear you, you know.”

Oh, we know …

This Tuxedo Says is from June 2021, but is just as relevant today:

With all these state legislatures trying to pass these voter suppression bills, they are the perfect place to start voting out the RepubliQAnons.

That cat was onto something even back then!

The Cankles Regime has stopped commemorating December 1 as World AIDS Day. The US has honored that day every year since 1988 but no longer.

Bottom of Form

TheThThe Regime has  drastically cut federal funding for HIV prevention worldwide and an estimated 127,073 adult and 13,527 infant deaths have been caused by the effects of HIV/AIDS due to Cankles’ cuts in funding for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief [PEPFAR], a program that has saved an estimated 25 to 26 million lives since its inception in 2003.

Fuck Cankles.

I recently read that Jennifer Lopez was paid $2 million to perform at a billionaire’s star-studded wedding in India.

I’ve said this about Taylor Swift and the same holds true for Jell-O … she could give a free concert in my kitchen and I still wouldn’t go.

Starbucks will pay about $38 million to more than 15,000 workers in what officials are calling the largest worker protection settlement in New York City history after the company denied thousands of workers stable schedules and cut their hours arbitrarily.

The bosses make millions and then fucks their employees.

Don’t go to Starbucks. Ever.

In Washington DC two members of the National Guard, Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom and Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe were shot over the weekend and Beckstrom died from her wounds.

Instantly Cankles ordered 500 more National Guard members into DC but when children are shot in a school nothing happens.

Let that sink in ...

Anyone who invested $12,500 in the Slovenian Hooker’s meme coin scheme at its peak, not has $118 left.

I could feel sorry for those people, but if they believed that anyone in that family would make them rich gets what they got.

Jinkx Monsoon will star as Judy Garland in the revival of Peter Quilter's End of the Rainbow musical and Friends of Dorothy AKA The Gays, as well as Friends of Jinkx couldn't be more excited.

Monsoon, clearly the biggest winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race, has done everything from playing Matron Mama Morton in Chicago, Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors, Ruth in Pirates! The Penzance Musical, and Mary Todd Lincoln in Oh, Mary! and says approach to playing Garland will be different:

"I know people know me for impressions and imitations—but I'm thrilled for this chance to explore beyond the laughter and into the heart of why we still think so much about Judy today. Her tale is one that we can't forget, especially as women in entertainment are still fighting for autonomy and agency in their own careers. I'm ready to bring new aspects of her story to the stage, and to share what I find so tragically beautiful about her life.”

Monsoon Season comes to England from May 15 through June 21, 2026, at the Soho Theatre.

If we are at war, then DUI Hire Pete Hegseth is a war criminal. And if we are not at war then Pete Hegseth is a murderer and draft dodging Cankles is his accomplice.

Jakob Jokerst is a Germany model discovered at age 16; since then he quickly made a name for himself in the fashion industry and expanded into the strange new occupation, social media influencer, so now, at age 26 … Would You Hit It?

World AIDS Day and My Amazing Husband

Today, of course, is World AIDS Day, though I am waiting for the time we won't need to acknowledge it other than to remind  ourselves of what once was our lives, but last night, in Columbia, they held a Keep the Promise/End the epidemic event at the statehouse.

And my husband spoke on behalf of the Hispanic community in our state, which,sadly, is raked 8th in new HIV cases in this country.

And, because of his eyesight issues, and because it was dark by the time he spoke, the emcee of the event introduced him  and then helped Carlos walk to the podium to speak. His speech was entirely in Spanish except for the first line:

"I am have failing eyesight but I still have my vision."

In the audience, an elder queerling was snapping pictures and getting teary eyed.

Just sayin'.

I am so proud of my husband.

Today Is World AIDS Day

World AIDS Day is held every year on December 1^st as an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV, to show their support for people living with HIV and to commemorate those we have lost. The first World AIDS Day was in 1988.

