Podcasts about aids activist

In the 80s and 90s, Derek Hodel was the executive director of the New York Buyer's Club — also known as the People with AIDS Health Group. When life saving AIDS drugs in America were too expensive or not approved yet, Derek bypassed the American healthcare system and brought them in from abroad. He reflects on his work and its impact, nearly 40 years later.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Just the 2 of us...and it was STILL a great time!!! Listen as we discuss the rapper Logic droppin' straight financial bars, the legacy of the late/great HIV/AIDS, Hyedia Broadbent, Lovin' The Skin You're In, and a little "Would You Rather..." to cleanse your palate!!! Comedy, Creativity and Culture...it's what we do, baby!!! Follow us on Facebook: ⁠www.facebook.com/Wokeish19/⁠ Follow us on Instagram: @⁠Wokeish_podcast Gotta question? Email us: ⁠wokeishpodcast19@gmail.com⁠ Wanna support our self-funded podcast?: Hit up the CashApp: $Wokeish2019. We appreciate all the love and support!!! Listen to us WHEREVER you listen to your podcasts!!! RATE, REVIEW, SUBSCRIBE!!!

AP correspondent Norman Hall reports on the death of AIDS activist Hydeia (hy-DEE'-uh) Broadbent.

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Our guest today, the  Rev. Dr. Steve Pieters was raised in Andover, Massachusetts, where his father chaired the Mathematics Department at Phillips Academy.  In 1976, he joined Good Shepherd Parish Metropolitan Community Church in Chicago, where he decided to pursue a calling to the professional ministry. In 1982, Steve resigned his position in Hartford and moved to Los Angeles, where he began to experience a series of illnesses that were diagnosed as AIDS-Related Complex. In April, 1984, he was diagnosed with AIDS/Kaposi's Sarcoma and stage four lymphoma, and he was told by one health professional that he would not live to see 1985. Not only did he live to see 1985, but during that year he became "patient number 1" on the first anti-viral drug trial, taking suramin for a total of 39 weeks. While on suramin, both cancers went into complete remission. Due to toxic side effects, the drug was discontinued for use against AIDS. However, Rev. Pieters continues to enjoy a complete remission of his cancers. Since his diagnosis, Rev. Pieters has served on the Boards of Directors of AIDS Project Los Angeles, the AIDS Interfaith Council of Southern California, the AIDS National Interfaith Network (USA), and the first Los Angeles City/County AIDS Task Force, and was Field Director for the AIDS Ministry of the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches from 1987 to 1997. Pieters was one of twelve invited guests at a Prayer Breakfast at the White House with U.S. President Bill Clinton, Vice President Al Gore, and National AIDS Policy Coordinator Kristine Gebbie prior to World AIDS Day 1993. The President talked about Rev. Pieters in his World AIDS Day speech on December 1, 1993. He was famously interviewed by Tammy Faye Bakker on her TV show, and that interview was recreated in the film The Eyes of Tammy Faye.

Our guest today, the  Rev. Dr. Steve Pieters was raised in Andover, Massachusetts, where his father chaired the Mathematics Department at Phillips Academy.  In 1976, he joined Good Shepherd Parish Metropolitan Community Church in Chicago, where he decided to pursue a calling to the professional ministry. In 1982, Steve resigned his position in Hartford and moved to Los Angeles, where he began to experience a series of illnesses that were diagnosed as AIDS-Related Complex. In April, 1984, he was diagnosed with AIDS/Kaposi's Sarcoma and stage four lymphoma, and he was told by one health professional that he would not live to see 1985. Not only did he live to see 1985, but during that year he became "patient number 1" on the first anti-viral drug trial, taking suramin for a total of 39 weeks. While on suramin, both cancers went into complete remission. Due to toxic side effects, the drug was discontinued for use against AIDS. However, Rev. Pieters continues to enjoy a complete remission of his cancers. Since his diagnosis, Rev. Pieters has served on the Boards of Directors of AIDS Project Los Angeles, the AIDS Interfaith Council of Southern California, the AIDS National Interfaith Network (USA), and the first Los Angeles City/County AIDS Task Force, and was Field Director for the AIDS Ministry of the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches from 1987 to 1997. Pieters was one of twelve invited guests at a Prayer Breakfast at the White House with U.S. President Bill Clinton, Vice President Al Gore, and National AIDS Policy Coordinator Kristine Gebbie prior to World AIDS Day 1993. The President talked about Rev. Pieters in his World AIDS Day speech on December 1, 1993. He was famously interviewed by Tammy Faye Bakker on her TV show, and that interview was recreated in the film The Eyes of Tammy Faye.

