POZPLANET Magazine (February 2025)

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Dear Volunteers and Members of Toronto’s PWA, It is with heavy hearts that we share the news of Kyle Vose’s passing this morning at approximately 9:30 a.m. Kyle’s love, activism, and unwavering dedication to our community were unparalleled, and his absence will be deeply felt by all of us who had the privilege of knowing him. Kyle was more than an advocate; he was a beacon of hope, strength, and compassion. His tireless work changed lives, broke barriers, and created a legacy of love and inclusion that will live on in the hearts of everyone he touched. He reminded us of the power of community and the importance of standing together, especially in the face of adversity. As we mourn this profound loss, we encourage you to take a moment to reflect on Kyle’s life, his enduring spirit, and the many ways he enriched our community. May his memory inspire us to continue his work, to lead with kindness, and to ensure that his vision for a better world is carried forward. Our thoughts are with all of you during this time, and we stand united in honoring Kyle’s remarkable life. May he find peace in the next stage, and may we find comfort in knowing his spirit lives on within us all. In solidarity and remembrance, - Ian McKnight

Exposed Document Links HIV Leaders to ‘Betrayal of People with HIV’

Mark S. King Jan 10 2025 Family and Friends Living with HIV/AIDS My Fabulous Disease News Prevention and Policy

When Jeremiah Johnson was perusing the Gilead Sciences website last November, as one does when tracking one of the most insidious assaults in history against people living with HIV, an item he found buried deep in Gilead’s pulldown menus literally took his breath away.

“My heart sank,” recalled Jeremiah, director of the national HIV advocacy organization PrEP4All “It felt like I was witnessing some kind of advocacy fraud.” Iconic HIV treatment activist Peter Staley put an even finer point on the discovery. “The document saddened me,” Peter told me. “It felt like a shocking betrayal of people living with HIV.”

The item Jeremiah discovered was a notice that Gilead would be filing, within days, an amicus brief signed by a list of a half dozen HIV community leaders The brief would be in support of Gilead and against the plaintiffs in an ongoing lawsuit that claims Gilead did great harm to people living with HIV.

Jeremiah and Peter immediately began reaching out to people on the list, beseeching them to withdraw as a signatory before the brief was filed. They received no substantiative responses – but the item about the amicus brief quickly disappeared from the Gilead site. The brief was filed on November 25, 2024, and, as promised, with the community names attached.

This is when this all came to my attention. I was just as shocked, as much by the document itself as by the line crossed between HIV advocates and the pharmaceutical industry. Never before have our own advocates joined pharma in a legal action meant to defend pharma’s atrocious acts against people living with HIV.

I managed to reach some of the signees. Their responses ranged from frustrating to arrogant to saddening. Before we get to those community leader names, here’s a quick refresher about the lawsuit in question.

The Terrible, Horrible Thing Gilead Did and How People with HIV Suffered and Died

Once upon a time, Gilead introduced a very successful HIV treatment drug, a compound known as TDF. Let’s call it “the original drug.” It was widely used by patients but had some troublesome side effects, like kidney damage and osteoporosis, especially when used with booster regimens (a booster is a drug that helps the other medications stay in your body longer). At about the same time, Gilead had a second drug they were testing, known as TAF, that was a bit further behind in the pipeline.

Before long, Gilead’s own early research showed that the TAF drug – we’ll call it “the new version” – looked very promising in testing and showed safer results. There was only one problem. Gilead’s patent on the original drug wasn’t going to expire for another nine years and they really wanted to squeeze every buck out of that patent before introducing the new version. So, Gilead stopped its promising research on the new version and bided its time. For years.

Meanwhile, people with HIV taking the original drug suffered through broken bones and hip replacements and kidney complications. Oh, and some of them died. Yeah. Gilead allowed that. And it gets worse.

Once the patent on the original drug was nearing its end, Gilead restarted their research into the new version and, lo and behold, the results were stellar. They moved to rush the new version to market.

Here’s another detail that will make your skin crawl: as part of the marketing for the new version, Gilead really leaned into how awful the side effects of the original version were. You know, those terrible side effects that they had known about for years.

Gilead even commissioned a study to determine how many patients would suffer broken bones or even die unless they switched to the new version. The grim results: an estimated 16,000 people would die and 150,000 people would suffer kidney and bone injuries over a nine-year period.

(The original drug TDF is one of the two drugs in Truvada, our first PrEP medication, but don’t freak out – Truvada PrEP doesn’t have a booster and is used by healthier, HIV negative folks, so we haven’t seen any of the worst-case toxicities happen in this very different context.)

Let’s review. Gilead paused promising research into a new version of a drug because the company wanted to keep making money off the patent for the original drug –even though they knew the original drug was causing great physical harm to people living with HIV. Then, when the patent for the original drug was close to expiring, they introduced the new version and actually used the harm the original drug caused people as a tool to market the new version.