Today there are an estimated 34 million people who have the virus; since it was first identified in 1984, more than 35 million people have died of HIV or AIDS, making it one of the most destructive pandemics in history.

But times have changed. Today, scientific advances have been made in HIV treatment, there are laws to protect people living with HIV and we understand so much more about the condition.  And yet despite the advances in treatment and in stopping the stigma of what it means to be HIV+, there are more and more cases of people being diagnosed with HIV.

Many do not know the facts about how to protect themselves and others, and the stigma and the discrimination remain a reality for many people living with the condition.

World AIDS Day is important because it reminds the public and the government that HIV has not gone away, and that there is still a vital need to raise money, increase awareness, fight prejudice and improve education.

Take just a minute to talk about AIDS and HIV; fear and ignorance are at the root of HIV … the fear that you may get ‘it,’ may have ‘it,’ may spread ‘it’ … and the ignorance about the treatment and prevention. The times have changed, we’ve come a long way, but there is still work to be done. People are still contracting the virus

Here are some facts about AIDS in 2015:

1. Globally about 36.9 million people are living with HIV including 2.6 million children

2. An estimated 2 million were infected in 2014

3. An estimated 34 million people have died from HIV or AIDS, including 1.2 million in 2014

4. The number of adolescent deaths from AIDS has tripled over the last 15 years

5. AIDS is the number one cause of death among adolescents in Africa and the second among adolescents globally

6. In sub-Saharan Africa, the region with the highest prevalence, girls account for 7 in 10 new infections among those aged 15-19

7. At start of 2015, 15 million people were receiving antiretroviral therapy compared to 1 million in 2001

8. Despite widespread availability of HIV testing, only an estimated 51 percent of people with HIV know their status

9. The global response to HIV has averted 30 million new HIV infections and nearly 8 million deaths since 2000

10. In 2015, Cuba was the first country declared to have eliminated mother-to-child transmission of HIV  

The march goes on …

World AIDS Day site

Rosa Parks: Another One Of My Heroes

Last week it was Harvey Milk, this week it's my other hero, Rosa Parks.

Fifty-eight years ago today, on December 1, 1955, in Montgomery, Alabama, Rosa Parks refused to obey bus driver James Blake's order that she give up her seat to make room for a white passenger. 

On this day, December 1, 2010, World AIDS Day, maybe we can take a page from Rosa's handbook, and as a community, of LGBT men and women, and LGBT-friendly men and women, refuse to take a back seat to anyone, anywhere, any time, ever, until we are all treated equally.

Thanks Rosa, for showing all of us how to take a stand.

Today Is World AIDS Day

HIV/AIDS Statistics for the United States:

• There are approximately 1.1 million people living with HIV/AIDS in the U.S.

• It is estimated that almost one-fifth of those people don’t know they have it.

• Since the start of the AIDS epidemic, 1.7 million Americans have been infected with HIV and more than 650,000 have died of AIDS.

• An estimated 50,000 new HIV infections occur in the U.S. each year.

• Men who have sex with men (MSM) account for the majority of new HIV/AIDS diagnoses although MSM comprise only around 4% of the U.S. male population.

• New HIV diagnoses among MSM were more than 44 times higher than among other men and more than 40 times higher than women in 2008.

• African Americans accounted for 47% of new HIV infections diagnosed in 2011, although they comprise only 14% of the population.

• The HIV infection rate among African American women is nearly four times higher than the rate among white women.

• The infection rate among Latinos was three times higher than the rate among whites in 2010.

• In 2011, more than 20% of people diagnosed with HIV in the U.S. were women.

• The vast majority of newly diagnosed HIV-positive women contracted the virus through heterosexual sex.

• In 2010, 31% of all new infections occurred among people aged 25–34, followed by individuals aged 13–24 at 26%.

What can you do?

Get.Tested. And make sure any, and every, sexual partner you have gets tested, too.

