I Will Hold You Ten Times

As longtime readers know, there are four or five JMG entries that I repost every year. This is one of them. My dear friend Daniel Johnson, who threw the most kickass Groundhog Day birthday parties for himself, would have been 58 years old today. His was a life that burned brightly and I am illuminated still. Daniel Johnson, 1957-1997.

I Will Hold You Ten Times

1. I will hold you, Daniel.

2. The lesions don't bother me, I will hold you.

3. I will pretend nothing is wrong when you want me to pretend and when you want me to hold you, I will hold you.

4. I will make plans with you to go to your favorite places that we both know you can no longer go and I will sit with you and look at your pictures of these places and I will hold you.

5. I will ride with you on the train to your doctor's office and when you get sick in the station, I will hold you.

6. I will see the Post-It notes you put all over the house reminding yourself to do everyday things like "Turn off stove" and "Lock front door" and I'll pretend the disease isn't robbing your mind and when you tell me something for the third time in ten minutes, I won't let you know, I will hold you.

7. I will go to Safeway with you because you need to get out into the world and when the diarrhea overwhelms you and you shit your pants in the middle of the store, I will call us a cab and in the cab, I will hold you.

8. I will make you mix-tapes of our favorite songs from last summer, just like you asked me to, and when the memories make you sad instead of happy and you throw the tapes in the trash, I won't get angry, I will hold you.

9. I will sit up all night with you because the fevers and night sweats won't let you sleep. In the morning, I will change your drenched sheets and help you out of the shower and when you weep from the sight of your withered body in the mirror on the bathroom door, I will hold you.

10. I will hold you, Daniel.

Media Coverage: AIDS Vs Ebola

New York Times writer David Dunlap compares the US media's reaction to ebola to what followed after his own paper's Lawrence Altman made the first notable mention of AIDS in 1983:

I can easily imagine the metro desk of 2015 jumping in to follow up on Altman’s account: “Find out who’s died. Call Larry [Kramer]. Reach out to the families. Speak to neighbors. Try to talk to the patients. What hospitals are they in? Who are their doctors? Learn everything you can. When did they get sick? Where do they live? How old are they? And we’ve got to be clear about possible risks.”

The metro desk of 1981, to which I also belonged, did nothing.

The next article in The Times appeared in August. It was by The Associated Press. By then, more than 100 cases of Kaposi’s sarcoma and pneumocystis pneumonia had been reported, overwhelmingly among gay men, almost half of whom had died. Readers waited four months for the next report, on page D24, by United Press International, as five or six new cases were appearing each week.

The Times was “setting the tone for noncoverage nationally,” Randy Shilts wrote in “And the Band Played On” (1987). “There was only one reason for the lack of media interest, and everybody in the [Centers for Disease Control] task force knew it: The victims were homosexuals.”

To date only one person has died of ebola in the United States and President Obama has made numerous nationally televised speeches on the issue. We all know how Ronald Reagan handled AIDS.

Robertson: You Can Get AIDS From Towels

AUSTRALIA: Clinton Tells Conference That An AIDS-Free Generation Is Within Reach

VANCOUVER: Hospital Shuts Dedicated AIDS Ward Over Lack Of Patients

Via the Vancouver Sun:

St. Paul’s Hospital has shut down its dedicated AIDS ward, saying they no longer have enough patients — and the end of AIDS is in sight. Ward 10C opened in February 1997 during the peak of the HIV and AIDS epidemic in Vancouver, when approximately one person was dying of AIDS every day. Earlier diagnosis of HIV, along with advances in treatment and care, has resulted in a significant decrease of AIDS. Patients living with HIV will continue to receive world-leading treatment and care. The focus of the ward will include treatment related to addictions such as various bacterial and viral infections like chronic hepatitis.

British Columbia's number of AIDS cases has dropped by 90% since 1995.