Peter Staley sums up Gilead’s actions fairly simply. “This is a level of evil we have never seen,” he told me.

That brings us to the lawsuit against Gilead. Filed in California, it was brought by HIV treatment activists and on behalf of 24,000 people nationwide who used the original drug and had, or risked, unnecessary side effects.

Those are the facts. You can read more about the damage caused by the original drug (TDF) in a front-page story in the Los Angeles Times Or you can read how Gilead knew the first drug was hurting people and held off the new version (TAF) anyway in a front-page story in the New York Times. Or you can read Peter Staley’s guest editorial in STAT Magazine that lays out the whole dirty business. Now, let’s look at the amicus brief filed by Gilead and the names that are on it.

The Amicus Brief, the Signatories, and Their Responses to My Questions

As part of the ongoing legal proceedings in California in this lawsuit, an amicus brief (a “friend of the court” document that supports one side or the other) was filed. The brief argues, essentially, that if pharma has to fight a lawsuit every time they have a new version of a drug coming to market, it would create a “chilling effect” on innovation, meaning research into new medications. In other words, don’t pick on us, says Big Pharma, or we’ll take all our marbles and go home.

That argument has no basis in fact. “Pharma has used that tired old argument since the days of ACT UP,” Peter Staley reminded me. “And yet we have more HIV medications and drugs in development today than ever before. That argument is a smoke screen.”

Yet somehow, Gilead managed to convince a handful of community leaders, most of them retired from the field, to sign the amicus brief. Once retired, it is worth mentioning, an organizational director no longer has to answer to its Board or constituencies for their actions.

“It’s questionable if it’s in the best interest of people living with HIV for our leaders to rush to the aid of pharma,” Dorian-Gray Alexander, an HIV activist from New Orleans, told me. “Especially when something, as in this case, has been exposed. They sat on a newer, safer drug for the sake of profit.”

“Seeing well-known names sign on to this legal brief in opposition to tens of thousands of people living with HIV felt like an attack on everything our field is supposed to stand for,” recalled Jeremiah Johnson.

“They should have spoken to their own constituents about this issue,” Juan Michael Porter II, an HIV advocate living in New York City, told me. “Had they done that,

they would have found that the community was not okay with them joining the amicus brief. They would have found out how people feel about Big Pharma playing around with patents to get as much money as they could off the bodies of people living with HIV.”

Here are the signers of the amicus brief:

Global Coalition on Aging

Liver Coalition of San Diego

National Minority Quality Forum

Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease

Organizations like these, awash in Big Pharma money, are often a clever way for pharma to sprinkle around their key messages and push their legislative agenda through the guise of community work.

C. Virginia Fields

Ms. Fields served as CEO of Black Health until she retired in 2024. Black Health has received many millions of dollars from Gilead over the years. Ms. Fields did not respond to my request for comment.

Community Education Group

This organization, a long-time Gilead grantee, was founded by A. Toni Young thirty years ago. Ms. Young sent me this response to my request for comment: “After consideration, I’ve decided not to make a comment.”

HIV and Hepatitis Policy Institute

Pharma appears to fund this outfit entirely. Carl Schmid serves as founder, director, and Board Chair, and primarily posts press releases featuring pharma key messages. As of this writing, Mr. Schmid has not yet retired.

Here is Mr. Schmid’s response to my request for comment:

We joined as amici given our concerns that the appellate court’s opinion could have on future drug development. That ruling, if left to stand, carries implications for the future of all drug development – not just HIV drugs. The basis for our concern is

articulated in our brief – the duty to market issue and the potential liability for a drug manufacturer for not proceeding with development of a potential drug. Assume you will cover both sides of the issue in your article. We have no further comment on this matter.

“It was not surprising at all to see Carl as a signatory,” Peter Staley told me. “His entire organization might as well be a subsidiary of Gilead, paying Carl to play in the policy sandbox of Washington, DC.”

Dr. Eugene McCray

Dr. McCray served in the Division of HIV/AIDS at the CDC until he retired in 2020. It is deeply concerning, given his signature, that Dr. McCray serves as Board Chair for AIDS United.

Dr. McCray did not respond to my request for comment.

Phill Wilson

Yeah, this one hurts. Phill’s decades of leadership served our community well. He retired as founder and CEO of the Black AIDS Institute in 2018.

“Phill’s name was a huge gut punch to me,” Peter admitted. “He’s a hero of mine. I’m saddened by what this might do to the last chapter of his story. This is not how you want to go out,” he added.

Phill was the only signee who agreed to speak with me. Our conversation stunned me more than once. You’re going to hear all about it.

First, here’s how Big Pharma has silenced dissent over the course of the HIV epidemic. Spoiler alert: money and jobs.