"When I was tested for the second time and found out I was HIV positive, I thought my world was going to collapse and cave in but thankfully this test actually saved my life. The sooner you find out whether you are positive (or negative), the sooner you can start your combination therapy and get the virus under control and live your life normally."

—Andy Bell, of Erasure, who learned he was HIV+ in 1998.

Today Is World AIDS Day

What is World AIDS Day?

World AIDS Day is held on 1 December each year and is an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV, show their support for people living with HIV and to commemorate people who have died. World AIDS Day was the first ever global health day and the first one was held in 1988.

Why is World AIDS Day important?

More than 33.3 million people globally are currently living with HIV, and, as of 2007, more than 25 million people have died from the virus, making it one of the most destructive pandemics in history.

Today, many scientific advances have been made in HIV treatment, there are laws to protect people living with HIV and we understand so much more about the condition. But despite this, people do not know the facts about how to protect themselves and others from HIV, and stigma and discrimination remain a reality for many people living with HIV. World AIDS Day is important as it reminds the public and Government that HIV has not gone away – there is still a vital need to raise money, increase awareness, fight prejudice and improve education.

What should I do on World AIDS Day?

World AIDS Day is an opportunity for you to learn the facts about HIV and put your knowledge into action. If you understand how HIV is transmitted, how it can be prevented, and the reality of living with HIV today - you can use this knowledge to take care of your own health and the health of others, and ensure you treat everyone living with HIV fairly, and with respect and understanding.

You can also show your support for people living with HIV on World AIDS Day by wearing a red ribbon, the international symbol of HIV awareness.

World AIDS Day is also a great opportunity to raise money for NAT and show your support for people living with HIV. If you feel inspired to hold an event, bake sale or simply sell red ribbons, or go HERE to see what you can do and what other events are taking place.

But what about after World AIDS Day?

Although World AIDS Day is a great opportunity to get the public talking about HIV and fundraise, we need to remember the importance of raising awareness of HIV all year round. That's why NAT has launched HIVaware [HERE], a fun, interactive new website which provides all the information everyone should know about HIV. Why not use what you have learned on World AIDS Day to Act Aware [HERE] throughout the year and remember, you can fundraise at any time of year too.

source

One Of My My Heroes

Fifty-five years ago today, on December 1, 1955, in Montgomery, Alabama, Rosa Parks refused to obey bus driver James Blake's order that she give up her seat to make room for a white passenger.

On this day, December 1, 2010, World AIDS Day, maybe we can take a page from Rosa's handbook, and as a community, of LGBT men and women, and LGBT-friendly men and women, refuse to take a back seat to anyone, anywhere, any time, ever, until we are all treated equally.

HIV/AIDS By The Numbers

These latest statistics of the global HIV/AIDS epidemic were published by UNAIDS in November 2010, and reflect the numbers at the end of 2009:

• 33,300,000 people are living with HIV/AIDS
• 30,800,00 adults are living with HIV/AIDS
• 15,900,000 women are living with HIV/AIDS
• 2,500,000 children are living with HIV/AIDS
• 2,600,000 people are newly infected with HIV
• 2,200,000 adults are newly infected with HIV
• 1,800,000 AIDS deaths in 2009
• 16,600,000 children are now orphans due to AIDS in 2009

 Sub-Saharan Africa carries the greatest burden of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, with some 68% of the population living with HIV.
Epidemics in Asia have remained relatively stable and are still largely concentrated among high-risk groups.
Conversely, the number of people living with HIV in Eastern Europe and Central Asia has almost tripled since 2000.

source

30 Voices From The Past 30 Years, Part Five

The Advocate marked the fourth decade of the AIDS crisis by revisiting some of the people who have been there since day one:

"The first year of GMHC [Gay Men's Health Crisis] and the first four years of ACT UP were some of the most exciting years I have ever felt in my life. I have never felt such love, support, and energy among all of us fighting for common goals."

Author and activist Larry Kramer. August 17, 1999.
 