INTRODUCTION: Martina Clark was the first openly HIV-positive person hired to work for UNAIDS in 1996. She subsequently worked for the United Nations system for 20 years, advocating globally for the rights of people living with HIV. Her collaborative work also led to a mandatory HIV In the Workplace program internal to the United Nations system, facilitating platforms for freer dialogue and a more supportive environment for all personnel, including LGBTQ, persons with disabilities, and other marginalized populations. Clark holds a BA in International Relations and an MFA in Creative Writing and Literature. Currently, she is an adjunct for LaGuardia Community College (part of CUNY) where she teaches English 101 and Critical Reading to NYC public high school students earning college credits early. Her award-winning debut book, My Unexpected Life: An International Memoir of Two Pandemics, HIV and COVID-19, was published in October 2021. INCLUDED IN THIS EPISODE (But not limited to): ·      A Deep Look Into Living With HIV/AIDS·      How COVID-19 And HIV/AIDS Are Connected·      Specific Implications For Women Living With HIV/AIDS·      Castro Street In The Mid 80's·      Doctoral Disrespect·      The Benefits of HIV/AIDS·      The Importance Of Maintaining A Positive Perspective·      Implementing Changes At The United Nations·      Disease Does Not Discriminate ·      Why It's Easier To Talk To Homeless People & Children CONNECT WITH MARTINA: Website: https://martina-clark.com/homeBook: https://martina-clark.com/buy-my-bookLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martina-clark-2735719/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/martinaclarkwriter/Twitter: https://twitter.com/MartinaClarkPenFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/MartinaClarkWriter/YouTube: https://bit.ly/3IsGEjt CONNECT WITH DE'VANNON: Website: https://www.SexDrugsAndJesus.comWebsite: https://www.DownUnderApparel.comTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sexdrugsandjesusYouTube: https://bit.ly/3daTqCMFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/SexDrugsAndJesus/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sexdrugsandjesuspodcast/Twitter: https://twitter.com/TabooTopixLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/devannonPinterest: https://www.pinterest.es/SexDrugsAndJesus/_saved/Email: DeVannon@SDJPodcast.com  DE'VANNON'S RECOMMENDATIONS: ·      Pray Away Documentary (NETFLIX)o  https://www.netflix.com/title/81040370o  TRAILER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tk_CqGVfxEs ·      OverviewBible (Jeffrey Kranz)o  https://overviewbible.como  https://www.youtube.com/c/OverviewBible ·      Hillsong: A Megachurch Exposed (Documentary)o  https://press.discoveryplus.com/lifestyle/discovery-announces-key-participants-featured-in-upcoming-expose-of-the-hillsong-church-controversy-hillsong-a-megachurch-exposed/ ·      Leaving Hillsong Podcast With Tanya Levino  https://leavinghillsong.podbean.com  ·      Upwork: https://www.upwork.com·      FreeUp: https://freeup.net VETERAN'S SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS ·      Disabled American Veterans (DAV): https://www.dav.org·      American Legion: https://www.legion.org ·      What The World Needs Now (Dionne Warwick): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfHAs9cdTqg INTERESTED IN PODCASTING OR BEING A GUEST?: ·      PodMatch is awesome! This application streamlines the process of finding guests for your show and also helps you find shows to be a guest on. The PodMatch Community is a part of this and that is where you can ask questions and get help from an entire network of people so that you save both money and time on your podcasting journey.https://podmatch.com/signup/devannon  TRANSCRIPT: Martina Clark[00:00:00]You're listening to the sex drugs and Jesus podcast, where we discuss whatever the fuck we want to! And yes, we can put sex and drugs and Jesus all in the same bed and still be all right at the end of the day. My name is De'Vannon and I'll be interviewing guests from every corner of this world as we dig into topics that are too risqué for the morning show, as we strive to help you understand what's really going on in your life.There is nothing off the table and we've got a lot to talk about. So let's dive right into this episode.De'Vannon: Martina Clark is the author of My Unexpected Life, an International Memoir of two Pandemics, h i v, and Covid, 19. Now this book goes into great detail with regard to Martina Struggle living with H I V, surviving an Abusive Marriage, and her great efforts to establish an H I V awareness culture within the United Nation.Talk about a task, right? join [00:01:00] Martina and I as we travel in time from the Castro District in San Francisco in the 1980s, all the way up to the present days. We discussed life with H I v specific implications for HIV positive women and so much more. Hello, are you beautiful souls out there? And welcome back to the Sex Drugs in Jesus podcast. I'm your host Davanon, and I have of me today the wonderful and lovely Martina Clarke and this diva here. Is a, is a woman after my own soul. She has a history of H I V. She's also overcome Covid 19, and I have had to deal with those both.She wrote a book called My Unexpected Life, an International Memoir of two Pandemics, h i v, and Covid 19. And that is what we are here to discuss today. H I v. And Covid 19. Martina, how are you my dear? Martina: I am. I am well. How are you? [00:02:00]De'Vannon: I am fan. Fucking fantastic. Awesome. You know, after having lived through two diseases, which do come to kill you, what can I possibly have to complain about?You know, I'm here, I'm queer. I've got a bright pink beard going on because it's Mardi Gra down here right now. And, you know, I'm in, I'm in the season. And you know, you know, you know, how are, how are you? I read your book and everything for fuck's sake. How are you? , ? Martina: I, you know, I think I'm kind of the same. I think we are both virus overachiever and considering all that we've been through, I, you know, I'll complain cuz sometimes it's fun, but I really can't complain.I'm here. Getting ready to turn 59 in a few weeks and never thought that would happen. And it's all good. I feel like I'm the luckiest person alive. De'Vannon: Right. And y'all, so in this, in this interview, I hope to give you some [00:03:00] deeper insight into, H I v, you know, how it affects you mentally and emotionally and everything like that.Mm-hmm. , what Martina can offer that I cannot is that she was around and dealing with this back in San Francisco, you know, when all the shit started to hit the fan. Really, you know, I got H I V like in 20, like 10 years ago, 20 11, 20 10, or some shit, a far cry from what was going on back, you know, in the nineties and eighties and things like that.So I'm super excited to talk to her. . You know, I've never had anybody on my show who came quite out of this era. Oh wow. Okay. Great. A side note before we get started, because I noticed like everything, when I was researching you and some of your images, I saw a repeat of what looked to be like dragonfly earrings.Yes. Wondering what this is . Martina: Yeah. And you I have them on right now. Exactly. . So, I thi this particular pair of [00:04:00]dragon dragonfly earrings I got in Cambodia of all places and I saw them in the hotel lobby where I was staying. And I tried to never buy stuff like in the hotel stores cause I wanna find the actual artists and support them directly.But I just fell in love with them and I thought the hell that I'm gonna buy 'em and I wear them every single day. I've had them. Probably 15 years and somebody told me that when you see a dragonfly in nature, it means that the ecosystem is in good shape. So for me, I like to wear the dragonfly is partly cuz I think they're pretty, but partly because it makes me feel like maybe my own little personal ecosystem is in good shape and I need all the help I can getSo that's what they mean to me. De'Vannon: That is so beautiful and it reminds me, I was, a couple of years ago, I was looking out my backyard and there's a stream that runs back there and there was a swarm of [00:05:00] thousands of dragon flies. Oh, wow. The, the only time I've seen is in my life. I used to catch him. You know, as a kid, but I don't catch insects anymore.I just want them to be free. Yeah. But but it was like thousands of them and they happened to, to show up as the sun was setting at a certain angle and it reflected off of all of their wings sign. Oh my god. And Martina: it . Wow. That must have been De'Vannon: amazing. It is one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen in my life.In I can imagine You're here, here for the dragonfly. Now that's the beautiful stuff. Let's get into the, the gritty part of this. So the cover of your. Absolutely titillating. I'm always interested in people's book covers, you know, and what it means. One thing that, so the cover of her book y'all, is like, it looks like a passport.Mm-hmm. her very emotionless passport photo. You know, they don't like you to smile in those photos. They want you to look like a goddamn statue. So you pulled off your statue esque look. Very [00:06:00] well. Thank you. She's got like a Covid virus. She's got like h I v Now you have Venezuela. It's the only country that I see on there.You have 18 September, 1996. Was that the day you found out you had H I V. And was that the country you were in or what is the significance of Venezuela and that date? Martina: That is an excellent question that nobody has ever asked me. So the reason for Venezuela is total random. Okay? It has nothing to do with anythingBasically I had an idea of the cover that I wanted and I sent some pictures of passport, actual pages of my passport to the woman who did the ultimate design and they came up. The, the variations on the stamps and why they selected Venezuela, I cannot tell you. I guess it just happened to [00:07:00] fit, but I actually found out that I had H I V in 1992 in may I think of 1992 for some bizarre reason.I don't know the exact date that I tested positive, which I find extremely weird. , but I haven't committed it to memory. Or maybe I blocked it, I don't know. But yeah, it was in 1992 when I found out. So I was in San Francisco and that is when that journey began for me. De'Vannon: Now she was 28 years old when she found out.Mm-hmm. . I'm gonna read a snippet. From your book, I do love story time and there are two snippets that I'm gonna read throughout this interview here. So if I may, yeah, of course. Thank you. Okay, so this snippet here, y'all, this is Martina now. She says, unnerved by my memories of the men. Who died in those years, neighbors who left for the hospital and never [00:08:00] returned the relentless funerals I found myself reliving the grief of decades past history was repeating itself again, far too many.Did not heed the warning. Now. In this snippet here, she's tidying up this book as Covid 19 is beginning and COVID 19 is causing you to be triggered about what was going on back in 1992. Right? So, and then while I'm reading this, I'm having all these poses, flashbacks, and I'm just, you know, you know, I'm right there with you in New York back in the dance hall scene and in pose it was only three seasons, but my God, it felt like years of, you know, so many funerals, so many people died, you know, watching poses.If you haven't seen pose people, I don't know what you're doing with your life. Martina: Forget on it. De'Vannon: So, yes. And, and Martina is in New York right now. That's where she lives. And so all of this is just [00:09:00] really coming together for me right now in a super emotional way. So, so tell us about how you felt when you got H I V and what was going on, and then how did C O V I D trigger this for you?Sure. Martina: So when I found out that I had H I V. , I felt like my life had just been erased. And I remember I was, I got the news on the phone, which is not how you're supposed to get it. You're supposed to get it from an intellectual person in real life. But I got the news on the phone and I was standing in a kitchen and I just stared at a cabinet and it's like a white kitchen cabinet.And I, I felt like that was my life. It was just a blank slate. And not necessarily in a good way, but that everything I had ever done. , it just didn't matter anymore cuz I had this new thing that I was gonna have to deal with. I had never seen another woman with H I v I probably had, but I didn't register that I had.And [00:10:00] despite living in San Francisco, which in the eighties and nineties was, you know, really hard hit by H I V and AIDS pandemic, I just still felt very, very alone. I knew plenty of people with H I V, but not another woman. But before all of that happened in 1992 I actually lived on Castro Street in the mid eighties.Yeah. And yeah, Castro Street. If you don't know, San Francisco is the hub of the most fabulous gay neighborhood, perhaps on the planet, I don't know. But certainly in San Francisco. And I lived there at the, really, at the height of the AIDS crisis, and there were. sirens all the time and ambulances going by and funerals, and it was just a constant state of sort of survival and grief.And yet in the midst of this extraordinary community who was always like, we're gonna be better than this. We're gonna be bigger than this. We're gonna, we're gonna still be fabulous and [00:11:00]wonderful. And when. going through the beginning of Covid. I live in Brooklyn, in New York City, which was the epicenter for this pandemic.And so it was similar in a sense that there was just a constant stream of ambulances going by and people were dying. And I'm, I'm a teacher now and my students were telling me these horror stories of one student's mom died and the family didn't even know where her body was. For like weeks and I mean, just trauma that is unbearable for anybody.And it was on such a scale that I was really triggered and I, I mean, nobody knew what to anticipate as we went into the covid epidemic, but our pandemic, I should say. But I, I was really triggered and I found myself like back on Castro Street. Seeing [00:12:00] apartments for rent, knowing that probably the person inside who had lived there before died, you know, or yard sales.There were yard sales all the time, which it was just, it was so much to handle, to know that there was so much death going on around you. And then to go through this again was was overwhelming to say the slightest least De'Vannon: bit. Two pandemics in a lifetime. . Yeah. You know, when, when Covid came out, you know, they were saying like, you know, we hadn't seen anything like this since, I think 19 you know, the early 19 hundreds when there was a Spanish flu?I believe it was right, but. But if, but if truth be told for people dealing with H I V we have seen it before . Martina: Yes, exactly. Exactly. Yeah. No, we've lived through it and, and I'm in touch with a lot of long-term survivors of H I V and we all were just like, Ugh, this feels too real. Too [00:13:00] close. Too much. Yeah.De'Vannon: And so, I hear you when you say that you found out over the phone, that is so not the way to do it. When I found out they didn't even bother to call, they left the voicemail. Oh my gosh. I re, I retrieve my positive diagnosis from a voicemail and so , so it, it is just, and this was only 10 years ago, so it's sad to see that healthcare and the way they deal with H I V has not evolved, you know?Yeah. Back in those days telling people over the phone, in my case, leaving a voice. You know, it makes me think that some doctors who deal with H I V patients just don't respect us, you know? And just don't consider us be human enough to treat with common dignity and decency. . Yeah, Martina: I agreed. De'Vannon: Totally agree.HIV people, you did it to yourself. It's all your fault. So you, you deserve what happened to you. So we'll just drop the shit on the, we'll just call you and whatever. Martina: Yeah. . Yeah. No, agree. [00:14:00] Agree. I don't understand why we haven't gotten past . De'Vannon: Yeah. Stigma. Now, when you found out, you said you, you stared at the, at the furniture, you know, and you felt like your life, everything was at that point, didn't matter.They said that they gave you five years to live. Mm-hmm. . How did it feel to hear a doctor try to, and clearly we're far past five years now, , you know, thank God for that. Yeah. And you, but how did it feel to have someone tell you, look, you got, what is it, 60 months left f ? Do with it what you will , you know?Martina: Yeah. I never thought of it in terms of months. It, it just felt, again, it, it, it definitely felt dismissive. I mean, in, in retrospect, I look back and I think, okay, this doctor was also navigating this territory and probably didn't know what to [00:15:00] say, and that was his best assessment. Right. But at the time, I, you know, I was 28 years old.I felt like, that's it, you know, my life is over. And and he kept telling me to relax and to, you know, don't stress , just, you know, be as calm as you can. Don't stress about things because stress is bad for you. So relax and try and get lots of rest. . It's like, fuck you. You know, you just told me I've got five years to live.I'm gonna maybe make it to 33 if I'm lucky. Right. And I'm not Jesus, so I don't want that end, you know? Right. I don't wanna go down that path. So I yeah, I just felt like my life was over and. because there was no treatment yet that didn't come till like 1996. I think that is what launched me into becoming an activist, cuz I felt like, you know, if I am gonna die, at least I can try and make something out of this [00:16:00] to help somebody else, or at least make myself feel better about myself, , or, I don't know make me feel like I had a purpose.and so I didn't really focus on myself as much as I think maybe I should have, but it was sort of what I needed to do. I just needed to stay in my mind, stay one step ahead of the virus cuz there was no other option at that point. De'Vannon: I think you did better than me. I was too self-absorbed and too concerned about me.I thought I was just gonna like die in a few months cuz I didn't have, they didn't tell me I had five months. They didn't tell me anything after. Forgot the voicemail. I never talked to anybody and I just went down this whole bad spiral. The only person I knew who had H I V died at like 24 ish, and I just saw him triple up into like this husk of a person covered with boils and sores.Mm-hmm. . And I thought, okay, well, you know, that's where it's headed. And so [00:17:00] but hearing you speak. You know, tells me what I should have done. You know, I should have taken the microscope off of me and had I focused on trying to heal other people than I would've gotten healed myself, you know? Which is how I usually would deal with, cuz I had a strong history of volunteerism, but I was not volunteering during this time because I had gotten kicked out of church.For not being straight. And so I had stopped all of my philanthropy and public service work, so I wasn't in that vein of operating like I usually would have been. Mm-hmm. . So I didn't even think about that. And so, So people, when we get sick, if anybody out there contracts, h i v, here you have it, , don't find a way to help somebody