We are a people who do not want to keep much of the past in our heads. It is considered unhealthy in America to remember mistakes, neurotic to think about them, psychotic to dwell on them.
Lillian Hellman
brian finch from acid reflux has participated in an outreach project which is designed to address hiv stigma in the gay community. he forwarded the link to me, and i have been kinda blown away, because i live in a small city which hosts a culture where hiv stigma actually thrives.
in my city, hiv is simply not discussed openly. if it is brought up, people will either change the subject, turn away, or even more disheartening- walk away.
i know thia fuels internalized self-hatred on the part of poz men and it also fuels an atmosphere that inhibits testing and safer behavior discussions during hook-ups. people make safety decisions based on hunch and appearance.
the website that hosts this approach to a healthy conversation is hivstigma. i encourage you to poke around it and see some of its offerings. there are several recorded interviews with gay men both negative and poz. i don't hear conversations like these often and i find them heartwarming.
here is a clip of brian's interview.
my fingers are crossed today. i am hoping quietly for a change in the direction i would prefer.
and steven todd has submitted a new post at prison's a bitch
and of course today's song choice is a live version of sade's sweetest taboo..