"Over time, while the pandemic has not left the GLBT community, it has vastly extended within the LGBT community and into other communities, including heterosexual women, the majority of whom are women of color."

Ana Oliveira, executive director of Gay Men's Health Crisis. August 30, 2005.

 

"If we can create an engine called Microsoft that can put a computer in virtually every home in America, if we can create an engine called Nike that can put sneakers on the feet of people all over the world, then we have to begin to create engines--multibillion-dollar engines--that are addressing the great social causes of our time."

AIDS Ride founder Dan Pallotta. February 19, 2002.
 

"I wonder now as I look around me, Who is going to carry my torch?"

Television personality and AIDS educator Pedro Zamora, testifying before Congress. July 7, 1998.
 

"At the tender age of 41--a year longer than I once thought I would live--I have never felt better, HIV transformed my life, made me a better and braver writer, prompted me to write the first big book pushing marriage rights, got me to take better care of my health, improved my sex life, and deepened my spirituality."

Author and political pundit Andrew Sullivan. July 5, 2005.
 

"Not until same-sex relationships are fully recognized as equal to opposite-sex relationships; not until a gay or bisexual soldier's sacrifice is equal to that of a straight soldier; not until we put an end to the chipping away of a young boy's self-esteem by bullying in the school yard; not until there is a time when the concern is not who we love but that we love will the stigma of HIV/AIDS fade. And only then will our nation do all it can to finally put an end to a disease that so significantly impacts gay and bisexual men and people of color."

A joint statement by Dr. Marjorie J. Hill, chief executive officer of Gay Men's Health Crisis; Rea Carey, executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force; and Paul Kawara, executive director of the National Minority AIDS Council. October 1, 2010.

30 Voices From The Past 30 Years, Part Four

The Advocate marked the fourth decade of the AIDS crisis by revisiting some of the people who have been there since day one:

"In 1986, when a great number of people that I knew had already died and were infected, I just assumed that I was infected also, because I couldn't imagine why I wouldn't have been. Finally, I had the courage to go and get the test, which was one of the scarier moments of my life. I found out that I was HIV-negative. At first I didn't understand it, and then i felt guilty because so many friends of mine were dealing with this issue and I had been released from this burden. After a period of time, I thought, I'm a very lucky man, and I have to show up in this problem, not because I'm fighting for my own life but because I have to be a part of this fight. I've been extraordinarily fortunate in many ways, and I want to be a part of the solution."

Producer and philanthropist David Geffen. December 29, 1992.
 

"Slick Willie, the Republicans were right. We should never have trusted you. You are doing nothing while we die. One year later, lots of talk, but no action. Bill, while me and my community are dying in ever-increasing numbers, all you do it talk."

ACT UP member Luke Montgomery [Luke Sissyfag], who interrupted a speech by President Bill Clinton at an AIDS ward at Georgetown University Medical Center. January 25, 1994.
 

"I heard this big, hollow thud, and then I found myself in the water. I just held my head in the hopes... I [didn't] know if I was cut or not. But I wanted to keep the blood in, or just not let anybody touch it. Dealing with HIV was really difficult for me because I felt like, God, thee US Olympic Committee needs to know about this. But I didn't anticipate hitting my head on the board. That's where I became paralyzed with fear."Olympian Greg Louganis, telling Barbara Walters about his diving accident during the 1988 games. March 21, 1995.

 

"I remember complaining, 'Why isn't anybody doing anything? Why isn't anyone raising money?' And it struck me like lightning: 'Wait a second, I'm not doing anything.' So with the help of several other people, we put on the first-ever gay benefit here, the Commitment to Life. Betty Ford was the guest of honor, and it took about a year to put together. I've never heard so many nos in my life. Oh, my God,m it was unbelievable! Nobody in this town wanted to know or be a part of it. They said, 'No, this is one where you want to stay away from.There's a stigma.' I didn't even know that Rock Hudson was sick yet. i found that out two or three months after i was involved."