Big Pharma’s Long Game to Conquer the HIV Community Arena

Pharma has flooded our HIV organizations and program budgets with cash and our magazines and AIDS Walk programs with ads and sponsorships, in amounts that are utterly inconsequential to them but more than enough to buy as much influence as gratitude.

“I think we would be able to speak as a community a lot more freely if more of the funding and support came from means other than pharma,” Dorian-Gray Alexander said, citing the “co-dependent” relationship that has developed between community and pharma. “But we can’t be fooled,” Dorian-Gray warned. “Pharma has all the leverage.”

There’s another strategy pharma has employed – quite literally.

From grassroots activists to clinicians to public health workers to more than one White House AIDS Czar, our community talent pool has been depleted by a hiring spree pharma has been on for years. It is a strategy that puts our friends and former co-workers on the other side of the equation, blurring the line between advocacy and commerce.

“There has been a concerted effort by pharmaceutical companies to hire HIV advocates and clinicians,” Juan Michael Porter II told me. “And the thing is, they’re smart to do so. A lot of the people they are hiring are burned out from having been mistreated, underpaid, and undermined for years. But let’s be clear that these hires are not simply because the individuals are impeccable: It’s part of a strategy to allay any accusations that ‘big pharma is a bad guy.’”

“It’s a strategy,” Juan Michael added, “and it changes the dynamic for the worst by using activists as a shield against criticism.”

It can certainly be argued that we benefit from having allies working within pharma. But we all know pharma is getting the better end of the bargain here while creating a sense of fraternal kinship between HIV advocates and the very people we must sometimes advocate against.

All of this investment solves a few dilemmas for pharma. The corporate jobs tend to silence dissent. It also puts trusted community faces in the front of the store window. And the dynamic comes in handy when favors need to be asked. During my phone call with Phill Wilson, Phill mentioned that a Gilead executive initially reached out to him about the amicus brief. That person is a trusted friend who had enjoyed a highly-regarded career as a clinician and community advocate before being hired by Gilead. You can see how the roles might get a little cloudy, between whether talk of the amicus brief was simply a friendly request, a legal strategy, or a corporate ask.

Do I believe that Phill Wilson deliberately colluded with Gilead by signing a document he knew was not in our best interest? No. I believe that Phill agreed to a request from someone he trusted without speaking to any of the other players involved. The resulting damage is the same.

So, what was Phill thinking? I asked him.

My Phone Call with Phill Wilson

Phill was the only signatory on the amicus brief who agreed to speak with me. I appreciate his willingness to take my questions and have his say. We spoke for an hour on the call, recorded with his permission.

I began by sharing with Phill that his name on a legal document on behalf of pharma came as quite a shock to the activists working on this suit.

“Let me back up and give you some history,” Phill began. “There are multiple HIV/AIDS epidemics going on in the world and the people impacted by them have different needs. There is a white and wealthy epidemic in America and then there is a Black/brown/poor epidemic. So, when I was approached about this issue, I approached it, quite frankly, as ‘how does this impact Black communities?’ There used to be maybe twenty pharmaceutical companies involved in the AIDS space. Today there are two. Black communities suffer from the reduction of efforts to fight the pandemic.”

I pointed out that pharma has always warned that activism might chase them out of the HIV arena – and yet it never, ever has. There are also multiple pharmaceutical companies that are very much involved in HIV research and sales. The drug pipeline is robust.

I walked Phill through the history of Gilead’s actions and what the lawsuit charges because I wanted to be sure Phill knew the depths of Gilead’s offenses.

“I didn’t sign on to the amicus brief to suggest that pharma in general or Gilead itself in this particular case always operate in ethical ways,” Phill responded. “I am not defending the process of the delivery of these two drugs. I do believe that part of the calculus of developing drugs, you know, always involves a profit analysis.”

As I understood his answer, Phill had just pardoned Gilead’s unethical behavior because they needed to make money. When asked why he had been unresponsive

to Peter Staley’s many attempts to discuss the document he signed, Phill responded, “I did not respond immediately because I had made a commitment already and I was less likely to change my position.”

I was stunned that Phill felt more strongly about his commitment to Gilead than to the HIV treatment activists who were begging for a moment of his time.

“Peter’s name carries a huge amount of weight,” Phill assured me, before stunning me again. “In other times, I would have invested a lot more time and energy in doing a lot more due diligence on this,” he said, citing busy life events that have distracted him in recent months. “This particular time, I didn’t do as much due diligence as I might have.”

For much of our call, Phill alternated between Gilead’s talking point about the lawsuit risking a “chill to innovation” and his contention that pharma could abandon the field if we pick on them because, well, he says so. Not because he researched the lawsuit, or spoke to the plaintiffs, or otherwise performed a shred of due diligence before signing the amicus brief, because Phill acknowledged he did none of that.

