C O M M E M O R A T I N G
2 5
Y E A R S
C O M M E M O R A T I N G
2 5
Y E A R S
HIV AND SPORTS: OUT OF BOUNDS
HIV AND SPORTS: can HEPatitis C Out of Be SEXUALly bounds TRANSMItted?
CAN HEPatitis C BE SEXUAlly TRANSMITTED?
POSITIVELY AWARE
POSITIVELY AWARE
NOV+DEC 2014
NOV+DEC 2014
The HIV Treatment Journal of Test Positive Aware Network
The HIV Treatment Journal of Test Positive Aware Network
A DAY WITH HIV 24 hours 13 countries 4 continents 2:30 PM: San Diego
Mark Holmes: “There are few barriers folks with HIV can’t overcome. I have been living with HIV for 30 years. I am also deaf, and require hearing aids. But I also go jetpack flying three times a month!”
3:30 PM: Brooklyn, NEW YORK
Ken Williams (left): “I work pretty hard to eradicate HIV stigma. I write, I blog, but there’s been nothing I’ve done in the war against stigma more effective than being present and living my experience openly. So, today, I got in the picture with my friend Charles Johnson.”
A DAY WITH HIV 24 hours in 13 countries across 4 continents
C O M M E M O R A T I N G
2 5
Y E A R S
C O M M E M O R A T I N G
2 5
Y E A R S
HIV AND SPORTS: OUT OF BOUNDS
HIV AND SPORTS: Out of bounds
CAN HEPatitis C BE SEXUAlly TRANSMITTED?
can HEPatitis C Be SEXUALly TRANSMItted?
10:00 PM: Chicago
POSITIVELY AWARE
POSITIVELY AWARE
NOV+DEC 2014
NOV+DEC 2014
The HIV Treatment Journal of Test Positive Aware Network
The HIV Treatment Journal of Test Positive Aware Network
A DAY WITH HIV
A DAY WITH HIV
24 hours 13 countries 4 continents
24 hours 13 countries 4 continents
6:44 PM: HOLLAND
Eliane Becks Nininahazwe:“I am an HIV-positive woman living in Holland, although I am originally from Burundi. I’ve been HIV-positive since 2003. I am also an artist and try to present a positive image. I openly talk about my HIV, so then people can understand that we are normal and can live normal lives like anyone else. Did I tell you that in 2006 I decided to have a kid? Now I’ve got two boys, both HIV-free! I am very proud of myself.”
Lauren Childers (left): “This photo was taken with my partner, Bryana Wilson, and my pet iguana, Jane. I rescued Jane (the iguana) from a tree, and as an exotic pet enthusiast, I decided to take her in. The inner healing I experienced bringing her back to health was an incredibly rewarding experience—begging the question, ‘Who rescued who?’ ”
COMMEMORATING
NOV+DEC 2014
6:44 PM: HOLLAND Eliane Becks Nininahazwe: “I am an HIV-positive woman living in Holland, although I am originally from Burundi. I’ve been HIV-positive since 2003. I am also an artist and try to present a positive image. I openly talk about my HIV, so then people can understand that we are normal and can live normal lives like anyone else. Did I tell you that in 2006 I decided to have a kid? Now I’ve got two boys, both HIV-free! I am very proud.”
25 YEARS
V OL U ME 2 6
POSITIVELY AWARE
Department s
SPEC I AL REPORT: HI V a nd s p o rt s
16 Out of bounds
JOURNALISM. INTEGRITY. HOPE.
6 In Box
Sports as a vehicle for positive change. By Jeff Berry
6 Readers Poll
Jeff Berry
editor- in - C hief
@paeditor
“Working on the sports and HIV story was a great experience. It felt good to dig into a subject that I wasn’t as familiar with.” Enid Vázquez associate editor
@enidvazquezpa
“There are three new HIV drugs, everyone, and one is quite different.” Rick Guasco C reative director
@rickguasco
“A Day with HIV reminds us that everyone everywhere is affected by HIV. But for those of us who are HIV-positive, it’s a reminder that you are not alone.”
Your responses to our question, “Have you ever been the target of HIV stigma or discrimination?”