TRAILER: Mothers And Sons

(Tipped by JMG reader Alan)

EW Cover Story: The Normal Heart

Entertainment Weekly on the decades-long journey from stage to screen for The Normal Heart:

Despite involvement from names like Barbra Streisand, who owned the rights for 10 years, The Normal Heart appeared to be destined for only theater until Glee co-creator Ryan Murphy acquired the rights in 2009 with his own money. “I really believed in it,” explains Murphy, who first read the play in college and directed the film version. “Larry set a very high price. I gulped and said, ‘Okay,’ and bought it. I think he wanted to see, ‘Is this kid serious?’ And I was.” Kramer, who’s HIV-positive and currently recovering from unrelated medical complications, was unable to speak to EW but emailed that Heart made it to the screen “because of Ryan Murphy caring passionately about getting it made, abetted by [exec producer] Dante Di Loreto.” Murphy and Kramer’s passion project will finally reach a mass audience when Heart makes its debut May 25 on HBO.

HBO Cast Discusses The Normal Heart

The cast of HBO's coming The Normal Heart chatted with the Hollywood Reporter during a shoot for the magazine's current cover.

NEW YORK CITY: AIDS No Longer Among Top Ten Causes Of Death

Via the New York Daily News:

For the first time since the HIV epidemic exploded more than a generation ago, AIDS is no longer one of the top 10 causes of death in the city, the city’s top health official said Thursday. Health Commissioner Mary Bassett said AIDS dropped off the top ten list for 2012. In 2011, it was the number nine killer, with 766 deaths. That number dropped to 609 for 2012, according to statistics released last month. It’s the first time AIDS has not ranked among the top ten since 1983. City officials say better treatment is allowing New Yorkers with AIDS to live longer. “It’s a tribute to the efforts that have been made...in tackling this epidemic. We are seeing some success,” Bassett said at a City Council budget hearing.

According to the CDC, an estimated 1.2M Americans are living with HIV/AIDS.

I Will Hold You Ten Times

As longtime readers know, there are four or five JMG entries that I repost every year. This is one of them. My dear friend Daniel Johnson, who threw the most kickass Groundhog Day birthday parties for himself, would have been 57 years old today. His was a life that burned brightly and I am illuminated still. Daniel Johnson, 1957-1997.

I Will Hold You Ten Times

1. I will hold you, Daniel.

2. The lesions don't bother me, I will hold you.

3. I will pretend nothing is wrong when you want me to pretend and when you want me to hold you, I will hold you.

4. I will make plans with you to go to your favorite places that we both know you can no longer go and I will sit with you and look at your pictures of these places and I will hold you.

5. I will ride with you on the train to your doctor's office and when you get sick in the station, I will hold you.

6. I will see the Post-It notes you put all over the house reminding yourself to do everyday things like "Turn off stove" and "Lock front door" and I'll pretend the disease isn't robbing your mind and when you tell me something for the third time in ten minutes, I won't let you know, I will hold you.

7. I will go to Safeway with you because you need to get out into the world and when the diarrhea overwhelms you and you shit your pants in the middle of the store, I will call us a cab and in the cab, I will hold you.

8. I will make you mix-tapes of our favorite songs from last summer, just like you asked me to, and when the memories make you sad instead of happy and you throw the tapes in the trash, I won't get angry, I will hold you.

9. I will sit up all night with you because the fevers and night sweats won't let you sleep. In the morning, I will change your drenched sheets and help you out of the shower and when you weep from the sight of your withered body in the mirror on the bathroom door, I will hold you.

10. I will hold you, Daniel.

Researcher Resigns After Confessing To Faking AIDS Vaccine Results

An Iowa State University professor has resigned after confessing that he falsified blood samples to make it appear that an AIDS vaccine was working.

Dong-Pyou Han was an assistant professor of biomedical sciences. He resigned in October after admitting responsibility, an ISU spokesman said. The fraudulent results helped an ISU research team gain millions of dollars in federal money, according to James Bradac, who helps oversee AIDS vaccine grants for the National Institutes of Health. Bradac said in a phone interview Monday that Han apparently added human blood components to the rabbit blood to skew experiments' results. He said this was the worst case of research fraud he'd seen in his 24 years at the federal agency. The human blood came from people whose bodies had produced antibodies to HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, Bradac said. The presence of these antibodies in the rabbits' blood made it appear that the vaccine was spurring the animals to build defenses against HIV.

