WELLNESS STARTS WITH AWARENESS - CD8 T cells - The Body

Readers Forum
Transgender and HIV
I just fi nished reading the entire journal
cover to cover [July/August 2008]. Great
job! You are to be commended for your honesty
and integrity, and for daring to broach
a subject many people, even in the HIV/
AIDS arena, do not want to talk about.
Azella C. Collins, MSN, RN, Chicago
Chapter National Black Nurses
Association, via the Internet
Thank you for your recent issue related
to transgender people and HIV. I have
been a fan of PA for years and felt, well, validated
by the issue.
Elizabeth Mendia, Executive Director,
Whittier Rio Hondo AIDS Project
Whittier, California
Ask the HIV Specialist
It was kind, I suppose, for [doctor]
Tonia Poteat to answer Itchy and Worried’s
question about his chance of getting infected
with HIV from a fi ve-second open mouth
kiss with a Vietnamese CSW [commercial
sex worker] [Ask the HIV Specialist, May/
June 2008], but reading about his paranoid
worry was annoying and tiresome. It is saddening
too, that 25 years into the epidemic
a guy is still worrying about catching HIV
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12
from a kiss. People with HIV have real stuff
to worry about.
Name withheld, via the Internet
What is Sacred?
Thanks for the wonderful piece on
“What is Sacred” [May/June 2005)! Finally,
someone who can speak to the possibility
that a gay man doesn’t have to respond from
his penis—but perhaps should respond
from his heart and soul. Do you know of
any organizations in the Minneapolis-St.
Paul area that are doing similar work of
integrating faith and hope into clinical
work? By the way, I do bodywork and massage,
and can’t tell you how oft en the fi rst
thing I heard from gay men when I tell them
what I do is, “Wow! You must really get to
see some nice bodies and dicks!” Th ey are
serious, and don’t really want to hear about
my work. Th ey simply want to hear about
the bodies on which I work. I am very tired
of hearing that response.
Name withheld, via the Internet
Resp onse from Tony Hollenback: I am
humbled by your words and am grateful that
you were touched by the article. It gives me
hope that as a gay community we can begin
to change and create how we see ourselves
and how we see each other—our friendships
and work, our personal and sexual relationships.
Opportunities to connect on a deeper
level take the relationship to a very diff erent
place. I don’t know anything about the community
in the Twin Cities, but will refer several
Chicago websites that might be a source
of support for you. Th e Native American
communities are very open to embracing
and honoring gay men as being “twin sp irited,”
meaning we carry the male and female
energy. You might want to check online to see
if you can fi nd a local Native American tribe,
medicine man or woman, sweat lodge, etc.
Th is would be a wonderful source of sacred
community honoring who you are as a gay
man. Let me know if I can be of any help to
you in your journey. I have my own private
pract ice and lead sacred circles and retreats,
as well as individual work.
Save the World
Th anks ever so much for your column
in Th eBody.com [Editor’s Note, “Four Minutes
to Save the World,” May/June 2008].
As a 22-year survivor, I’m consistently disheartened
by the nonexistence of media
advocacy for HIV-related issues these days.
Where are the visible spokespeople? I’m currently
working with a group of guys in our
local stop-in support group with the idea
of coming up with events to focus attention
on HIV, and I must say I’m astounded
by some of the conversation among some
of the members. Sometimes the lack of
concern leaves me feeling angry and confused.
Likewise, as an African American,
I’m bothered by both the climbing rates of
infection and the denial that surrounds the
black community. I think a very commercial,
sexy approach to HIV awareness is of
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PA • September / October 2008 • tpan.com • positivelyaware.com
Positively Aware