7 editor’s Note 10:00 PM: Chicago Lauren Childers (left): “This photo was taken with my partner, Bryana Wilson, and my pet iguana, Jane. I rescued Jane (the iguana) from a tree, and as an exotic pet enthusiast, I decided to take her in. The inner healing I experienced bringing her back to health was an incredibly rewarding experience—begging the question, ‘Who rescued who?’ ”
Fe atures
11 Conference Update: ICAAC 2014 Drug news from the 54th International Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy.
Bully for you.
8 Briefly
By Enid Vázquez
FDA approves three new HIV drugs and a combo hep C pill. nPEP underused. Transgender partners not at increased risk. Drug pricing.
42 My Kind of life By Carlos A. Perez
27 Can hepatitis C be sexually transmitted? Yes. No. Maybe. It’s complicated. By Andrew Reynolds
35 Black, gifted, and whole
A day with a little HIV history.
The story of a fallen figure in the fight against HIV continues to affect us. By KeitH R. Green
o nly o n POSITIVELYAWARE.COM
Jason Lancaster
37 A new triple threat against HIV The latest three-in-one pill, Triumeq, includes a newer integrase that doesn’t require boosting.
How stigma hurts prevention
proo freader
Social changes needed to help stop the epidemic.
contri b uting w riters
Laura Jones, Carlos A. Perez Jim Pickett, Andrew Reynolds Matt Sharp photographers
John Gress Chris Knight advertising
Lorraine Hayes L.Hayes@tpan.com D istri b ution and S u b scription services
N U M B ER 7
By Thorner B. Harris
What does it mean to be ‘Positively Aware’?
3:30 PM: BROOKLYN Ken Williams (left): “I work pretty hard to eradicate HIV stigma. I write, I blog, but there’s been nothing I’ve done in the war against stigma more effective than being present and living my experience openly. So, today, I got in the picture with my friend Charles Johnson.”
By Enid Vázquez
peci a l s ect i o n s 43 A DAY WITH HIV On 9/9/2014, hundreds of people all over the world snapped their picture to take their best shot against HIV.
A proactive approach to living with HIV. By Rick Guasco
ON THE COVERS This issue of POSITIVELY AWARE features four different covers, each one a picture taken on A Day with HIV and selected with the help of our judges:
distribution@tpan.com
SINCE 1989. PUBLISHED BY
2:30 PM: San diego Mark Holmes: “There are few barriers folks with HIV can’t overcome. I have been living with HIV for 30 years. I am also deaf and require hearing aids. But I also go jetpack flying three times a month!”
SUITE 300 5050 N. Broadway St. Chicago, IL 60640-3016 phone: (773) 989–9400 fax : (773) 989–9494 email: inbox@tpan.com P O S I T I V E LY AWA R E
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Eugene McCray, MD Director of the Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention at the CDC
Greg Louganis Olympic gold medalist diver, author
Mark S. King HIV blogger, advocate
Naina Khanna Positive Women’s Network-USA, advocate
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Scott Pasfield Photographer whose work has appeared in Black Book Talent and Fortune magazine
P O S I T I V E LY AWA R E
Four different covers were printed for the NOV+DEC 2014 issue of POSITIVELY AWARE, each one a picture selected from A Day with HIV, the magazine’s anti-stigma campaign.
+ SNAPSHOTS OF LIFE WITH HIV A DAY WITH HIV
Four covers for A Day with HIV POSITIVELY AWARE
By Rick Guasco
O
n 9/9/2014, people in 13 countries on four continents snapped their photos during the same 24-hour period for A Day with HIV, Positively Aware’s anti-stigma campaign.