else.That way you don't get o overly self-absorbed with your own nightmarish fantasies about what you think are going to happen. I like to talk about this because sometimes people. Get H I v and people are [00:18:00] like, oh, there's medicine for it now you can just fix it. That that doesn't take away the mental mind fuck of being invaded by something that you can't get rid of and that, you know, desires to take your life.It doesn't matter how far technology has come, the mental health aspect of it is still is real today as it was back in the Castro days. Martina: Absolutely. Absolutely. Yeah. No, I think that that is it's so important to, to highlight because people. , it's really not that big a deal now. You know, it's, it's so what?You take a pill every day and if you're probably fine, you'll probably have a regular lifespan. But that is so minimizing the reality, and it's just kind of bullshit because yes, there's medication and thank God it exists. And we're very lucky compared to so many people who are not here to even talk about this now.but the truth is you still have your body fighting this thing constantly. Research is showing that [00:19:00] for long-term survivors, it ages your body just because you've been fighting it for so long. So like in theory, I'm 12 years older physiologically than my actual age, and so I. 70 . So I'm now magically older than my siblings, which is kind of weird But then as you say, like all of the, the social dynamics and the mental health and the, you know, psychological, it's like you just still don't know. And the thing is, we still don't know, you know, we know that the medications are working so far so good, but we're the. Sort of cohort of people being studied to see if this medication actually works.I don't know, you know, maybe in another 10 years you're gonna be like, oops, it's as good as it gets. And that's, you know, it stopped working. Now, I don't know. And I don't know, like with Covid, you know, this is something I think about a lot was did I get c o because I have h I [00:20:00] V and I was more vulner. or when I got covid, did I not have a worse case because I'm also taking medication for H I V, which is not the same medication, but sort of in a similar family of fighting viruses.I don't know. You know? And it is a constant like just. every day. Not every day. Maybe after 31 years of living with H I V I don't think about it necessarily every single day, but I do think about it regularly, like, is something else going to go wrong tomorrow because I have H I V, you know, do I really have a full life to look forward to?Am I gonna live to 80 or 90? And of course, nobody knows how long they're gonna live, but I really, nobody knows how much h I V is actually still doing damage to. despite having the medications. Mm-hmm. like it's keeping us alive, but is it really you know, are we, are we actually still at a hundred percent?Like everybody likes to [00:21:00] pretend that you take the pill and you're good to go. You know? There's so much more to it, as you say. Yeah. De'Vannon: There's so much more to it and there's so many different medicines because everybody's body. reacts differently to different mm-hmm. things. No Doctor gives you a guarantee that medicine is going to work.They always have that same disclaimer, like, we're gonna try this. Hopefully it works. If this doesn't work, then we'll switch you to a different medicine. You hope and pray that your body doesn't grow a tolerance to whatever medicine that you are. Mm-hmm. . And you hope and pray that you don't get exposed to a different strand of it that could cause the virus within you to mutate, so mm-hmm.it's not just like a home free thing. It still has to, it still is a conscious. Yeah. I wanna give a word of caution too when people, you know, if you should happen to get H I V or hepatitis, I also, you know, have a history of Hepatitis B as well, you know, to be careful that you don't let it turn into anger.Mm-hmm. , when I was a teenager, this guy that I was. Dating, you know, he was like the same person who died of H I V or AIDS [00:22:00] was the same one. He was running around trying to intentionally give it to people. Mm. Because what happened with him is he got it and like me, I thought I was just gonna die. And I blamed myself.He got mad and he went out and tried to kill as many people as he could, you know, so, So just be careful, you know, your emotions that I like, we, we, Martina and I cannot overstate the emotional implications, you know, that can happen to people. Mm-hmm. . Now the last snippet that I have that I wanted to read talks about Different perspective on it.For, for instance, this is the panglossian outlook as you describe it in your book in the panglossian is just a very fabulous word that doesn't speak of mermaids or unicorns or the never ending story like you might think. It just means like a, a super optimistic person. . So , [00:23:00] so, so So the snippet reads, people living with the virus sometimes, say H I V, is a gift because it requires a long, hard look at yourself and your life.You take account of where you stand, it forces you to contemplate your mortality. Perhaps still, I've swapped my gift for a nice pair of shoes and so. after I settled the fuck down and realized I wasn't going to die, now we're talking what, four felonies and three trips to jail later. Because I really went off the deep end.I realized, you know, I gotta get healthy now. I have to, like, I started to like eat better, or at least think about it, you know? Mm-hmm. ways. And so for me it did turn into a gift. After I got my head back on straight . It was so funny to read. You say, you know, I'll take the pair of shoes.[00:24:00]did you find any benefits? I mean, Martina: you know, I, I, I always say that I would clearly, I would like, I'm sure everybody would like to have had a life without h I v. I would like to have tried that one out, but I would also be a liar if I said I didn't have some benefits because, because of the fact that I had h I v and it was just, you know, sort of the timing and my particular set of skills in life and all of these things converged and I ended up having a career for more than 20 years with the United Nations, which I don't think I would ever have been able to even fantasize about.You know, it just, it all unfolded because I had H I V and through that, Traveled the world. I have met extraordinary people from all walks of life in all kinds of places, and I wouldn't trade that for anything. I have been so [00:25:00] blessed to, to be able to go places and like, be in the company of the people who actually live there, you know, not get on a, a tour and ride around in a bus and wave at the, at the locals.You know, I actually got to be with the people who live in all of these places and. a little bit understand what they were going through and know that like their journey with H I V was different for certain reasons. or despite having living, being living in different totally different countries, we actually have a lot of things in common, you know, that sort of stuff that you realize.There's so many things that connect us as human beings. And when you're dealing with something as traumatic and big as h I v, a lot of those things they become super important and it no longer matters. You know, where you're from, what language you speak, what you look like, any of that. It's just like this common shared life experience and.to have had so many of those experiences is just, I feel like I am the [00:26:00] richest person on the planet in terms of life experience. Not quite as rich in terms of money, but that's okay. . And so things like that. I definitely got a lot of great, you know, not pairs of shoes, but a lot of great other gifts,De'Vannon: hey, perspective is everything. A person can have so much in front of them and focus on a few things that they don't have and forfeit all the good stuff that they do have. Yeah. And then, you know, it's all about perspective. Millionaires kill themselves, you know? Yeah. It's not about money, you know, it's about not getting tricked into over focusing on the, on the, what you don't have, and being happy for what you do have.Agree. Yeah. Now before we dive deeper into the United Nations, the last question that I had about your more like personal life was do you ever think about like, where you got h i v from, you know, how you contracted it, who gave it to you, or [00:27:00] you got it from a needle? Like, do you ever think about that or do you have closure on that?Martina: Excellent question. I. Sort of forced closure on it. The truth is, I don't know a hundred percent where I got H I v. I am certain it was from a sexual encounter, unprotected sex. Only cuz I never did any drugs that involve needles cuz I'm afraid of needles. And we'll leave it at that. Not that I didn't try on plenty of other stuff, , , but that was not myThat was not my, my method of choice, party De'Vannon: on, party on, but . Martina: But none of none of those things would've put me at risk for h I V except for maybe not being in my best mental frame of reference to make good choices. But I don't know for sure. I have a pretty good idea of where and when I was exposed, and that's [00:28:00] as much as I'll ever know.And I, you know, I think one of my friends told me a story once, she's from Uganda, and she said that when a snake gets into your house, the first thing you think about is not, gosh, how did the snake get in the house? . Hmm. Let's ponder that. No, what you think about is how do I get that snake out of my house and get it away as far away as possible, so it's not gonna come back.Right. You're not thinking about like, how does it get in? That's sort of a, a luxury to think about in a way when you have to fight, you know, the virus is very much a real live living thing in your body. That's the thing that's more important to worry about. At least for me that has held true that I sort of, I've pondered it and probably more at the beginning, but as time has passed, like it doesn't matter.I have it. I gotta deal with it and move forward. [00:29:00]De'Vannon: Oh, to move forward. Some days it's easier. Some days it almost seems impossible, but move forward, we must move forward, we shall.No. I have one more question before we move on to the un. Okay. In your book, I was reading, and you're very, very transparent about how you, while you didn't judge like the gay men or anything like that in according to your head knowledge, you really didn't think as being like a, a straight woman, that it was something that you were at risk for, you thought.I believe in your book, you said you thought you were like immune to it or like it could not impact you. So what do you have to say to people to this day who might still be laboring under the delusion that it's, you know, a disease for those people over there? Or , you know? Martina: Yeah. Well I think I mean, we can take a lesson from Covid.A virus does not care who you are, what you look like, or you [00:30:00] know how you get it. They just want you to get it and live in your body and mess things up. So anybody can get H I V. It's has nothing to do with who you are. If you're a good person, a bad person, or you're smelly or you have green eyes or left-handed.It has nothing to do with any of that stuff. It is a virus and anybody can get it, and I think that in this country, . I mean, certainly in 2023 we barely hear about H I V at all anymore. It's my perception. And that's even as somebody who's in the world of H I V right? It's just, it's not like out there in the public discourse like it used to be.And I think that that's like on one hand you don't want to alarm people unnecessarily. Blah, blah, blah. But at the same time, I don't think that we're giving people an accurate reflection of the fact that it could be any, anybody. You know, it's a [00:31:00] virus. Anybody can contract it given the correct circumstances.And globally, more than half of the people living with H I V are women. . And I think most people don't know that either. There is a perception to this day that it is just a gay man's disease, which is complete nonsense. It is a human being's disease, and I think that's a really important thing. And again, if we can learn anything from Covid, it is that viruses do not discriminate and neither should we.De'Vannon: No, we absolutely should not. And. . So, so let's shift gears to the, to the UN here. So you were the first openly H I V positive person you worked for UN AIDS in 1996. Mm-hmm. . How does that feel? Martina: It feels like, and, and it's sort of what prompted me to write the book is that I feel like I [00:32:00] own this little teeny, tiny piece of the history of the AIDS pandemic.And if I didn't tell the story, nobody would or could, cuz it's my story. I look back at it now as an extraordinary sort of privilege to have had that, that position at the time. It felt like a nightmare cause I, you know, I was hired to have my job. NGO liaison. So I was the person who linking all of the nonprofits around the world working on h i v to our program, which is a huge job all by itself.But what I felt my job was, was to be sort of the voice of reason in-house and call everybody to task on the work and say, you're not considering the needs of people living with H I v. You're just thinking of this as a scientist, or you're thinking of this as. Communication specialist, but you're not considering What are our needs in our job at U N A S is to serve people with h i v first and foremost.And so I was sort of like the in-house [00:33:00] act up yelling and screaming all the time. And it was a, it was a crazy job. It was so hard. And I put a lot of that pressure on myself, but it was also kind of weird because as the first person, , I felt like some of my community thought that I had sort of sold out and gone to the, to the UN more as a self-serving, you know, this is a great job and it was.It was a great job. Had a nice salary. I moved to Switzerland. You know, all of these extraordinary things happened, but I was sort of alienated from my community in a way cuz I was the only person there. And it took a while to sort. Earn their trust again, that I was doing something that was actually helpful to them because I think they were also watching me seeing like, okay, is she actually gonna be there and do what she's supposed to do and stand up for all of us?Or is she just gonna sort of settle in and go, cool, [00:34:00] I like this big salary, I'm just gonna float coast, not really do the job that I could be doing. So it was, it was really. , it was a lot to take on. And this is just four years after I'd found out I had H I V and I hadn't really processed it all internally like I probably should have.But again, I just sort of like launched myself into space to take on this huge job. And it was a lot. But again, I look back at it now all these years later and I just feel like I was really lucky and. above all, hope that I did the right stuff and made sure that in those early days of unaids, which very much changed the way the UN responded to the pandemic, that I helped to keep them honest a little bit.Do De'Vannon: you feel like any of the policies you created [00:35:00] impacted not just the organization within the United Nations? Do you think any of those, any of your work filtered down? are most, you know, local communities. Martina: I, I do. And I would say not so much the work at unaids, but the next sort of big job that I had with the UN was a few, few years later with UNICEF and I was the h I V in the workplace coordinator.I don't know what my title was, but that was my job, was to make sure that UNICEF had an h i v in the workplace program for all of the countries where we work. and that means implementing programming so that all of the personnel who work in any given office were getting education around H I V. That ultimately morphed into a UN system-wide program.So the entire UN system in, you know, 160 countries where we work, and tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of [00:36:00] people ultimately were exposed to those trainings because it was a mandatory program. and that I know made a difference because the way we were approaching it was, you know, you have to go through this training and maybe you feel like you don't need this training because you're, you don't perceive you have any risk of getting H I V, but we wanna make sure that you know how to educate the other people in your life and your kids and grandkids and so on and so forth.So it trickled down in that way, into communities. . Which was amazing. I also know that it helped in the sense that our program staff, like for example, somebody who worked in the accounting office in one country, she was afraid to have people who were hired to work for us come to her office to collect their checks cuz she was just didn't want people with h I V in her office cuz she just mm-hmm.wasn't, you know, educated. [00:37:00] Right. . And so it was holding up program work and once we started doing the training, she's like, oh, okay, now I realize I have nothing to worry about. I am not at risk. They can come to my office. They're just picking up a check. It is not a big deal. It allowed the work to move forward and for her to be more comfortable and in turn other people in the office to be more comfortable.And you know, it's, it sort of sounds like a little tiny nitpicky example, but it actually ended up making a big difference for the programming in that. and it also, we were finally sort of modeling what we were supposed to do as a un. And so we were able to influence governments and local businesses and say, look, we have an H I V in the workplace program.You should too. Can we help you set one up? . And so I know that, you know, it clearly hasn't fixed everything by any means, but it made a difference, at least a small difference in lasting ways. And that program is like officially [00:38:00] doesn't have a team dedicated to it anymore cuz it's been going for so long.But I know that the work is still happening and country offices are still doing trainings and making sure that we have. Respect also for our own personnel living with H I V, and it's really changed the whole way that the UN approaches staff wellbeing. It made it easier for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer people to be out in the office, which is a huge thing.Maybe they couldn't be in their own lives, but at least in the family of the United Nation system, it's better than it was. It's still not perfect. , but all of that work like made the UN a better employee, in my opinion. De'Vannon: I think I would concur with your opinion because it sounds like your work, like you said, they don't have dedicated teams, but it's been around for so long.It's some [00:39:00] it's, it almost sounds like it's been ingrained into the subconscious culture of. In. So is it its own living organism? I mean, there's nothing more you could ask for. I mean, what an honor and a compliment . Martina: Yeah, yeah. No, no, absolutely. And it, it's, I'm really, really proud of that work. . I feel like I was so lucky to be a part of the team that did the work.And again, I was like one of the people holding everybody accountable and saying, you know, we need to have the right priorities. And it was really hard to do because the UN