Since the issue of pharma funding is central to this scenario, I asked Phill if he was, in any way at all, benefiting from Gilead dollars.

“The answer is no,” Phill stated emphatically. “I am no longer involved with the Black AIDS Institute. I retired.” Then he reconsidered his statement. “In April, at a biomedical summit in Seattle, I did a Gilead plenary where I was compensated,” he explained. Then Phill mentioned a large dance event he produces every year and said Gilead is their major donor.

Honestly, I am still processing this conversation. It certainly clouds, if not complicates, the monumental community legacy of Phill Wilson.

Some Final Thoughts and Yes I Am Very Angry

People with HIV are dead. Thousands of others suffered needlessly. The lawsuit contends that Gilead’s actions contributed to it. And now some of our own community leaders have signed on the dotted line in defense of Gilead. This is infuriating. Our long-departed friends, the ones we marched beside and buried and mourned, surely are turning in their graves.

Pharma has transformed the HIV community landscape. It has erased the lines between what is a friendly request and what is a conflict of interest, between what is an advocate and what is a sales rep, between who is a friend and who is a player. We are all in the suffocating embrace of Big Pharma now.

Has Gilead broken our spines as easily as its drug destroyed our bones? Where the fuck is our courage?

Peter Staley can still conjure a tone of optimism. “Look who did not sign that document,” Peter reassured me. “Some of our groups who are heavily funded by Gilead are continuing to do the right thing. NMAC is not on that list of signers. AIDS United and the Black AIDS Institute are not on that list. Housing Works isn’t. There are grains of hope here, and we can regrow our community with them.”

“I’ve always urged organizations to take pharma money,” Peter added. “It’s our money. We paid for it. But they will never buy my advocacy or my voice.”

The question is whether we can maintain our principles in spite of a well-financed effort to lure us into giving up pieces of ourselves.

Find this article and more at https://marksking.com/family-and-friends/exposed- document-betrayal- of-people-with-hiv

Anyone involved in providing support to people living with HIV has heard about the incidence of weight gain, particularly when switched to integrase inhibitors, particularly Biktarvy.

A study was done in the US from 2006 to 2019 (reported on by CATIE) on the incidence of weight gain in women living with HIV when they switched to a treatment regime that had an integrase inhibitor. Results “showed that women with HIV who switched to an integraseinhibitor-based regimen later particularly during or around menopause were more likely to gain weight.” (CATIE news) If the women switched before they entered perimenopause, earlier rather than later, this effect did not happen. “…if the move to integrase inhibitors happened in late perimenopause or during menopause, women on these drugs were likely to develop an increased waist circumference. This became particularly significant when a switch to integrase-inhibitor-based treatment occurred during menopause, with the effects peaking at around three and a half years into menopause….The researchers are not certain why switching to an integrase inhibitor late in the menopause transition enhances the weight gain associated with this life change. It is plausible that integrase inhibitors might have some subtle effects on estrogen receptors on fat cells. This effect of these drugs could stimulate the growth, development and accumulation of fat cells. However, the potential impact of integrase inhibitors on fat cells and hormones is something that requires a separate study.” (CATIE news).

As with other findings I have reported on, what is the solution? Talk to your doctor. If you are considering a switch to a regime that includes integrase inhibitors, then you need to have this discussion. I switched to Juluca around 7 years ago, which is a two drug regime that includes dolutegravir, an integrase inhibitor. I am menopausal and have been since 2008. I had also switched to Biktarvy immediately before switching to Juluca. I had noticed weight gain when I switched to Biktarvy. I have been trying to lose the weight unsuccessfully. Further discussion with my HIV specialist regarding the possible cause and potential solutions is important. I am guessing that the answer will be “If it ain’t broke…” But is it not broken? What does having additional weight in my mid-section affect my health? Everything

I’ve read says it does unfavourably affect our health. I will keep on top of further research on this, especially in Canada.

IAS Warns Of Dire Impact Of Global Gag Rule

Monday, 27 January 2025, 10:44 am

Press Release: International AIDS Society

Geneva/Switzerland, 25 January 2025

IAS – the International AIDS Society – warns that the reinstatement of the “global gag rule” will have dire consequences for the HIV response, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.

The rule, officially called the Mexico City Policy, prohibits foreign organizations that receive US health aid from providing, referring for or advocating for abortion services, regardless of whether non-US funds are used for these services. Within days of being sworn in as US President, Donald Trump signed an executive order that reinstated the policy. His predecessor, Joe Biden, had rescinded President Trump’s previous imposition of the policy.

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“The cost of reimposing this rule will be paid in hardship, human lives and a reversal of some of the most important gains in the HIV response,” IAS President Beatriz Grinsztejn said.

“We know from experience that it will cause severe disruptions to health services, including HIV and reproductive and sexual health, particularly in areas of the world most affected by HIV. We have seen the negative impact of the global gag rule before, as evidenced by restrictions in women’s access to essential healthcare worldwide.”