Begun in 2010, A Day with HIV makes the point that, regardless of their status, everyone everywhere is affected by HIV. By getting people to take their picture on the same day, the campaign turns everyday snapshots into a real-time photo album of life with HIV. This year, A Day with HIV partnered with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, joining forces with Act Against AIDS and the CDC’s Let’s Stop HIV Together campaign. Olympic diver Greg Louganis and HIV blogger/educator Mark S. King, both featured in the CDC’s campaign, were among the judges who helped select the four covers of this issue of Positively Aware from among the photos submitted. In this day of social media, many of the more than 300 pictures submitted were selfies, some of which were posted on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter with the hashtag #adaywithhiv. “Today I learned that someone near and dear to me is living with HIV,” said Mario Montalvo, who posted his picture, taken on the campus of Texas Christian University, to Instagram. “By coincidence, today happens to be #adaywithhiv, so here is my selfie.” More a self-portrait than a selfie, Jason Daisey shared his story: “I was confirmed positive just one week ago,” his caption read. “It was a scary week, but I won’t let it change my life for the worse. My center and balance point is being in the barn with my horses. I’m a professional guy, the kind that no one ever would think would get diagnosed with HIV. Now’s my time to use my uniqueness to educate other gay men about how real this really is.” Underscoring how HIV affects people in many ways, some pictures honored friends
and loved ones living with HIV. “I’m not HIV-positive, but my best friend is,” said Carmen Garcia. “I support her on anything and everything. I’m proud to say it has been 17 years for her. She’s still here with us—with her kids and two dogs. She lives her life pretty well.” A number of photos confronted stigma head on, such as the picture of Reverend Andrena Ingram wearing a t-shirt that states, I’m not ‘infected’ with HIV. I’m ‘living’ with HIV! Stop the stigma! “Two persons whom I knew asked me about my shirt,” Rev. Ingram added in her caption. “Others glanced at my shirt, at my face, and then turned away. Infection can be a stigmatizing word; living is not. We are living with HIV!” A good number of organizations and groups got into the picture, too. Many of our colleagues at the HIV news website TheBody.com took part; notably, editor Myles Helfland snapped a selfie with Warren Tong as they covered the Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC) in Washington, D.C. Staff members of AIDS Athens, the AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG), and the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, among others, also submitted photos. BOOM! Health in Brooklyn made a day of it, submitting dozens of photos. Students at Duke University’s HIV narratives class posted their own group and individual pictures on Instagram and Twitter. A Day with HIV has grown beyond one day out of the year. Through the
13 countries on four continents are represented this year for A Day with HIV: AUSTRALIA BRAZIL CANADA DENMARK GERMANY GUATEMALA HOLLAND ITALY SPAIN TRINIDAD UNITED KINGDOM UNITED STATES VENEZUELA
campaign’s collaboration with the CDC, an exhibit of photos from A Day with HIV 2013 has been traveling throughout the country to such events as the Chicago convention of the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association (NLGJA) and the Positive Women’s Network-USA Leadership Summit in Florida. A selection of this year’s photos will be added to the exhibit. Pictures will also be posted on Instagram and Twitter throughout the year ahead accompanied by the #adaywithhiv hashtag. On A Day with HIV, everyday pictures reveal that there are no ordinary lives. A six-page special section of images Follows. View the complete gallery of pictures taken on a day with HIv AT Adaywithhiv.com.
1:31 PM: New York City
Jeffrey Newman: Always thankful. Always keeping the faith. (Taken at the exact time I was born 47 years ago this month.) N OV+ D E C 2 0 1 4
P O S I T I V E LY AWA R E
+ A DAY WITH HIV 10:45 AM: Portland, Oregon 7:20 AM: SAN FRANCISCO
Calvin Johnson: Walking to work after hanging out with my friends for our daily talk over coffee. I was diagnosed at the age of 56 in May 2013. I’ve heard it said that, “every day is a gift.” For this old dog, it’s very true.
7:24 AM: UNITED STATES
Byron: I am a 36-year-old father with three beautiful, amazing kids. I’ve been HIV-positive for over 10 years, undetectable. Who knew I would be happy with my partner and having three kids? I had thought being positive was the end of my life.
11:15 AM: DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA
Eric Evans (right): Attending the AIDS United Conference for Southern States, with Dorian Alexander, Chair of the Louisiana AIDS Advocacy Network. Together, we’re continuing to learn how to be better advocates for Louisiana.
P O S I T I V E LY AWA R E
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9:30 AM: TEXAS
Morénike Giwa Onaiwu: The course of my life changed forever when my family became affected by HIV in 2007. Rather than disclosing specifically who is positive in our family, we have chosen to identify as an HIV-affected family. We feel that it doesn’t matter if we publicly state exactly which one(s) of us are HIV-positive or HIV-negative because we’re all in this together.