Actress and activist Elizabeth Taylor. October 15, 1996.
 

"[As gay men] we're conditioned to think we're always at risk for HIV. I know that anytime I've gone for an HIV test, I always worry, even if I don't engage in unsafe sexual behavior or inject drugs."

Jose Zuniga, a volunteer for a 1997 live-virus HIV vaccine trial. November 25, 1997.
 

"If my story can help people--anybody at all--it is positive. I've always tried to help people, whether it be as a gay man, or a Mexican-American or now, someone who is HIV-positive."

1996 national champion figure skater Rudy Galindo. May 9, 2000.

30 Voices From The Past 30 Years, Part Three

The Advocate marked the fourth decade of the AIDS crisis by revisiting some of the people who have been there since day one:

"I wanted to do something about AIDS through the eyes of the gay community. There was nothing else out there, and people kept saying, 'Why is this still a taboo subject?'"

Lindsay Law, executive producer of the film Longtime Companion. May 8, 1990.
 

"Remember that someday the AIDS crisis will be over. And when that day has come and gone, there will be people alive--gay and straight people, black and white people, men and women--who will hear that once there was a terrible disease and that a brave group of people stood up and fought and in some cases died so others might live and be free. I'm proud to be with the people I love--those who are fighting this war--and to be a part of that fight. And after we kick the shit out of this disease, I intend to be alive to kick the shit out of this system so that it will never happen again."

Film critic, author, and GLAAD cofounder Vito Russo at the October 1988 ACT UP FDA protest. December 18, 1990.
 

"I hear people say, 'Oh, gee, wasn't that horrible then?' but it's just as horrible now. It's just on a grander scale. Instead of spending $20 million, we spend $2 billion, but instead of having 10,000 cases we have 200,000 cases."

Randy Shilts, former Advocate staffer and author of And The Band Played On. June 15, 1993.
 

"I tell people when I go out to speak that no matter how people got this virus, we've got to open our arms up to everybody--not just to me because I'm heterosexual. Until you're able to educate society--not just about AIDS and HIV, but about gays and stuff--they're always going to do and say stupid things."

Retired basketball player and philanthropist Magic Johnson. April 21, 1992.
 

"For those with HIV, never despair, never give up, because things are happening all the time, because we will get there someday, and it could be sooner than some of us dare to expect."

Mathilde Krim, founding chairman of amfAR. November 16, 1993.
 

"I've lost incredible numbers of people. I'm to the point where I don't even remember who's alive anymore... Some days I just assume everybody's dead. I went through a one-year period where I'd say that i just don't have anyone I love anymore. I had one friend whose ashes are buried in my backyard. I've done four quilts, and that's just for people no one else had done it for."

Actor and playwright Harvey Fierstein. October 8, 1991.

30 Voices From The Past 30 Years, Part Two

The Advocate marked the fourth decade of the AIDS crisis by revisiting some of the people who have been there since day one:

"Mr. Reagan, did you explain...that sometimes ignorant people act is such a way [toward people with AIDS] that is frightening... How long is it going to take before people get smart...educated people? We're not talking about illiterate people. We're talking about senators and congressmen and the fucking president."

Actress Whoopi Goldberg, speaking at the 1987 March On Washington. November 10, 1987.
 

"Now I deal regularly with the phenomenon of young men who come up after a concert, with tears in their eyes, and say, 'I just want to thank you.' And without them saying it, I know they've had a friend who has died of AIDS."

Folksinger and songwriter Joan Baez. August 18, 1987.
 

"It's so beautiful. I think it is a strengthening and empowering statement of hope and remembrance. If people come away from here with anything, I want it to be love. I want people who come here to understand that even as this epidemic continues, we're loving people, we take care of each other, and we've got the strength and the will to beat this disease."

Activist Cleve Jones at the launch of the AIDS Memorial Quilt at the 1987 March On Washington. November 10, 1987.
 