is such a big bureaucracy, but we did it and it's, as you say, it's, it's ingrained into the culture now and De'Vannon: Oh, beautiful. And I wanna give a shout out to unicef, who you mentioned, and they do great work for kids.Yeah. Globally. That is, that's my favorite nonprofit of all the nonprofits and all the nine realms [00:40:00] because Cause I just, I just fucking love children. And they're just so like, , it's just simple to talk to a kid. Mm-hmm. , you know, when I, when I get tired of grown up bullshit and faking this, and they feel like they have to do this, I go talk to one of two people, either homeless people or a child, because mm-hmm.they don't have a, they're, they have no motivation to be anything other than what they are. And I used homeless before, and so that's where I got this, this, this from, you know, extended. , you know, conversation with homeless people, which I used to talk to 'em before became homeless. But those two, I just go fucking find me a, a fucking seven year old to talk to, just to get some common damn sins from them.Yeah, yeah, Martina: absolutely. De'Vannon: Absolutely. And so [00:41:00] did you ever come across any like opposition that you, when you were trying to. two cuz really what you were trying to push was love and open-mindedness to an organization that's already supposed to stand for that. And we all know it doesn't matter what church somebody goes to run to or what.Nonprofit that has a big ideal that it stands for. Those bitches are there at work because they're trying to get paid primarily. Mm-hmm. completely different. If you've been somebody who has gone through something that your organization services, but your main reason is to get paid, people go to church to save their own souls, they're not going there to help you.They're gonna help themselves. Mm-hmm. . And so, so when, so when they're confronted, with somebody who has H I V or somebody who is the polar opposite of them. Then there's that gut check moment. Okay, so you work for the un, you are all about hu you know, human service, you know, helping people. Or you go to your church or whatever, supposed to be about the same thing.Now will you close the door in their face? You [00:42:00] don't wanna give them a check, you know, so you, so you know the. You know what your company stands for. You know, you recited the creeds and the core values, but when it came down to it, you couldn't deliver . So it's all great when it's an idea, but when you actually have someone in need standing in front of you, Then what the hell do you do?This person you had to help them do what they signed up to do. . Mm-hmm. . That's very, very big of you. . Cause you, you could have gone in there and cussed the bitch out, you know, and been like, what the hell is your problem? But you took the high road and you showed you shared love. I just wanted to point that out, that that's, this is a really, , you know, a stretch for you to have to do this.F E U N, of all places . Martina: So, yeah. Yeah, I mean, I I tried really [00:43:00] hard to always come at it with love and understanding that, you know, everybody, not everybody knows all the stuff that we know about H I V. . And if you're hired as an accountant, that is, you don't have a background in public health. You know, why would you know all of this stuff?Right? So I was sort of trying to be compassionate that everybody's learning this information at some point for the first time, and maybe I'm the person teaching them for the first time. But I can also tell you , had my moments . I, on my, on my very last training that I did for UNICEF before I, I left I was doing this workshop and it was in the middle.which is a tricky region to talk about anything around sex to start with. And it was specifically, we were, we had a people from countries that were in conflict. So these [00:44:00] people already are like, I have so much to think about. H I V in the workplace is really the last thing on my mind. So they were like, maybe okay to be there.They're not really against it, but at the same time they're like, why is, why do I have to do this? and then one woman. I said, we're gonna talk about how we're gonna get condoms in your offices, because that was one of the mandatory principles of our workplace program is that even if you have 'em in a basket in the kitchen, Where it's in a closet next to the, you know, to the sugar packets, and only the staff knows that they're there.They have to be somewhere, because if we don't make them available, then staff who are afraid to go to the store and buy them themselves, or they can't, for whatever reason, you know, we make sure that at least they're available and hopeful. breaking down the stigma associated with condoms, right? So I had one woman in this one training who basically said, we can't do that because it just promotes immoral [00:45:00] behavior of it, it increases the immoral behavior of bad people, basically, is what she said.I was just like, woo.I lost it and it was my last training and I had told them at the beginning that this would be my last training and I was leaving UNICEF to go on and do other things. And at that moment I took off my glasses and I said, I didn't tell you why. , I'm leaving unicef. But part of why is cuz I can't listen to people like you anymore.And everybody else in the room was just like, oh, no, she didn't. No, she didn't. Oh my God. and I, yeah. I was just like, oh Lord, what did I just do? But at the end of the day, , the other people in the room were like, thank you so much, because she is a pain in a neck and she's always fighting us on this condom issue.And you [00:46:00] have the luxury that at the end of the week you get on a plane and you leave. , you don't have to work with her anymore, but you've said to her what? We can't. And so apparently the fact that I kind of blew up on this woman ultimately was helpful. But I also, you know, I was just like, I can't, I can't make up these stories anymore.I can't pretend to be nice to you when you are being ridiculous. It's like, it's not up to you. You, we have to do this period, end of. Figure it out. And she eventually, she sort of said, okay, I morally I can't contribute to this, but I will not fight it, and I will put my energy into other parts of the work and let other people focus on that part because I, I'm not comfortable with it.And I'm like, , okay. There's a team in every office if you're not gonna take on that part, but you will not block it. I can live with that. And I had that, that was probably the worst one. But I've had, had a lot of other [00:47:00] moments where there was another guy in Venezuela who was basically blaming the H I v rates In Columbia, or no, on in ve I can't remember which direction.But in any case, he's, he was, I guess he was from Venezuela working in Colombia, and he was blaming the rates of H I V in Venezuela, on Colombians being bad, dirty people. And I also called him out and I was like, HKI, use me . And I yelled at him in a meeting and he was mortified. And I, I guess the next day he said, you know, that woman from u n a, she's short, but she's mean.And I felt like, good, I did my job . You know, he heard me and he, he heard me. That's what mattered. People De'Vannon: like them. Both of them are stupid bitches, you know? It just is what it is. And they're also. , they carry the spirit of a [00:48:00] bully. Yeah. You know, who are just, they're consumed with their own point of view and as far as they're concerned, if you don't see any given thing like them, then you are wrong.And that, and that's just the end of it for them. And they keep pushing people around and pushing people around till someone does like you. And I think our homegirl miss Elektra from Pose would. Quite impressed with the read, cuz you basically read them for Phil and nobody has ever read anybody quite like a lecture, Vo and so , you know, and they keep, they keep badgering and abusing people until somebody slaps them across the fucking face, metaphorically speaking, you know, like you did, you know, gonna.and evolve are they're gonna just lean more into it. Yeah. That you can't do. Yeah. But Godammit, sometimes shit needs to be said. This is why I had to leave the workplaces. I can't deal with dumb bitches like that and not say something. I'm like, oh, hell no. Maybe it's my P T S D or [00:49:00]whatever. But, you know, veterans, us veterans with ptsd, T S D, we not gonna take no shit off of you.You like bet you said what? Oh, no, no, no. . Like . Yeah. Martina: No, absolutely. Absolutely. And, and you know, at the end of the day, if we don't stand up and say something, you're doing a disservice to other people. You know? I think it is, like, for me, I felt like it, it is my duty. I am in a position where I can talk back to this person.because of my, you know, sort of my role in the system. The other people in this room cannot, cuz they're not in the same position. And if I don't, then I have let them all down. De'Vannon: Right. And so I think you did well. So, so, so y'all, her book is like, like you mentioned earlier, you know, you got to live. , you know, with these people we're talking about cultural infusion, you know, reading through it is kind of like a very detailed travel guide.You know, you mentioned like your Ugandan friend. I, I [00:50:00] appreciated the story you had in there. About your time. It's like you're asleep and you're thinking a hut, and they come in there, they wake you up to go look at the stars and you gotta shake your shoe out to be sure no scorpions or whatever. You gotta put your shoes on, you gotta step on any snakes.You know, it's like, it's like going from, you know, country to country and place to place, but deeper. It's not just look at all the pretty, but this is what's like, what's really going on. I did a missions trip to The Bahamas years ago. . And what struck me was that, you know, all the brochures and everything, crystal, Clearwater beaches and everything, but when we got back there into the schools where these people live and everything, abject, poverty, you know?Mm-hmm. never spoken of, you know, and all the brochures and everything like that. And I felt, I like lied to and just like, like I wasn't giving the whole truth. And like those people hadn't been marginalized cuz they're not talked about. Mm-hmm. . And so what I love about your book is that you give. , you know, the realness, you know, in all of these different places.So it's a, [00:51:00] so who, who, who is your target audience for, for your book and what do you hope people gain from it? Martina: This is a million dollar question. I. . I'm still trying to figure this out because like my initial thought was obviously people who work in the UN will find it interesting cuz they've had a similar experience.I think people with H I V will find it interesting because they have had a similar experience. Mm-hmm. . Beyond that, I feel like it's the target AR audience is probably just people who care about the world. which I would love to think was everybody, but is not actually everybody , but people who care about the world, who are curious how the UN works who have survived some other traumatic thing.It doesn't have to be h I V but dealt with another life-threatening disease or, you know, just some other traumatic event where you feel like in that moment you're not gonna get through it, but in the end you are.[00:52:00]and I guess what I really hope people take away from it, to me the most important thing is that everybody knows that they can do something to make the world better, even if it is just smiling to somebody or holding the door for somebody that you don't have to hold the door for or being kind to, you know, the person who looks like they're having a really shitty day and saying, can I help you?Do you need something, you know? Little tiny acts of kindness all add up. And if we all did more of them, then I think the world would be a better place. But but also that, you know, the little things matter, but that don't be afraid to take on bigger things too, that we can all make a difference in the world.I really, truly believe that. De'Vannon: I concur and I think like one of the opening quotes in your, in your book was from, [00:53:00] I wanna say maybe Gandhi. And it was like if you don't, if you think you're too small to make a difference, try sleeping, you know, next to a mosquito. Yeah. That's sad. Lama Lama. Sorry. Yeah.Yeah. So. And so, so I thought that that was very interesting. Y'all, her book, you know, the woman's been through a lot. You know, the, there's an abusive marriage, there's a fostering of a believe a teenager, you know, there's a lot more than just H I V and AIDS and traveling. It's a very, very transparent read that I feel like can touch you on many different levels.You know, whoever may be listening. So then the last two questions that we have. Mm-hmm. , turn the floor over to you for your last words. We're gonna talk about. Is there any sort of specific h I V AIDS implications just specific to women that you might like to talk about? Martina: Oh, that's a good question. So I think for women the whole issue around reproductive [00:54:00] health is a huge one that, you know, for, for many women, younger women, they wanna have children and to know.In 2023. That is something that women can do safely if they're in good care and they're very affordable treatments to, to ensure that the baby is not born with h I v. They work and in North America, Western Europe, almost no babies are born with H I V anymore. So that is really a positive thing. And obviously parenthood involves two people generally, but.For the woman carrying the child. That's a really important thing to know. I think that h I v probably impacts women throughout our lives, you know, as we go through menopause and other things as well. But there's not as much research as we'd like on all of that. But I think. Probably the most important thing for women is to think about [00:55:00] the reproductive health issues and just to make sure that they don't let their doctors say, well, this works in men.It's fine for you. Make sure that you learn as much as you can, and don't hesitate to call 'em out on it and say, but are you certain, have there been research studies involving women or has this only been tested on men? Prove to me that this is gonna work for me in a smaller body. If, like in my case, I'm, I'm five four, I'm a smaller person than a six foot man, right?So I need to have the empowerment to know that it's okay to ask my doctor, are you sure this is also going to work for me in the same way and prove it, you know, sort of like, don't just say yes, show me the data, sort of thing. I think that's really important. And I think also that the stigma is different in the sense that people still don't understand that women get H I V.And so there's a lot of like slut [00:56:00] shaming associated with the diagnosis where people assume if you've got h I v, you must be some sort of awful, terrible sexual being and how dare you and it's your fault. And I suspect that happens with everybody that gets H I V, but I know that it happens with women in a, in a very specific kind of way.And and just know if that happens, if you get H I V and you're a woman, that that's not true. You are a human being. It's a virus. and don't, don't believe the stories that people tell you about yourself. Believe your own story.De'Vannon: Like, like, Lord, help me like, like Mama RuPaul says, unless they pay in your bills, pay them bitches. No mind. Yeah. Unless they pay in your bills. Pay them bitches. No mind. Cause people always got a fucking opinion about every goddamn thing besides themselves. . And then, so then the last thing, world AIDS Day stood out to me, my research to [00:57:00] you of you, this, this, this, this has been the case since December 1st, 1988.And so is there anything you'd like to say about World AIDS Day and what that means to you? Ooh Martina: You know, it's kind of like. At this point, it's I think it is a day that we kind of do lip service to the pandemic. And while I think it's great that people do events on World AID'S Day to focus our attention, make sure that it is being talked about in our communities I think people need to remember that there are the other.What, 364 days of the year that we're all still living with H I v. And you know, I thought about this yesterday with, with Valentine's Day. I was explaining to somebody who's from another country about Valentine's Day here, and I said, you know, it's, it's sort of a cute. cheesy holiday and we like heart-shaped candy if we like candy.But it's also complete nonsense because [00:58:00] if you love somebody, you don't have to wait till February 14th to tell them that. Right. . It should be a daily thing. And I think the same for World AIDS Day that I I have a real. Love hate relationship with the day. Like part of me wants to support activities and events.Part of me hates the day and wants to just, you know, skip it and talk again on December 2nd cuz I don't wanna think about it cuz it's not a, it's not a joyful day. It is it's a day of a somber remembrance to me. You know, it's remembering all the people who aren't here to celebrate it or not to observe it.I should say, not celebrate, but that's my feeling on world eight's day. Yeah, De'Vannon: I can imagine that it would be triggering, excuse me, like triggering as hell. So, So everyone make up your own damn mind about World Aids Day? I'm kind of over like pretty much every holiday at this point. Yeah. Cause [00:59:00] they're either fake or overly commercialized or whatever the hell the case may be.So I'm just like, just fuck it all. And so in terms of holidays, but still show love to people on every day. Exactly. Whether it's Christmas or you know, and, and give a damn about Jesus. Even if it's not Easter . Yeah. Who the fuck exactly. Fucking bunnies. I don't want to get started on that. . It is almost Easter.And so, so thank you so much for coming on the show. Any last words that you have? Wait a minute, y'all. Her website is martina clark.com. I'm gonna put all this in the show. The book again, is My Unexpected Life at an international memoir of two Pandemics, h i v, and Covid. 19. She's on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, you name it, she's there.All of this will go in the show notes as always. So, Thank you for being such an incredible [01:00:00]guest. If there's any last words you'd like to say to the world, say it and then you'll close us out with that. Martina: Oh my goodness. No pressure. I would just say thank you and, and again, thank you for all that you're doing, for putting good stuff out into the world.I really appreciate you and for the listeners, you know, you can be one of those people who puts good stuff out into the world. So do it. Thank you so much.De'Vannon: Thank you all so much for taking time to listen to the Sex Drugs and Jesus podcast. It really means everything to me. Look, if you love the show, you can find more information and resources at SexDrugsAndJesus.com or wherever you listen to your podcast. Feel free to reach out to me directly at DeVannon@SexDrugsAndJesus.com and on Twitter and Facebook as well.My name is De'Vannon, and it's been wonderful being your [01:01:00] host today. And just remember that everything is gonna be all right. 