1:00 PM: São Paulo, BRAZIL
Leonardo Melo: Mais um sobrevivente, tamo junto! Another survivor, we are united!
1:23 PM: San Francisco
San Francisco AIDS Foundation: A day in the life of our front desk volunteer Davin Coffey, greeting those who come in to get tested for HIV and STIs at our gay men’s health clinic in the heart of the Castro.
9:30 AM: Georgia
Michelle Turner: Children with HIV are often overlooked for adoption or fostering. Breaking the stigma so that all children can be loved, cherished, accepted, and adored!
1:32 PM: ROME, ITALY
Stephen J. Lewis (via Twitter): Supporting #hiv awareness on #adaywithhiv with a picture from the Gallery of Maps in the Vatican.
9:30 AM: DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA
Caitlin Margaret Kelly: Learning from HIV narratives at Duke University in Global Narratives in HIV class.
1:45 PM: Parkersburg, West virginia
Dustin Stollings: I just turned 24. I was diagnosed with HIV 17 months ago. I’m sitting in my doctor’s office getting refills for my antiretrovirals and getting routine lab work done. It’s a little ironic that my doctor’s appointment fell on the same day as the fifth annual A Day With HIV. It made me smile.
Rob McElroy: Diagnosed in 1990, I have spent the last 24 years making good on my decision to live. At 45 years old, I am in the best shape of my life, thanks to being active and optimistic, groundbreaking meds, informative literature, supportive friends, and good doctors.
2:00 PM: Orlando, Florida
Harry Wingfield: My work in the AIDS Clinical Trials Group from 1999–2002 helped me change careers and start working in research administration after 12 years on disability. I started off as the regulatory coordinator for the 1917 HIV research clinic at the University of Alabama at Birmingham; I work at the IRB (institutional review board) level. This photo shows me at my desk in my current job as the IRB manager for the Orlando Regional Medical Center in Florida. My AIDS diagnosis came in 1990, and I am still here. N OV+ D E C 2 0 1 4
P O S I T I V E LY AWA R E
+ A DAY WITH HIV 3:o0 PM: Navajo reservation
2:45 PM: New York City
2:03 PM: Washington, D.C.
Beck Mason: On the steps of the Lincoln Memorial! Perfection.
3:30 PM: PLYMOUTH, ENGLAND
Kevin Kelland: At Plymouth Museum. I feel so fortunate to still be here after living with HIV for 28 years. I am now on a combination of HIV drugs and heart medication. I feel great. I have been with my partner Steve for nearly 10 years.
P O S I T I V E LY AWA R E
Jack R. Miller: I’m a long-term survivor of HIV, over 20 years. I’m living life to the fullest: healthy, smart, and drama free! Just like a carnival, colorful and bright!
3:30 PM: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Patti Morchinek: My family. Connection gives purpose and meaning to our lives.
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2:51 PM: London, ENGLAND
Anthony Babajee: At Parliament Hill, one of the best views of London. I hope you like the @KeithHaring top too.
3:30 PM: Seattle, Washington
Barb Cardell: An amazing day of training on GIPA (Greater Involvement of People Living with HIV/AIDS) and the Denver Principles with @Aspield, Seattle, Washington, where we were doing a positive leadership training with Lifelong, representing the U.S. People Living with HIV caucus.
Lorne James: I’d like to introduce myself in our language: Yá’át’ééh (hello) shik’éí dóó shidine’é (my family and my people, friends). Shí éí Lorne James yinishyé (I am called Lorne James). I am ‘Áshiihí (Salt People) and born for Kinyaa’áanii (Towering House People). Ákót’éego diné nishł (I am a Navajo male). In this picture I am displaying an artist’s piece at an auction. I tested HIV-positive in December 2006 and have been undetectable as of July 2014.
3:30 PM: Harlem, New York
Angela Louis: Living my life day by day. Undetectable and healthy. No shame. Life is beautiful, and so am I.