"At first, I waited politely for the president to respond to the epidemic.... After about a year, I realized the government wasn't going to do anything, so I started doing safer-sex education with community-based AIDS organizations. By 1985, it was becoming clear that we needed to take this a step further, that civil disobedience would be as important as caregiving if we wanted real change."

Waiyde Palmer, an activist who helped organize and AIDS protest during the 1989 San Francisco Opera performance of Falstaff.
 

"What we don't need is another study. What we need is leadership, and...once again, the president is hiding."

US representative Henry Waxman, a longtime critic of President Ronald Reagan's inaction on AIDS. September 13, 1988.
 

"Now that I've resigned myself to living, how am I going to make something of it? There's a question I ask myself and ask of everybody who is struggling to heal themselves, everybody who is dealing with AIDS, dealing with being gay, dealing with this painful world: 'Where is your passion? Why do you love, and what are you doing about it?'"

Choreographer Bill T. Jones. February 27, 1990.

30 Voices From The Past 30 Years, Part One

The Advocate marked the fourth decade of the AIDS crisis by revisiting some of the people who have been there since day one:

"We are seeing the beginning of a major epidemic of cancer. The disease happens to be occurring in the gay community, but what is really relevant is whatever conditions are causing Kaposi's [sarcoma]. We are very concerned to head off a panic."

Alvin Friedman-Kien, MD, of the NYU Medical Center, August 20, 1981

"So far, no one knows with certainty what causes the fatal new diseases. Homosexuals, one person in a monogamous relationship and not the other, even infants have succumbed. Yet many cases are centered in the gay men';s community, especially in New York City. Most of us who know a lot of gay men also know one or more who have died. Living with this situation feels a bit like it must have felt to be alive when the plague was decimating the population of Europe."

David Goodstein, president of Liberation Publications, publisher of The Advocate, in a letter to readers. January 20, 1983.

"Two and a half years ago, my friends wondered why I was doing this."

Lynn Paleo, who worked with the San Francisco AIDS Foundations, in a feature about lesbians' involvement in AIDS activism. October 14, 1986.

"AIDS is a sex-related disease, and we in the religious community have not gotten our act together on sexuality."

The Reverend Carl Flemister, executive minister of the American Baptist Churches of Metropolitan New York, discussing the spread of HIV. April 2, 1985.

"My volunteer life at this point is limit4ed exclusively to health education against contracting AIDS. We've been deluged with threats and the worst possible hype--media hype--about the dangers of AIDS. Yet there have been very few sound voices coming through saying, 'Yes, times are tough, and they may get worse, but we can do something about it.' That's what I'm trying to do."

Actress Zelda Rubenstein on her involvement in an early AIDS awareness ad campaign. June, 10, 1986.

"When confronted with our own mortality, it has become common in our community to have our bodies cremated and our ashes thrown to the four winds. But with the wind goes an important part of our history. And also an important part of our future. I ask you to consider the ramifications of this action on tomorrow's generation of lesbians and gays as they search for self-esteem. As a person with AIDS, I have thought about this a great deal. I believe that we must be the same activists in our deaths that we were in our lives. I urge those of you who are facing death to find a method of leaving a lasting record of our accomplishments--including the acknowledgement that you were lesbian or gay."

Activist and former Air Force sergeant Leonard Matlovich. June 23, 1987.

Today Is World AIDS Day

And in South Carolina........

December 1st is World AIDS Day, a day of remembering those who lost this battle and honoring those living with HIV. In South Carolina, on this 2010 World AIDS Day, there are more than 250 people on the AIDS Drug Assistance Program [ADAP] waiting list due to inadequate funding. The S.C. HIV/AIDS Care Crisis Task Force is reaching out to legislators and people around the state for assistance in advocating for funding the South Carolina AIDS Drug Assistance Program to meet the demand for life saving medications.