The global gag rule fuels the HIV pandemic. The Mexico City Policy has led to an estimated 90,000 new HIV acquisitions and almost 30,000 maternal and child deaths each year it has been in place, due to disruptions in HIV services. Most of these deaths were among children.

The IAS calls for science-based policies. A world in which HIV no longer presents a threat to public health and individual well-being is built on protecting, not restricting, women’s access to healthcare.

About the International AIDS Society

IAS – the International AIDS Society – convenes, educates and advocates for a world in which HIV no longer presents a threat to public health and individual well-being. After the emergence of HIV and AIDS, concerned scientists created the IAS to bring together experts from across the world and disciplines to promote a concerted HIV response. Today, the IAS and its members unite scientists, policy makers and activists to galvanize the scientific response, build global solidarity and enhance human dignity for all those living with and affected by HIV. The IAS also hosts the world’s most prestigious HIV

conferences: the International AIDS Conference, the IAS Conference on HIV Science and the HIV Research for Prevention Conference.

Source: https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO2501/S00273/ias-warns-ofdire-impact-of-global-gag-rule.htm

It's Black History Month and this year I want to shine a light on an individual who is Podcast host of the International AIDS Society & Former Senior editor of TheBody & TheBodyPro ...Mr. Juan Michael Porter II.

AK: Good afternoon, Juan Michael. How are you today?

JM: I’m in San Juan, Puerto Rico, so I’m very warm, tanned, and very happy.

AK: So, like many I migrated over to BlueSky and discovered a new world of fellow HIV activists. I was really drawn to your profile for all the information and links to HIV news podcasts and articles. I am very curious to find out more about you. Where are you from and what is your background?

JM: I was born in Mobile, Alabama, which is as far south as you can go in the state without drowning. I was raised in Southern California.

20 years ago, if you asked me about my background, I’d have given you a very complicated answer. These days, I like to tell people, “I’m Black and I’m named after my uncle who died saving my father’s life when they were both children.”

AK: I'm half Puerto Rican but don't speak Spanish...my father wasn't around in my early years. And when he was around, I didn't dare tell him I was HIV+. Now I know that you tested positive in 2015. What was it like when you were diagnosed, and did you start meds immediately?

JM: The short answer is that I didn’t start treatment right away, but it wasn’t for a lack of trying. I tried to get on ADAP, but it took three months to get that turned on because New York state kept telling me that I needed to send in more information. After going from 149 pounds to 133 pounds, I broke down and went to GMHC for help. That’s where the incredible advocate Angel Soto got my ADAP benefits turned on in less than one hour. Things are different now but I still tell people, ”Get an advocate. They’ll save you a lot of stress.”

AK: It was really a different time when I was diagnosed in 1990. I didn't start meds until 2005. It took me a long time to come out publicly. How did you decide to come out and what was the driving force behind becoming an activist?

JM: I usually do things out of spite or annoyance with injustice. I started telling close friends about my status on the day I was diagnosed. But what sent me into telling everybody was hearing a group of jerks mock a friend of theirs. They said their friend was “at home dying from

AIDS.” I got up in their faces and growled, “He’s not dying, he’s living with HIV!” Feeling like I still needed to do something with my rage, but not wanting to go to prison for assault, I wrote a Facebook post describing what I’d just heard and shared that I was living with HIV.

I ended that post with the words, “If you want to judge someone with HIV, judge me. Except you won’t because I’m better than you and will kick your ass.” Since that time, I have made a point of mentioning that I am living with HIV wherever I go, because I want people to know that this is how HIV can look and that they have no reason to fear it. I also want to ensure that any space I’m in is a safe space for my community. And if it isn’t, I’ll fight to right the course, as I did when I worked to get the International AIDS Society (IAS) to adopt people-first language.

But I’m not sure that I’m an activist. I’m a journalist who listens to the community and reports what they tell me is important.

AK: So, tell us about your podcast and what are TheBody & TheBodyPro?

JM: Let’s start with TheBody and TheBodyPro. They are two of the world’s leading HIV publications. In other words, they focus on educating and empowering the community. I started contributing to the publication under Kenyon Farrow. After he left for another job in 2020, I was

hired as their staff writer. During my 5 years at TheBody, I swiftly rose through the ranks to become senior editor of both publications. That made me the first person living with HIV in TheBody’s history, as well as the highest ranked person to ever work there. I was also the only person on staff who was living with HIV, so I really kept my connection to the community to ensure that we were responding to their concerns and answering questions about changes in policy or medical access.

