Whether the new decade begins Jan 1, 2020 and ends Dec 31, 2029 or starts Jan 1, 2021 and finishes Dec 31, 2030, one thing is certain: it’s been nearly forty years of the HIV/AIDS era, which began in 1981. While we cannot predict what it brings, or decide how the decade is determined, we can wish for a bright future. Here’s part one of twenty things you might want to get … [Read more...] about A Fistful of Wishes, Part 1
Opinions
Navigating a World, Social, and Spiritual Landscape
It’s 2020 and the Saints are NOT going to the Super Bowl. It is now just past the Feast of the Epiphany and Mardi Gras is upon us. The world, as our news reports show us, seems to be getting more polarized and divided. The social discourse is virulent and getting more so. Apart from the various wars and conflicts we are involved in, whether geopolitical or economic, we also … [Read more...] about Navigating a World, Social, and Spiritual Landscape
Create your Path Through Words to Live By
When I was an undergraduate English major, some friends and I would play a game to help us recall words to broaden our vocabulary. Exciting, right? Ok, I’ll admit I might have been a bit of a nerd, but I loved words, writing and creating poems & stories. While I’ve never really put much stock into New Year’s resolutions, I do enjoy picking a group of words and … [Read more...] about Create your Path Through Words to Live By
A Look at MLK Day
Martin Luther King Jr. Day was originally promoted by labor unions and, shortly after the civil rights leader’s death, it was brought to Congress for a vote. President Ronald Reagan signed the ensuing bill and it became law in 1983. Some states, however, refused to recognize the holiday or celebrate it. It was finally acknowledged by all 50 states for the first time in … [Read more...] about A Look at MLK Day
The 2010s: A Decade in Review
If you’re anything like me, it probably seems that the past decade went by fairly quickly. Wasn’t it only yesterday that we were ringing in 2010? (OK, honestly? I don’t remember much about that year at all. The year 2000 definitely made a deeper impression.) In any case, there have been some pretty monumental changes for the LGBT community in the last ten years. Here are just … [Read more...] about The 2010s: A Decade in Review
It’s good to be King
I never much cared for homework when I was a kid. I’m pretty sure I wasn’t the only one. There were so many other things I would have rather been doing. And you might be surprised to find out just how much you can accomplish when you should be doing something else. There are few to choose from, but one of my most memorable homework assignments came from Mrs. Green’s English … [Read more...] about It’s good to be King
HIV 2019 – Good, Bad, & Ugly
As we close another year, let’s reflect on a few things in 2019. Promises were made and some important ideas emerged along with funding, which is always exciting and impactful. The GOOD U=U (Undetectable equals Untransmittable) means that when HIV is no longer detectable in our bodies we CANNOT transmit it to an intimate (sexual) partner. Achieving an undetectable viral … [Read more...] about HIV 2019 – Good, Bad, & Ugly
A Christmas Story – The Big Picture
Dear Friends -- We shall not talk of carnival lamps nor bb guns. Nor will we speak of Red Ryder wagons. Neither shall we talk of Angels getting their wings and bells on Christmas Eve. We will, however, speak of the “Big Picture.” Too often, we wrap ourselves in the non-essential elements of the Nativity. How often do we hear a litany of information and conjecture that, … [Read more...] about A Christmas Story – The Big Picture
2020 Is Here
The other day I mentioned to a friend of mine that while I knew “2020” was the next year chronologically, it had not crossed my mind what this means. We’re getting near the third decade of the third millennium. Twenty years since y2k, that old chestnut best left forgotten if it didn’t seem so quaint in retrospect. If you don’t recall, in 1999, the media hyped up the … [Read more...] about 2020 Is Here
Trump and a Hill to Die On
One of the most significant Supreme Court decisions of 2019 was one that barely received notice in the LGBT+ community—Rucho v. Common. The case had to do with gerrymandering, the act of drawing legislative district maps in such a way that favors one political party. Not a sexy topic, for sure, but a consequential one, nonetheless. Profoundly … [Read more...] about Trump and a Hill to Die On