3:00 PM: Dallas, North Carolina
@USMCDevil (via Twitter): Celebrating #adaywithhiv. Just passed my math final exam. Feeling blessed with my #HappyBuddha.
4:05 PM: Atlanta, Georgia
Jay McMinn: I took a selfie with my friend and colleague Sherri-Ann, who coordinates our company’s volunteers for AIDS Walk Atlanta & 5K Run. She uses a week of vacation time to be onsite and help set up for the Walk. Sherri and I picture a day without HIV, and continue fighting until then.
3:13 PM: West Bromwich, England
Luke Alexander: Found my column in The Gay Times while shopping at Asda!
4:22 PM: Atlanta, Georgia
David Salyer: My 21st anniversary of living with HIV came around in June of 2014. I’m hangin’ in there. Music keeps me sane, so you’ll regularly find me listening to my iPod. As the Pet Shop Boys once declared, “Music is our life’s foundation and shall succeed all the nations to come.” N OV+ D E C 2 0 1 4
P O S I T I V E LY AWA R E
+ A DAY WITH HIV 5:30 PM: Washington, D.C.
5:20 PM: Guatemala City, Guatemala
Juan Carlos: I am HIV-positive. In Guatemala, as in many countries of Latin America, it is a huge stigma, and the risk of losing your job continues.
6:37 PM: TRinidad & TOBAGO, WEST INDIES
Tyker Pionero: Photo of my mom and me about to dance. I have learned to cherish the little things after losing people I knew and loved to this virus, so when I get the opportunity to steal a dance with her, I do. Much love from Trinidad and Tobago. P O S I T I V E LY AWA R E
@squinty1 (via Instagram): I felt sick today and left work early to go to an urgent care facility. I went to the gym instead (I know; you can fuss at me later, LOL). Next year will mark 10 years living with HIV. I’ve worked in the HIV prevention field since 2007. I have good days and not-so-good days. Today wasn’t the best day, but I’m stubborn and won’t let illness get me down! I’m determined to live long, live strong, and live happily!
7:01 PM: Durham, North carolina
Quang N. Nguyen: I have been fascinated by HIV and emotionally moved by narratives of people living with HIV/AIDS. With the goal of developing a maternal and infant vaccine against HIV, I have contributed to a research study examining the protective immune factors in natural hosts of simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) in African green monkeys.
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8:00 PM: Arizona
5:38 PM: Washington, D.C.
Noël Gordon (left): My colleague Marcos Garcia and I are committed to ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic. We represent the changing face of the epidemic, and as such, we think it is our responsibility to raise awareness of the needs of young gay and bisexual men of color wherever we go.
@larathefarmerswife (via Instagram): I asked Mary what she wants people to know about living with HIV. She says, “The most important thing for people to know is they can’t get HIV just by touching someone. I was sick from HIV, but God saved me with medicine. I still have HIV, but I’m alive and not sick.”
6:20 PM: Maryland
5:50 PM: West virginia
Barbara Lagodna: At age 60, running keeps me healthy and fit!
10:20 PM: The Bronx, New York
Jason Daisey: I was confirmed positive just one week ago. It was a scary week, but I won’t let it change my life for the worse. My center and balance point is being in the barn with my horses. I’m a professional guy, the kind that no one ever would think would get diagnosed with HIV. Now’s my time to use my uniqueness to educate other gay men about how real this really is.
Susanna Feder: After a New York Yankees win over Boston. Excited with a good friend and showing off my dress at the subway stop. You can see the lights of NYC and the Freedom Tower in the background. Being a part of life, not afraid to enjoy every minute.
6:30 PM: Connecticut
Jonathan-Joseph Ganjian: In addition to being a philanthropic consultant, I’m a painter. As a positive artist, I use painting to give voice to emotions otherwise unexplored, often related to my status. This is my Day with HIV.
10:30 PM: Santa Rosa, California
Ayrick Broin: I was diagnosed with HIV in 1999 and AIDS in late 2000. None of the medications worked for me up until recently. Thanks to my wonderful doctor and his nursing team, I’m back on the stage in California’s wine country. Life is a Cabaret!
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P O S I T I V E LY AWA R E