In this special video interview, community leader in resident Jade Elektra stops by the lab to share updates on her community work and chat about her iconic career.   Jade Elektra is a Toronto-based "out" HIV+ Queer African-American Drag Entertainer, Recording Artist/Live Singer, Film/Stage/Television Actor and AIDS Activist originally from Tampa, Florida via New York City and finally found a home in Toronto in 2010. After being diagnosed in 1990 (but infected in 1989) Jade dreamed of leaving Tampa, Florida for hustle and bustle of New York City. With a little money saved and the kindness of a queen called “The Electrifying Grace” Jade came to The Big Apple in 1992. She started auditioning and getting small parts but Jade's recording career was born out of this time. Jade also formed a drag revue called “The Illusions” (Harmonica Sunbeam, Sybil Barrington, Tyra Colbaire & Victoria Lace). The revue became the only drag show in Harlem in the 90s. It's finale ended at The Apollo in 1995. Probably best known at first for her underground club hits like “Why Are You Gaggin'?” and “Bitch You Look Fierce”, these became staples of the NYC Ballroom Community. Jade found herself in the company of cast members of “Paris Is Burning” as they took her into the scene. Jade worked out of drag at Sally's II as the DJ and would later be named DJ Relentless. Pepper LaBeija was her House Mother. Paris Dupree was her upstairs neighbour. Octavia St. Laurent, Angie Xtravaganza and Dorian Corey were the showgirls at Sally's. The 90s were a great time for drag and film. Jade was in “Too Wong Foo. Thanks For Everything, Julie Newmar.” “Party Girl” “Stonewall” and “Jane Doe”. And daytime television seemed to like Jade as well. 2 episodes of Ricky Lake, 1 episode of Maury Povich and 13 episodes of The Richard Bey Show. In 1998, Jade performed at Wigstock with her debut single "Why Are You Gagging?" on Progressive High Records ( a division of Atlantic Records).     By the year 2000, Jade had been approached by Andrew Neville in the UK about producing an album. The idea was to have Jade be the UK version of RuPaul. The album was recorded and promotion were being set in place. The record label's offices were in the Twin Towers. 9/11 happened and everything ended. NYC took many years to recover and lost many of its creative and nightlife scene. In the years after 9/11, Jade found herself volunteering at GMHC and The Harvey Milk School. It was these years when she realized the importance of educating our youth about HIV/AIDS. She was not completely out about her status except for close friends and lovers. But that was all about to change in 2005 when she met artist, John Richard Allan. A long distance romance blossomed and Allan proposing on World AIDS Day 2009. Jade relocated to Toronto and officially came out in Fab Magazine in 2010. John Allan had already created POZPLANET the facebook group. So, Jade created POZ-TO, a monthly social gathering for the HIV+ Community. This grew into the POZ-TO Awards where each year we began honouring ten unsung heroes of HIV/AIDS. Over the 2010s decade Jade found herself speaking out for many causes but it would be the opportunity to be the first drag queen to sing at The AIDS Memorial at The 519 in 2019 that would end up going viral. A slight change of “Unforgettable” to “Undetectable” spoke for many living with HIV and knowing that as long as long as they were undetectable they were untransmittable. U=U Today Jade is resident at the University of Toronto for their Queer & Trans Research Lab. Her latest album dropped on November 2nd, 2022 called "Legendary, Darling!" ( a collection of her early tracks to her most current on iUnderground Records. And as far as her discography, Jade Elektra has a list of music that covers 1997 to current playlists today on iTunes, Spotify and YouTube.