My favorite part about being at TheBody and TheBodyPro was writing about things that other publications didn’t even realize were a problem. For instance, I often told the writers I worked with, “Every article we publish has the potential to save someone’s life.” For me, that meant sharing my experiences with responding to disclosure stigma, receiving poor medical care, what I wish I’d known after I was diagnosed, confronting the HIV tax and medical homophobia I also wrote about being sexually assaulted by a leading HIV advocate. That article inspired leaders throughout the community to question whether they were doing enough to guarantee the safety of others ― especially people with less power ― and to demand that abusers be held accountable.

I also used to co-host and co-produce TheBodyPro’s podcast, “The Future of HIV Care,” which is one reason why I think IAS asked me to take over as the host of their podcast: “HIV Unmuted.” I have to clarify that “HIV Unmuted” is IAS’ podcast and that I’m just the lucky guy who gets to host it. I am the second host, following in the steps of the amazing journalist Femi Oke However, I am the first gay man and first person living with HIV to hold the job.

Behind the scenes, my colleagues and I created the catchphrase, “We’ve never been silenced, but now we’re being heard.” That notion really informs what I do: interview leading figures within the HIV movement about who they are and the intricacies of their work, discuss new discoveries in HIV research, and contemplate how to improve access.

AK: How do you find guests for your podcast? Are there particular people that you focus on?

JM: IAS has an incredible senior communications officer named Tara Mansell. My first season was all but finalized by the time I was hired, but I was invited to weigh in and discuss who would make the final list.

When it comes to selections, we look at everything from a person’s background, scope and sequence of their work, where they are based, and how they’ve affected the field. But when it comes down to it, our guests are leaders from across the HIV field.

AK: I'm an American living in Canada. I've lived in Toronto since the end of 2009. Hopefully my citizenship will come through soon. But I have voted in every election while in Canada. I'm curious...what issues do you think the election results will bring for the HIV+ community in the U.S.?

JM: It all comes down to funding. Unfortunately, over the past couple of years, many conservative legislators within the U.S. have shown that they are more than willing to attack HIV funding and foment HIV misinformation

In recent years, I have been one of the few journalists to note that the U.S. will not meet its goal of containing HIV by 2030, call out the manner in which legislators continue to promote HIV criminalization, highlight attacks on sexual health services through ridiculous arguments and note how advocates can push back, and name religious “freedom” laws as a threat to our existence

Doom forecasting aside, I think Donald Trump’s incoming appointees are hardly team players and will likely get so distracted by infighting that they won’t get around to fully unleashing the racist harms embedded in their agenda. But harm will still be done, if only through deprioritization and defunding.

The thing that got us out of the HIV crisis was community led activism, which demanded investments be made in research, delivery, and education. If that funding is diverted or eliminated, we may be dragged back to terrible times.

AK: Okay...one last question: What advice would you give to a newly diagnosed person?

JM: Here’s a list:

1. Remember that you are worthy whether you are undetectable or not.

2. You have a right to pleasure.

3. Don’t let anyone take away your joy for living; not even yourself.

4. Be kind to yourself, especially when you fuck things up.

5. Mind your business, drink water, and stay moisturized. Because no one likes an ashy, thirsty, nosy bitch.

AK: Good advice. Thank you so much for taking time to talk to us so we could introduce you to our readers. Where can we catch your podcast and if someone wanted to contact you where could they find you on social media?

JM: HIV Unmuted is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Audible, Player FM, and Amazon Music. Or you can visit IAS’ page for the podcast.I should note that my season starts with episode 12, during which I interview Sharon Lewin, M.D., AO―the previous president of IAS and one of the best translational scientists in the world. My social media is @juanmichaelii.bsky.social, @juanmichaelporter2 on Facebook, and @jmp2hiv on Instagram.

AK: Is there anything else you'd like to share with us?

JM: Earlier, I said that we must not allow ourselves to be distracted. That applies to being baited as well. Because people are always trying to exhaust us by demanding that we explain why we deserve health care. If someone says, “I don’t think you should get free HIV medications,” say,

“Okay,” and move on. There’s nothing to be gained from arguing with anyone who doesn’t see you as a person. Even if it’s a legislator. Vote them out of office instead.

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It's February. January was quite the transition. Between losing Biden in the White House and the L.A. fires I was exhausted but felt the need to put some positivity into the world. So even though there are gonna be a couple of tracks that I really dislike in this month's mix, I felt it was important to point out why I dislike these tracks. We have twenty selections to talk about. There are four LGBT artists and two allies in this mix.

So, let’s get started shall we?