Researchers at other labs had become suspicious when they were unable to duplicate the results claimed by Iowa State. (Tipped by JMG reader Birdie)

Father Tony Is Doing The AIDS Ride

Father Tony is doing the Miami - Key West AIDS ride this weekend.  From Tony's rider page where you can sponsor him:

In high school, my idea of exercise was lip-synching Diana Ross. Now, as a 62 year-old gay adventure tour guide and travel writer, I want you to "stop, in the name of love" for a moment and consider supporting the crazy thing I have decided to do. On Friday November 15th, and Saturday November 16th I will join hundreds who will ride their bicycles from Miami to Key West 165-miles. Our journey will be one filled with hope, pride, and the dream of a future free of HIV/AIDS. This year will mark the 10th year of The SMART Ride journey.

So far Tony has corporate sponsorship from South Florida Gay News, where he is their travel writer, and from Key West's Island House. (And from this here website thingy, of course.)  Hit the first link for a worthy cause.

Father Tony Is Doing The AIDS Ride

I don't know where he gets the energy, but in November our own Father Tony will participate in South Florida's version of an AIDS ride.  From the SMART Ride about page:

Like many things that change us and the world in some way, it starts with a dream, a vision, and an idea. The Southern Most AIDS/HIV RideTwenty-Thirteen is no different. It was born out of a dream to make a real and significant difference in the lives of those infected, affected and at risk for HIV/AIDS. The SMART Ride began as a dream to create a bicycle event where 100% of pledges raised could go back to the communities to be used for direct services. That was over eight years ago, and so far $4.2 million dollars have been raised. 100% has been given back to the communities we serve to assist with direct services for individuals infected or affected by HIV/AIDS.

From Tony's rider page where you can sponsor him:

In high school, my idea of exercise was lip-synching Diana Ross. Now, as a 62 year-old gay adventure tour guide and travel writer, I want you to "stop, in the name of love" for a moment and consider supporting the crazy thing I have decided to do. On Friday November 15th, and Saturday November 16th I will join hundreds who will ride their bicycles from Miami to Key West 165-miles. Our journey will be one filled with hope, pride, and the dream of a future free of HIV/AIDS. This year will mark the 10th year of The SMART Ride journey.

So far Tony has corporate sponsorship from South Florida Gay News, where he is their travel writer, and from Key West's Island House. And of course, he'll have a JMG sticker on his helmet.

NOTE: Regretfully, I've had to turn down many requests to promote JMG reader participation in AIDS rides and similar events, but since this one is sort of "in-house" for me, I'm making an exception for Father Tony.

NYT Disses AIDS History Exhibit

AIDS In NYC: The First Five Years has been running all summer at the New York Historical Society.  Yesterday the New York Times issued a scathing review.

After seeing this show, a newcomer to this history would be hard pressed to understand the rise of the street-activist group Act Up, the takeover of the Food and Drug Administration headquarters by protesters or the legacy of mistrust between the medical-industrial complex and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

That’s not the only time the exhibition boosts the city at the expense of its queer residents. Here is how it explains the glacial pace of the government’s response to the crisis: “The number of New York voters committed to fight for gay causes was insufficient to form a political bloc strong enough to successfully demand public funds for research, housing, and social services. This was in part because so many gay citizens feared that embracing advocacy would reveal their sexual identities.”

Here, grammar is put through the ringer to avoid blaming homophobic, apathetic New Yorkers for their inaction. But the queer community’s own supposed failings are easy to read.

The show runs throught September 15th. Learn more here.

June 22nd: ACT UP Reunion In NYC

The alumni of ACT UP New York will hold a reunion on June 22nd from 6:30PM to 11PM.