Bernárd Lynch, former Catholic priest and AIDS activist, on his personal papers archive being acquired by the National Library of Ireland.

On this incredible episode, Derek sits with the extraordinary, Jonathan Blake. Jonathan was one of the first people in the United Kingdom to be diagnosed with the HIV virus and defied science to live to old age. We discuss growing up in Birmingham, how he got the HIV virus and the fallout from it, his devotion to his lifelong partner, Nigel, how he joined "Lesbian and Gays Support the Miners" a grassroots organization to support striking Welsh miners during the 1984-1985 Strike, his HIV activism in the LGBTQ community and his portrayal by Dominic West in the 2014 film, "Pride" which chronicled the L.G.S.M. movement. Twitter: https://twitter.com/sweetbriar49 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jonathanblake4921/

Rae Lewis-Thornton - Emmy award winning AIDS Activist, Author, Award Winning Blogger, Social Media Expert, Jewelry Designer and Tea Connoisseur. RLT has been living with HIV for 36 years and AIDS for 26. She lectures worldwide on the topic of living with HIV/AIDS, challenging stereotypes and myths. She joins Tavis to discuss her new book “Unprotected: A Memoir.” It's the story of what happened to her as a child and how it helped to shape the trajectory of her life (Hour 2)

Larry is a writer, physician, health advocate, and opera lover. He was the first to write about AIDS in the press and has published 5 books. These include an anthology, We Must Love One Another or Die: The Life and Legacies of Larry Kramer; a memoir, Confessions of a Jewish Wagnerite: Being Gay and Jewish in America, and its sequel On the Future of Wagnerism: Art, Intoxication, Addiction, Codependence and Recovery. In this episode, stories shared include being discriminated against as a kid for being Jewish and remembrances of his late life partner, Gay Liberation pioneer Arnie Kantrowitz.    More information about Larry can be found on his website: Lawrencedmass.com.   Donate to the podcast: https://ko-fi.com/introducingmepodcast  Want to share your story and be a guest? Email: introducingmepodcast@gmail.com    Find all the podcast social media and more on the website: https://www.introducingmepodcast.com    Artwork: instagram.com/vashaundesigns  Music/Editing: youtube.com/colemanrowlett

USAID Southern Africa Mission Director Andy Karas and HIV & Aids Activist & Lecturer at the South African College of Applied Psychology Dr. Gordon Isaacs discussed the impact COVID-19 has when it comes to efforts to combat HIV/Aids, the factor that keep the disease alive and hopes and investment for a cure for the disease. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Award Winning Former Radio & TV Personality, HIV & Aids Activist and Founder of Positive Talk Services Dr Criselda Kananda and PHD student in public health at University of Arkansas Fulbright scholarship and HIV activist and educator Krishen Samuel discussed the inspirational voice to the stigma that is HIV/Aids. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

My guest is an AIDS activist who is portrayed in the new biopic, “The Eyes of Tammy Faye.” We discuss how he coped with his health crisis, how his appearance on Tammy Faye Bakker's show was life-changing… for many, and much more.  

Pictured: Earvin “Magic” Johnson, AIDS Activist and Former NBA Star Bonus read from Dennis Kimbro's Book, "Think and Grow Rich: A Black Choice" Get your copy Dr. Kimbro's book: https://amzn.to/3t5HEAB More of Dr. Kimbro's Work: https://amzn.to/36oGpm6 If you need some help getting your self together or putting this message into practice here are some practical resources. Make a Plan for yourself: https://www.selfauthoring.com/ Write it Out: https://amzn.to/3eiLocF GET THE FULL PODCAST EPISODE ON YOUR FAVORITE PODCAST PLAYER OR AT itsmytimepodcast.com Follow Asher Tchoua Online: IG: @itsmytimepodcast LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/asher-tchoua-eit-45514b24/ Web: solo.to/imtp --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/asher-tchoua0/message

Each year June 5th is set aside to celebrate long-term survivors of HIV and on this month's pozcast episode, we honour these histories and stories. Host James Watson hands over the mic to two special guests, Adrian Betts, the Executive Director of the AIDS Committee of Durham Region, and Ashley Murphy, an actor, an AIDS Activist and 23-year-old who's been living with HIV since birth (see Ashley's Ted Talk).With vastly different journeys, we will hear about our guests' unique but shared experiences, as well as their challenges, triumphs and lessons learned along the way. Host James Watson gets them started with a debate on the use of the term “hero” to describe their role in community, and the two discuss what it means to be a long-term survivor of HIV, the dating world, the importance of education and the empowering experience of sharing your story. Both long-term survivors, both inspirational leaders in the community—let's listen in.Full episode details For full episode details and more about our pozcast guests, visit the episode page on The Positive Effect website. Subscribe to pozcast on your favourite podcast streaming service to ensure you're notified when new episodes are released each month.Click here for the full audio transcript.

Having been a guest speaker at age 6 for the Harlem Week of Prayer for the Healing of AIDS in the early years of this national movement, Hydeia discusses her extraordinary life, so far, living with AIDS. Now 36, Hydeia has much to say to teens and young adults living with HIV and AIDS. Hydeia Broadbent is an long-long AIDS Activist. She was born in 1984 with HIV. Hydeia Broadbent began her debut as an HIV/AIDS activist and public speaker at six years old. By 12 years old, Hydeia appeared on many national television programs including Oprah, 20/20, Good Morning America, “A Conversation with Magic Johnson” on Nickelodeon. She has been featured in prominent publications to include; New York Times, People, Essence, Ebony, Health Quest, POZ, National Geographic, and Real Health. Hydeia also co-graced the cover of TV Guide.

Jahlove Serrano is a health educator, youth advocate, HIV/AIDS activist, androgynous model/runway coach, drag Queen, background dancer, and choreographer to the stars. He's a Guatemalan/American native of the Bronx, New York, and contracted HIV a couple of days shy of his 16th birthday. Upon diagnosis — and as he learned more about the experiences that led to diagnosis — he decided to take a leadership role in his community with the public admission of his HIV status. Working in the field of HIV/AIDS prevention, outreach, and research (on a local, national, and global scale), his mission is to combat the ignorance and stigma around HIV/AIDS and to address the needs of HIV-positive — and negative — youth. Jahlove has worked with NY AIDS Institute, National Gay Mens Advocacy Coalition, The Global Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS North America (GNP+NA), AIDS ALLIANCES, The White House, and The Department of Health. He's currently featured in NYC’s Care campaign, the national HIV Stops With Me campaign, and globally in Janssen’s Positively Fearless campaign. Jahlove uses his entertainment platform to promote HIV/AIDS awareness and education throughout the United States and beyond. And…he’s both insightful and open, while maintaining a joy and positivity we can ALL connect to. Tune in as Jahlove shares: that Sex Ed when he was a teen was entirely hetero-focused, and as such, excluded him from the conversation that he contracted HIV when he lost his virginity at the age of 16, and later recognized the incident was rape that his mother kicked him out of the house and he was rendered homeless not long after that according to NYS law, any individual 13 years of age or older can get privately tested for any STD and pregnancy — and get treatment — as long as they give consent to their healthcare providers that there are actually two different strains of HIV that in the US, HIV/AIDS is primarily contracted by men who have sexual contact with other men; but that globally, HIV/AIDS is primarily a disease contracted by individuals engaging in heterosexual sex that his diagnosis inspired him to go back to high school, get into college, and begin to pursue a career as a dancer and entertainer that it took years of ill health — and an AIDS and cancer diagnosis in 2008 — for him to confront his diagnosis and start taking his medication regularly why your health is your own responsibility that so much ignorance and stigma about HIV/AIDS still persists, and that he combats that in his work both as an educator and as an entertainer that he has found joy and resilience in his advocacy work — a joy and resilience that touches each of his intersectional identities as a Black gay HIV+ man living in America why the trans community is so important to him a background lesson in the early AIDS epidemic — and the role of medical racism, homo- and transphobia in early AIDS advocacy why his work in public policy is so important to him his commitment to make and hold space for the next generation of advocates

