strength in numbers

SIN is an international organization for hiv positive men that was started in los angeles by a guy named bryan levinson. it is a social organization that lends itself to being more than just a pick-up mechanism. there are parties, kaffe-klatches, dinners, movie nights, dinners, and more. and i think there is some hooking up that happens, too. after all, boys will be boys. or more appropriately, men will be men.

the denver chapter has eluded me. i joined the organization earlier this year and have received many notices of all these events, however after about march, any particular details about the wheres, the whens, and the other details have never come in the emails. and i had resigned myself that perhaps the organization may just not be for me.

but i also happen to co-chair a committee for the planning council to the mayors office of hiv resources, and having input from members of this organization could and most likely would be beneficial to at least one person in SIN and definitely be good for our committee. so i have been wrestling with a dilemma. how do i invite these men to participate or become part of the process i am in, without interfering with the general function of the group itself. to clarify, are all these guys aware of all services available to hiv positive persons in denver? do any of them have needs that are not being met? can our committee facilitate a change in any regard to this? do you know where to go if you need help with insurance continuation? are your dental needs taken care of? do you struggle with depression?

anyway, a friend on the committee who joined SIN independently was reiterating the same frustrations about the information dissemination of this group just last week. i assured him that the guy who was coordinating the activities had recently moved and probably just busy.

then i opened up my email this morning to this:

It is with deepest regret that I announce the death of Chuck Lane.
Chuck died on Monday, August 13, 2007 of a stroke.

There is going to be a celebration of Chuck's life at the residence
of Rodney Allen's parent's house. Rodney is Chuck's ex-partner.

If you would like to attend, the Celebration will be held on Sunday,
August 19, 2007 @ 0900Mountain. The location is: etc,etc, etc

this mail was then followed up with this from Bryan Levinson:

Thank you Joe for letting us know this incredibly sad news. I had
the fortune of speaking with Chuck on the phone a number of times as
he started up SIN Colorado and built it into a successful and active
poz social group. I'm really hurt by the news. He was an incredibly
sweet caring guy. Poz guys everywhere have lost a truly great friend
in Chuck.

Let me know what, if anything, I can do as well as what guys in SIN
around the world can do.

i am humbled at how quickly things can change and how little i really know. i also am in admiration of anyone who extends themselves in anyway to bring people together and throw light in a dark place. especially in denver, it is not easy to meet other poz men, and so SIN offers a really important breath of fresh air, and the fact that chuck used his energy for a greater good is admirable. my hat is off to you chuck lane. thank you for expanding the possibilities in my life.

and i offer a salutation, because you were a soldier in the fight to survive and thrive with hiv. i thank you because it can be a tough battle at times.