This community-building event, which we hope will be the first of several, will reunite ACT UP members who confronted the government’s malignant neglect of the AIDS crisis and turned our anger into action that saved countless lives.  We are honored to have financial support from Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, a leading industry-based philanthropy, and a growing group of private donors.

Gay City News has much more on the event. RSVP at the first link.

Sylvester's Greatest Hits Re-Release To Benefit San Francisco AIDS Charities

As some of you doubtlessly know, Sylvester willed the future royalties from his catalog to San Francisco's AIDS Emergency Fund and Project Open Hand.  And just in time for gay pride, next month Fantasy Records will re-issue his greatest package on multiple formats. From the press release:

Twenty-five years after his untimely death, the iconic legacy of Sylvester, the “Queen of Disco,” will be resurrected with Mighty Real: Greatest Dance Hits, due out June 25th (international release dates vary) on Fantasy Records. This collection will celebrate the life and music of the artist who once danced his way into the hearts and minds of the disco and LGBT communities. A quarter of a century after his passing, Sylvester will make a fabulous debut back into a prolific time in the LGBT community just the way he would have liked it – through dance music. This 11-track release, available on CD and on double pink vinyl, will feature a number of original album tracks and 12” mixes that are rare or no longer available on CD, as well as the brand new remix of the iconic “You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)” by Grammy-nominated remixer and DJ, Ralphi Rosario (Rihanna, Mariah Carey, Beyonce, Madonna, etc.).

The liner notes for the new release have been written by Joshua Gamson, author of The Fabulous Sylvester: The Legend, The Music, The Seventies in San Francisco.  Pre-orders for the reissue are launching today on iTunes and on Amazon.  The release will be supported on social media at Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr.

Even if you already own all of Sylvester's catalog, please consider adding this special reissue package to your collection and help the two San Francisco organizations that will benefit. I'm working with the label and representatives from the AEF and will help promote the release over the next few weeks. Below is Ralphi Rosario's bonus track.

Barbara Eden Headlines AIDS Fundraiser

An apparently ageless Barbara Eden took the stage in her Jeannie costume yesterday at Vienna's Life Ball, which is the biggest AIDS fundraiser in Europe. She is 78, folks.  Also appearing at the event was Bill Clinton. (Via Boy Culture)

Museum Exhibition Opening On June 7th: AIDS in New York: The First Five Years

Opening June 7th at the New York Historical Society: 

AIDS in New York: The First Five Years will explore the impact of the epidemic on personal lives, public health and medical practices, culture, and politics in New York City and the nation. Drawing from the archives of the New York Public Library, New York University, and the National Archive of LGBT History, the show will use posters, photographs, and artifacts to tell the story of the early years of AIDS in New York.

The exhibition runs through September 15th.

HomoQuotable - Michelangelo Signorile

"For gay men over 40, it's as if we've come back from a war that was far away and distant to most Americans even as it was happening -- not unlike the actual wars we've experienced in this country in the past decade. All of us who were in the trenches of the AIDS war are today dealing with the grief and the survivor guilt, even as the war itself goes on. Many are grappling with deeper scars and something akin to post-traumatic stress. A lot of it is immeshed in all the other issues people face, such as mid-life crises and aging. But as John Voelcker pointed out, unlike for other veterans of other wars, there isn't a Veterans Administration or any built-in support system for the survivors of the AIDS war, nor is there any outlet for mass grieving of the thousands who've died from AIDS similar to the memorials for war dead or terrorism victims." - Michelangelo Signorile, writing for the Huffington Post.

Read Signorile's full essay, which includes mention of tonight's Manhattan panel on AIDS survivorship, where I'm one of the speakers.

Honorary GOProud Chair Ann Coulter: We All Have To Pay For Sodomy

Via Mediaite:

During what was supposed to be a debate about NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg's various "public health" laws — indoor smoking bans, hidden cigarette displays by mandate, bans on large sugary beverages, etc. — Ann Coulter attempted to flip the "liberal nannying" logic upside-down by bringing up illegitimacy, sodomy, AIDS, and gay bathhouses.  Suffice it to say the segment went off the rails. And did so quickly.