Charles Sanchez is a Mexican-American, gay, HIV+ writer, performer, director and advocate living in New York City. He is one of the co-founders of Skipping Boyz Productions, and conceived, writes and stars in the award-winning musical comedy web series Merce. In 2003, he was diagnosed with AIDS and began his journey to becoming an activist and advocate. He has attended the national AIDSWatch conference in Washington D.C. four times and has been featured in public service videos for the CDC’s “Start Talking. Stop HIV.” campaign, as well as for Remedy Health Media and EverydayHealth.com. He was included in Healthline.com's list of HIV Honors: The Most Influential Voices of 2017, and was honored in POZ Magazine's 2018 POZ 100, celebrating people over 50 making a difference in the fight against HIV and the stigma surrounding it. Sanchez has been a Contributing Editor for TheBody.com since 2017, and has had essays published on PositivelyAware.com, Them.us and HuffPost Queer Voices. In the spring of 2020, he began hosting a live interview show on Instagram for TheBody, called “At Home With”, featuring prominent members of the HIV and LGBTQ+ community. Tune in as Charles shares: how he was first diagnosed with AIDS in 2003, and almost died that he’s had only positive experiences with his doctors since being diagnosed how he balances holistic and medical treatments for HIV that he took advantage of mental health care support early on, and continued to do so a discussion of the stigmas associated with an HIV diagnosis why he believes in universal healthcare the importance of community when living with chronic illness and disability how dance nourishes him the importance of perspective and openness to new information

Fashion Nomad and HIV/AIDS Activist Myles Sexton speaks with Mo Zabian about the importance of revealing his HIV status to the world.  A beautifully vulnerable conversation you don't want to miss.   Contact: QueerAtHeartPodcast@gmail.com Music: C. Carosi

Zakiyyah from Boston, MA discusses her song "Shades of Black" and how opera began. Miiz Misha is openly HIV positive and sheds light to other HIV positive people by spreading awareness.

In this episode, Niki, Neil, and Natalia discuss the life and legacy of playwright and AIDS activist Larry Kramer. Support Past Present on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pastpresentpodcast Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show:  Pioneering AIDS activist Larry Kramer died this month. Natalia referred to this Vulture interview about Kramer’s legacy. Neil commented on Kramer’s autobiographical play, The Normal Heart.   In our regular closing feature, What’s Making History: Natalia recommended the Netflix documentary, Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution. Neil discussed Anastasia Dawson’s Tampa Bay Times article, “Giant Confederate flag lowered amid threats to set it on fire.” Niki shared Rick Noack’s Washington Post article, “Sweden blocks plan to honor woman who hit a neo-Nazi with a purse.”

Nashville singer-songwriter Margo Price spoke with 'Fresh Air' in 2017 when her album 'All American Made' was released. She plays songs off her two records, and talks about the heartache and beauty of growing up on a farm in a small town in Illinois.AIDS activist Larry Kramer, who died May 27, was an early advocate for aggressive research into the HIV virus. He co-founded both the Gay Men's Health Crisis and the protest group ACT UP. He spoke with Terry Gross in 1992.

Playwright and pioneering AIDS activist Larry Kramer has died of pneumonia at age 84. He fought for greater resources and awareness of HIV, as well as for gay rights, during the 1980s and 1990s. Kramer was also a novelist and nonfiction writer who was taking on the topic of the coronavirus pandemic at the time of his death. Jeffrey Brown looks back at Kramer's life. PBS NewsHour is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Impact of HIV/AIDS leadership on the Covid19 Pandemic.Isolation and the impact of overdoses.The need to continue to support substance users during the Covid19 Pandemic.Activism and its impact on Health and Health Policy.

During this week's episode of The PHG Podcast, I had the pleasure of speaking with one of the biggest and top successful party promoters during the golden era of hip hop. She shares her story on how she transitioned from a successful modeling career to throwing parties for her celebrity and industry friends, having a feature on the classic album, Reasonable Doubt by Jay Z, and how her life changed drastically when she was diagnosed with HIV in 1995. To become a patron of The PHG Podcast, please visit https://www.patreon.com/thephgpodcast For merch and book list, please visit https://www.thephgpodcast.com/merch To purchase transcripts, please visit https://www.thephgpodcast.com/transcripts To subscribe to The PHG Podcast on Youtube, please visit https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDyx3xxt3bc55ApyuUc3hEw This episode is brought to you by: Ebone' Beauty Ebone' Beauty is an online beauty site that offers light yet luxury mink lashes that lasts up to 25 times. Celebrities such as Robin Givens and Ashanti have been seen in Ebone' Beauty. Use code PHG10 to receive 10% off your first purchase at www.ebonebeauty.com Have A Story to Share? The Professional Homegirl is a women's lifestyle platform that promotes balance between personal and professional growth while becoming the best version of herself. Have an inspiring and/or informative story to share on The PHG Podcast? Please submit your story at The Professional Homegirl or email me at hello@theprofessionalhomegirl.com Social Media Info: Instagram: The Professional Homegirl- @theprofessionalhomegirl The PHG Podcast- @thephgpodcast Ebone' Beauty- @ebonebeauty Twitter: The Professional Homegirl- @thephg_ Use hashtag #thephgpodcast on Instagram and Twitter so I can find ya! Don't forget to rate and review below!

For our very special 50th full-length episode, we have a very special guest! Jivana Heyman is a yoga teacher, a yoga therapist, the creator of the Accessible Yoga conferences that run all over the world and author of the forthcoming book “Accessible Yoga: Poses & Practices for Every Body.” This is a topic that is very important to Rane and Jo so we thought that Jivana would be the best possible guest to have for our 50th! We both strongly believe that individuals in all types of bodies should be able to benefit from the gifts that yoga can provide. We really appreciate Jivana's work connecting a global community of teachers who share these goals. In this episode, Jivana tells us about his early days practising yoga with his grandmother. We learn how his work as an AIDs activist informs his work today and how being isolated by geography encouraged him to build a community online. We also learn how he found true inspiration in highlighting the work of other great teachers. Links: Accessible Yoga: http://accessibleyoga.org/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jivanaheyman/ https://www.instagram.com/accessibleyoga/ https://www.instagram.com/accessibleyogatraining/ https://www.facebook.com/jivana108 https://www.facebook.com/AccessibleYogaProject/ https://www.facebook.com/accessibleyogatraining/ Join the Flow Artists Podcast Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1698795386857843/ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/flowartistspodcast

How do you respond to life's difficulties? When you're in the midst of the "darkness" is can be hard to rise above the tendency to be a victim and know your true worth and value. So how do you do that? Joining me today to share a personal story of his own self-confidence being shaken and tested is Mark S. King. Mark is an award-winning writer and life-long AIDS Activist who was diagnosed with HIV in 1985.

In honor of World AIDS Day, I was able to speak with Emmy Award-winning AIDS Activist, Rae Lewis-Thornton, about living with AIDS and how she uses her status to educate, misconceptions about AIDS, advice for those who have contracted HIV/AIDS and how to disclose your STD status, . Follow her on Instagram and Twitter @raelt and visit her website and shop her handcrafted accessories at www.rltcollection.com. Don't forget to subscribe, rate, review and share with at least 3 people who would enjoy or benefit from this conversation! Follow and tag us on social media: @loniswain @loniswainshow  #loniswainshow #loniswainshowpodcast #TLSS #TLSSpodcast

The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington DC has honored it's first South African Aids Activist for her work. An exhibition of Yvette Alta Raphael in the fight against HIV/Aids was launched yesterday. Raphael is a trusted globally renown advocate on effective and efficient education to the general community regarding new and developing research for medications that treat and/or prevent HIV. She co-found the Tshwaranang Care Center for People Living With HIV & AIDS (PLWHA) and speaks around the globe to advise researchers, advocates, and policy makers. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to Yvette Raphael

Alison proudly announces the release of the audio version of her memoirs "Confessions of a Prairie Bitch" Creator of one of America's most recognizable TV icons-Ms Alison Arngrim. Fans worldwide remember Alison as the hateful Nellie Oleson, the acid-tongued hellcat for seven years on TV's Little House on the Prairie. Arngrim has gone on to successes in many arenas, but Nellie has remained a centerpiece of her public acclaim. Alison says “Even now strangers sometimes shy away from me until they realize that I'm not going to hurt them.” At least, not when she's offstage. In Confessions of a Prairie Bitch, audiences can expect the unexpected and more than a little Nellie Oleson-style wickedness on this hilarious ride through the twisted heartland of America. Alison guest-starred on such television classics as The Love Boat and Fantasy Island, and lampooned her own status as “ex-child star” on the month-long parody, “Hollywood Survivor,” on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno.  She is an AIDS Activist for organizations like APLA, providing AIDS education to doctors, nurses, prison inmates, service clubs, churches and schools.  Alison stunned viewers of The Larry King Show in 2004 when she revealed her own history of childhood sexual abuse, becoming a advocate on legislature preventing child abuse by joining the advisory board of the National Association to Protect Children (PROTECT).

One of the first black women in South Africa to disclose her HIV status; Prudence Nobantu Mabele has died. Mabele was a leading advocate for people living with HIV & AIDS, a respected gender activist. She was the founder and Executive Director of the Positive Women's Network and Deputy Chair of the South African National AIDS Council. Tsepiso Makwetla spoke to Yvette Raphael, friend and colleague to Prudence Mabele...

Derek Canas is an emulator DJ and Aids Activist as well as the creator of the #EndTheStigma Campaign. He survived 16 years undiagnosed after receiving bad blood from a donor in 1985. Derek refers to himself as battery operated due to having pacemakers since 3 months of age. Show notes at http://hellotechpros.com/derek-canas-motivation/ Sponsors Burdene - Note-taking and reminder bot. Transource Media - Podcast audio editing. Be a guest on Hello Tech Pros. HelloTechBook.com - Get a free audio book from Audible.

After writing dialogue for a teen comedy as a teletype operator at Columbia Pictures, Kramer, who was barely into his twenties, lapped up the chance to adapt D.H. Lawrence’s revered novel Women in Love. Leave it to Larry to not only score an Oscar nomination, but manage to get the first nude sex scene in theaters in England, a couple years after sodomy was even considered legal in the United Kingdom. You know that phrase "Full Frontal Nudity?" In our interview, you'll hear where it comes from. You also hear Larry chide me. “You missed the climax!” “It’s not the first time,” I lamented. He laughed. Kramer still hasn’t lost his wry wit, which may be his signature weapon in surviving, what he aptly also named, a modern day plague. We spoke about AIDs and his career on Employee of the Month’s live January 2016 taping at Joe’s Pub. Without Larry Kramer, there would be no drugs for HIV and AIDs. He agitated and started a movement which so many brilliant people joined and nurtured, many of whom could negotiate...