The cost of HIV/AIDS drugs continues to increase, and with inadequate funding for early care and treatment of HIV/AIDS, patients will continue to suffer. With adequate funding, however, people living with HIV can stay healthier and working longer, mother to child transmission can be nearly eliminated, and new infections can be prevented. If we fail to focus on HIV prevention in South Carolina, the state will continue to see increased numbers of new HIV infections and incur the severe financial burden of care for those who are uninsured.

According to Noreen O’Donnell, Ryan White Program Manager for SC DHEC STD/HIV Division, "The South Carolina AIDS Drug Assistance Program is currently facing a funding shortfall due to cuts in federal and state budgets and an increase in demand for services. As of November 24, 2010, there are 251 patients who are HIV positive on a waiting list for drugs and that number is projected to rise to over 900 people by June 30, 2011. Without additional funding the wait list will be in place for the foreseeable future."

ADAP is growing at a rate of 10-15% annually and serves 27% of people living with HIV in South Carolina, which is 7% greater than the national average. South Carolina must ensure the provision of $3.5 million recurring, and at least $7 million in additional state supplemental funding to maintain the continuation of federal funds for ADAP. With the current $1.8 million supplemental state contribution, the SC ADAP predicts a $10 million shortfall for FY 2011.

How can you help? Contact your state legislators, Congressmen, Senators, Governors, even the President, and demand that money for ADAP be restored and that no further cuts be accepted.

It's the least we can do for those who need our help.

World AIDS Day

Check out what Kevin at The Lisp, has to say about it.

He has a challenge for us all and he has a message to which we should all....gay....straight....male....female....adhere:

Be safe.

Stay educated.

Get tested.

World Aids Day

You don't hear so much about AIDS anymore....at least you don't if you don't know anyone living with AIDS or HIV. But the fact is that 33 million people around the world are living with HIV.....up some two-million-plus in 2007. So on this, World AIDS Day, we need to be aware, to remember those we've lost, those we may yet lose. We need to be aware that cases of HIV and AIDS are on the rise; we need to be educated and knowledgeable; we need to be safe.
There are a couple of great places to go and read up on what you can do, from making a donation, to volunteering, to writing letters to keep all governments, all nations, working together to find a cure.
Check out the Gay Men's Health Crisis and World Aids Campaign to see what you can do. I know personally what a difference it would make in my life to have AIDS and HIV a thing of the past.

A few years back Carlos and I went to see the AIDS Memorial Quilt when it was in Miami. It was a shocking site, all those panels and yet many more still dying; and it was a beautiful site, when you realized how much love was in each stitch and what each thread meant to the person who created the panel. These are just a few of the words, the memorials, sewn into fabric, that I saw that day:

Death is nothing at all—I have only slipped away into the next room. Whatever we were to each other, that we still are. Call me by my old familiar name, speak to me in the easy way which you always used. Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes we enjoyed together. Play, smile, think of me, pray for me. Let my name be the household word that it always was. Let it be spoken without effort.
Life means all that it has ever meant, it is the same as it ever was; there is absolutely unbroken continuity. Why should I be out of your mind because I am out of your sight? I am but waiting for you, for an interval, somewhere very near, just around the corner. All is well. Nothing is past; nothing is lost. One brief moment and all will be as it was before—only better, infinitely happier and forever—
_____________________________________

William Davis Austin
Even in the final months of his illness Bill would say, “I’m so lucky, I’ve had it all.” Of course, it may be that Bill was no luckier than the rest of us, except that he had the ultimate wisdom to know he was blessed and to live every day of his life in awe and with gratitude.
_____________________________________

The hardest thing is to remember to say ‘I’—not ‘We.’
For Grady Harwell 1952-1991
_____________________________________

God saw you were getting tired,
and a cure was not to be..
So he put his arms around you
and whispered, “Come away with me.”
With tearful eyes we watched you
And saw you pass away.
Although we loved you dearly
We could not make you stay.
A Golden Heart stopped beating
Hardworking hands at rest
God broke our hearts to show us
He only takes the best.
For Desiree p. Pope 1980-1997

Peace