I originally wasn’t going to include this first track because of the ridiculousness of its content. But when I found out that Tom MacDonald is a Canadian Rapper and avid MAGA supporter I felt like I needed to say something about this idiot. What is it with these assholes who are Canadian citizens cheering on Plump’s Republican Party? You don’t have a horse in the race! And if you’re thinking that Canada should be the 51st state – you’re insane! But when I saw Tom’s latest music video with nutcase Rosanne Barr called “Daddy’s Home” I couldn’t believe the cultural appropriation. These white dudes who wanna rap and be all hard but don’t want to admit that Hip Hop is a Black Invention and embedded in Black Culture are just wrong. And Rosanne has a line in the song where she is complaining (which she does well) about people calling her a racist. Bitch…you lost your TV show behind a racist tweet! You and this buffoon can have several seats! Plump in his

first week did so much damage to the U.S. that it’s gonna take years to fix what he and his rich friends have broken. It’s the American public that is going to suffer the most while he, Elon Musk and the rest of the billionaires in his cabinet profit. But hey…he ran on lowering your grocery prices. How’s that going for ya, huh? Bought any eggs lately?

So now let’s get to some real music…I am lovin’ “Denial Is A River” by Doechii. The title kinda sums up what I think about all the folks who voted for the Orange Menace. You won’t be able to deny what is coming. There are plenty of articles and posts about the Latinos who voted for him and now are scared to show up for work. I guess the photos of the Mass Deportations have drove home what the Democrats were trying to warn you, huh?

But I digressed…I believe that Doechii received the Colbert Bump when she performed a medley of her songs on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Immediately afterwards her chart positions began to rise, and social media began buzzing about her. But of course, with the good must come the bad! Some folks just cain’t be happy for someone else’s success. Assholes online started saying that her music was “Harriet Tubman Music” –insinuating that she is a female “Uncle Tom”. I say any one of us that makes it in this world is a success for all of us who are black. I’m no fan of RuPaul but I have to respect his success. I say “Doechii…continue to make Tampa and the LGBT Community proud!”

Okay..before we talk about the song “Popular” from the smash hit film “Wicked”, I just have one question…Is Ariana Grande alright? When I watched the movie, I noticed how thin she was and now that it’s award season her appearances are looking scarier and scarier. She’s anorexic! I think somebody better do an intervention and soon. Or we’re

gonna have another Karen Carpenter situation on our hands! Now back to the song. I don’t think anyone else could have played the role of Glenda better. We all know she can sing but it almost felt like she had been practicing her entire life to be in this production. I never saw it on Broadway. So, I had no reference to the story. But explaining how Elphaba became known as “Wicked” is a brilliant premise.

Now…here’s a note for Tom MacDonald – our next artist is a good example of being a white rapper. I’m talking about Jack Harlow. He recognizes where Hip Hop comes from and has a respect for those who came before him. Learn it and learn it well. Jack’s latest “Hello Miss Johnson” got a PeteDown Mashup with “Ms. Jackson” by Outkast and is our fourth selection for this month’s mix.

Our fifth selection is my Relentlessly Touched Vocal of “SPITE” by Omar Apollo. I wrote about him a few months back after discovering him from a performance on Colbert. He’s an openly gay recording artist and is in the new film called “Queer”. He has a sex scene with Daniel Craig. With all the hype about this scene I was not impressed. I was impressed with the full frontal of Omar but the actual scene was the equivalent of the camera panning over to the fireplace. But Daniel does deliver later in the film with a better sex scene.

But back to “SPITE” and my mashup with Snoop Dogg’s “Ain’t No Fun”. I just felt like Omar’s track would have been better if he had a better production under his vocals. So..I did something about it. I did this mix back in December. Unfortunately, Snoop Dogg, Rick

Ross & Nelly’s names are mud after performing for Plump’s inauguration. I just cain’t deal with these sellout negros. Talk about “Uncle Toms”. People like them are the reason Black Folks cannot get ahead. Constantly thinking of their wealth before our well-being and not realizing that they got the call because they represent what racists think all black people are.

Another Hip Hop artist who seems to be goin’ none stop is Megan Thee Stallion. Now, I don’t advocate making a career of shakin’ ya ass in the cameras on every music video but I cannot deny that it is still working for her. Her latest “Roc Steady” featuring Flo Milli is a catchy tune and I could see this doing well on some radio stations.

So, I needed a transition to get up to Club speed so I grabbed one by Zea from a few years back of “Dope Girlz” by Steve Aoki & Shaun Frank.

Our eighth selection is the Mark Wolf x Martial Simon Remix of “D.A.N.C.E.” by Justice For me, this falls into that mindless Club track section that is good to build an energy for the floor. Will it be an enduring classic in the future? Probably not. But it suits the moment right now.

Up next is our cover boy from last month, Joey Arrigo. We mentioned his single “Get Down” and the version I have been playing is the Dan Slater Disco Radio Edit. As an out HIV+ & LGBT recording artist like myself, it is so important that we support our own. Because like I said earlier – any one of us succeeding is a success for all of us!” So be sure to check out Joey’s music. And the visual ain’t bad either.

I debated whether or not to include our tenth track in this month’s mix because I hate when a producer/remixer insist on stealing a track or an entire song and rebrands it as their own. But that seems to be the main purpose of Ken@Work. Now he has some female vocalist that he doesn’t credit doing a cover of the 80s UK hit “Say I’m Your Number One” by Princess (which he has renamed “Number One”). Why not use the original vocals and give credit where it is due instead of passing this off as your original work. What a fuckin’ asshole! And the sad part is this is a good House version of this downtempo song.

The eleventh selection is the Mercmonk If Only I Club Mix of “Stupid Dumb” by Mabel featuring Ty Dolla $ign. Nice Pop Club track. Definitely “Radio Ready” and I believe will do well on a dancefloor.

It’s interesting that a lot of unreleased tracks by artists who are no longer here with us are popping up here and there. There’s a new Tina Turner song called “Hot For You Baby”. It’s okay but not something that I think would be a hit today. But the new Michael Jackson release of “A Place With No Name” might do better. It has a hint of that “The Way You Make Me Feel” production. Not really DJ friendly but the music video is clever for the clips and images used. It almost sounds like a rewrite of the 70s hit “A Horse With No Name” by America.

Before I continue I should mention that as I am writing this article new music is being dropped like “Listen” by Brett Brisbois (definitely check this one out…great message for DJs) and the new Sexy Red & Bruno Mars called “Fat Juicy & Wet” – both deserve a mention and I will get to them next month. Just too much music coming out before the Grammys.

When I Googled our next artist I found this….”a queer artist synth pop from Brooklyn, NY. He debuts in 2018 and has quickly increased followers. He will become one of the greatest pop stars of all time to represent the LGBTQ+ community. ” I had never heard of Gregory Dillon but as my grandma used to say “They could make a whole new world outta the things I don’t know. ” I came across his video called “Burning Kisses” and found it interesting. So, I included it in this mix to introduce him to our readers.

Our fourteenth track is the Domus D Funk Rework of “Freed From Desire” by Galla & Mannix. There’s something about the production that reminds me of spinning in NYC back in the 90s. I think that’s why I like this one. It’s not a strong vocal and the lyrics are fluff but that’s why I think it reminds me of the 90s. Not much substance but good filler.

As I said before, it is really important that we as the LGBT Community support our own. So, when my friend JAYMZE sent me his new song “Like A Pro” I listened and realized that while it was a good Pop song, it would not work for my mix. It was too fast and needed a remix (in my opinion). So, I did one. I gave it the Relentlessly Touched Vocal treatment.

For me “Quimbara” has always been a Celia Cruz classic. And I never thought I’d like a cover of it until I heard the one by Barry Can’t Swim, Mimy Succar & Tony Succar. Their reinterpretation of this Latin staple has a great Disco House vibe.

If you’re looking for a Club Anthem, “Let’s Go” by Jaden Boisen & David Guetta is definitely the way to go to get your floor hyped.

Our eighteenth track is a mashup of one of my favourite Rock songs, “I Believe In A Thing Called Love” by The Darkness and “Here With You” by Yves V & Florian Picasso. Jason Jan did an amazing job of making this Pop Rock song accessible for a dance floor.

I think this track is a little early since Pride Month isn’t until June but the new reboot of “We Are Family” by Cedric Gervais & Nile Rodgers vs Sister Sledge is a nice revisit to this classic 70s anthem. Now…while the credit says Sister Sledge - I don’t think so. I have been spinning since 1980, and I know Kathy Sledge’s voice when I hear it and this ain’t it! This isn’t in this mix but be on the lookout for the George Michael tribute track of “Freedom” by Rival Peyton & GeO Gospel Choir. Both of these will be great in a Pride mix.

To close out this month’s mix I chose the Dirty Disco Mainroom Remix of “Mantra” by Jennie. I have seen a couple of releases by her but really had no idea that she comes from the K-Pop group BLACKPINK. I still haven’t fallen into the K-Pop trap. To me all of this music lately is just American Pop done by Korean artists. These artists are doing Pop, R&B and Rock but somehow are hypnotizing our youth and convincing them that this is the movement. There are plenty of American and Canadian artists here who do the same things and are ignored. Now…I like this particular version of this song. It doesn’t mean that I am supporting K-Pop. To me this is a fad that will fade.

Thank you for taking the time to read my article. I hope that you learned something or discovered music that you might not have encountered in your normal listening habits. And don’t forget to get your FREE DOWNLOAD of te video mix in the links at the beginning of the article. See ya next month with some more new EAR CANDY.

Be sure to join our Facebook Group for PINK CINEMA here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/195374003920591 so you can vote on which movie we will watch on February 18th.

Here’s the event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/1420213642285517

Remember…it’s a suggested $2 or more donation which goes to support the Toronto People With AIDS Foundation. And the concession stand goes to POZ-TO to get access to the movies. $1 Popcorn $1 Pop 50¢ Chips & 50¢ Candies

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