Candice Wiggins was a toddler when her father, Alan Wiggins, a professional baseball player died due to complications from AIDs. He passed away ten months before Magic Johnson boldly came forward about his own status. Once Johnson did, Candice’s mother decided to take her three children out of basketball where Alan had faced racism, and became, what Candice calls, a “basketball family.” Those three children went onto college on basketball scholarships. Candice ended up at Stanford, where she graduated as the highest all-time leading scorer in the Pac-10 women's basketball history. She described her Stanford coach Tara VanDeVeer, had who coached the 1996 Olympic Team, as "like a second mother to me." Wiggins seemed to be off to an incredible start. The Minnesota Lynx later plucked her up as their 3rd overall pick. However, she ended up warming the bunch as they already had All Star Guard. After a series of trades and surviving an injury, the bright, beautiful, smart, and phenomenally talented Wiggins found...

Nicholas Snow is a journalist, author, actor, radio and television host, singer/songwriter, LGBT civil rights activist, and a world-renowned, openly-gay, openly-HIV positive advocate for HIV testing and safer sex. Nicholas Snow makes every day World AIDS Day (December 1st) by promoting HIV testing and safer sex as one of the world's leading multimedia entertainment activists.  This is told in his riveting, new, written-as-he-lived it, well-reviewed, living-powerfully-with-HIV memoir, Life Positive: A Journey to the Center of My Heart. (http://www.LifePositiveBook.com). 

At birth, Hydeia Broadbent was abandoned at the University Medical Center of Southern Nevada in Las Vegas where Patricia and Loren Broadbent adopted her as an infant.  Although her HIV condition was congenital, she was not diagnosed as HIV-positive with advancement to AIDS until age three.  The prognosis was that she would not live past the age of five. Now at the age of 28, Hydeia spends her time spreading the message of HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention, by: promoting abstinence, safe-sex practices (for people who choose to have sex), and the initiative “Knowing Your HIV/AIDS Status.”Hydeia Broadbent began her debut as an HIV/AIDS activist and public speaker at six years old.  By 12 years old, Hydeia appeared on many national television programs including Oprah, 20/20, Good Morning America, Weekly with Ed Gordon, and “A Conversation with Magic Johnson” on Nickelodeon. She has been featured in prominent publications to include; New York Times, People, Teen People, Essence, YM, Ebony , Health Quest, Sister to Sister, POZ, National Geographic, Real Health, Seventeen, and Heart & Soul. She also graced the cover of TV Guide. Hydeia has also taken part many of America's talk radio programs including, The Michael Eric Dyson Show, Russ Parr Morning Show, and The Tom Joyner Morning Show. Connect w/ Hydeia:http://hydeiabroadbent.com/

Newsweek called David Mixner "the most powerful gay man in America." David Mixner has been a political and human rights activist for over 51 years and along the way had over 300 friends dies from AIDS and he personally delivered over 90 eulogies over a 2-year period. David’s respite in Turkey Hollow, ten miles from his nearest neighbor, gave him an opportunity to heal, commune with nature and befriend all sorts of wildlife. This gem of a book is a collection of essays about his life as well as delightful experiences he enjoyed while living in Turkey Hollow. David Mixner has been friends with President Bill Clinton since their college days and David was key in getting the LGBT Community's support to back President Clinton during his 1992 campaign.

This Sunday February 5th at 9pm EST Robert will be speaking with Olympic Gold Medalist Greg Louganis. Openly gay and HIV-positive Olympic diving legend Greg Louganis wants to show off his moves on ABC’s ‘Dancing with the Stars’ next season. Louganis fans have created a Facebook campaign to ABC to extend an invitation to Louganis, and the campaign is getting some attention. Greg is a five time World Champion and holds 47 National Championship titles. At the Pan Am Games, he earned six Gold Medals, and in 1985, he was awarded the Sullivan Award as the “Nation’s most outstanding amateur athlete.”However, what most people remember about Greg is that he went on to win Olympic Gold at the 1988 Games despite striking the back of his head on the springboard during the preliminaries. He attempted a reverse 2½ somersault pike in the ninth round of the prelims, and he hit his head on the board and fell into the water. Thirty-five minutes later, after receiving stitches to his scalp wound, he resumed diving. The following day, he hit all 11 dives and easily won the Olympic Gold Medal. After he tested positive for HIV in 1988,he recounted his story in a best-selling book Breaking the Surface. The book spent five weeks at number one on the New York Times Best Seller list. His story was also documented in the 1996 Showtime movie Breaking the Surface: The Greg Louganis Story with Mario Lopez playing the lead and Louganis narrating. Greg has worn many hats, Actor, Dancer, Olympian, Diver, Dog Trainer, Speaker, AIDS Activist, Equality and Diversity Activist, and yes he would love to be on Dancing With The Stars in honor of his Mom’s memory, Frances Louganis, “My Mom would have loved to see me on that show” says Greg.

Glen Maxey, part two of a three-part conversation. Glen Maxey is a legendary AIDS & LGBT Activist who worked as an aide to a Texas State Senator in Austin, then started the Lesbian Gay Rights Lobby in Texas and was the first openly gay legislator to serve in the Texas State Legislature. He served for six terms. Glen just worked with a reporter from the Huffington Post on a story outing Governor Rick Perry's sexual encounters with men. According to Glen Maxey The Huffington Post was all set to run the story when its parent company AOL killed it out of fear of a lawsuit by Perry. Glen Maxey decided to publish a book on the investigation of Rick Perry. This episode focuses on Glen's assisting Huffington Post journalist Jason Cherkis uncover the story of Governor Rick Perry's same-sex trysts and eventually publishing the story himself.. 

Episode 76 - Glen Maxey, part two of a three-part conversation. Glen Maxey is a legendary AIDS & LGBT Activist who worked as an aide to a Texas State Senator in Austin, then started the Lesbian Gay Rights Lobby in Texas and was the first openly gay legislator to serve in the Texas State Legislature. He served for six terms. Glen just worked with a reporter from the Huffington Post on a story outing Governor Rick Perry's sexual encounters with men. According to Glen Maxey The Huffington Post was all set to run the story when its parent company AOL killed it out of fear of a lawsuit by Perry. Glen Maxey decided to publish a book on the investigation of Rick Perry. This episode focuses on Glen's friendship with Governor Ann Richards, his election as the first openly gay legislator in the Texas State Legislature and a run in that he had with George W. Bush when he was still Texas Governor. 

Glen Maxey, part one of a three-part conversation. Glen Maxey is a legendary AIDS & LGBT Activist who worked as an aide to a Texas State Senator in Austin, then started the Lesbian Gay Rights Lobby in Texas and was the first openly gay legislator to serve in the Texas State Legislature. He served for six terms. Glen just worked with a reporter from the Huffington Post on a story outing Governor Rick Perry's sexual encounters with men. According to Glen Maxey The Huffington Post was all set to run the story when its parent company AOL killed it out of fear of a lawsuit by Perry. Glen Maxey decided to publish a book on the investigation of Rick Perry. This episode focuses on Glen's working as an aid for State Senator Oscar Mauzy, Glen's success at derailing dangerous AIDS patient quarantine legislation and founding and serving as the first Executive Director of the Lesbian Gay Rights Lobby in Austin Texas. Get to see how legislation is passed and blocked told by an insider. 

SPECIAL GUEST: WNBA star Candice Wiggins. Team: Minnesota Lynx. She was born in Baltimore, Md. She is the daughter of Angela Wiggins and the late Alan Wiggins. Candice's father played seven seasons with the San Diego Padres and Baltimore Orioles (MLB). In 2008, she founded the Candice Wiggins Foundation, an organization aimed at reaching out to youth about the AIDS/HIV epidemic. Candice also supports other AIDS/HIV awareness organizations, including Until There's A Cure and the Minnesota Aids Project. Candice was California's Ms. Basketball in 2004. She was First

Christopher Yuan Speaker, Bible Teacher, AIDS Activist

Christopher Yuan Speaker, Bible Teacher, AIDS Activist

SPECIAL GUEST: Ruth Naomi Floyd is a renowned vocalist and composer whose diverse music repertoire includes Christian-themed jazz compositions and arrangements of African American Spirituals. The five cds of this soaring mezzo-soprano receives high acclaim both nationally and internationally. Her passion for music extends to the students she teaches as an Adjunct Professor of Vocals at Philadelphia Biblical University and a music teacher at Spruce Hill Christian School. Visit her website at www.ruthnaomifloyd.com. Ruth finds joy in creating portraits that are etched in her mind and soul as exhibited in her fine art photography.  A recipient of numerous awards and grants for her photographic images, "The emotions depicted in the moving images of Ruth's photographic art speak volumes without one word being uttered."  Her works are included in permanent and private collections, and she is represented by White Stone Gallery in Philadelphia.  Visit her website at www.rnfimages.com. Ruth serves as an HIV/AIDS Prevention Specialist, as well as an HIV/AIDS activist and educator.  For over fifteen years, Ruth has served with HOPE Ministry and The HIV Care Team at Esperanza Health Center in Philadelphia.  She has conducted HIV/AIDS workshops and conferences in the United States and Africa.

At birth, Hydeia Broadbent was abandoned at the University Medical Center of Southern Nevada in Las Vegas where Patricia and Loren Broadbent adopted her as an infant. Although her HIV condition was congenital, she was not diagnosed as HIV-positive with advancement to AIDS until age three. The prognosis was that she would not live past the age of five and as a result became the “test baby” for HIV/AIDS medications, which are currently on the market today. Needless to say, this “test baby” has defied the odds by more than16 years, which is valid proof that HIV/AIDS is no longer a death sentence. Hydeia’s debut as an HIV/AIDS activist and public speaker began at the age of six during one of her many visits to the hospital. By age 12 she was appearing on national programs including Oprah, 20/20, Good Morning America and “A conversation with Magic Johnson”. Over the next 10 years Hydeia became a notable featured speaker and guest panelist at some of America’s most respected educational institutions: Duke University, Clark Atlanta University, UCLA, USC, and Howard University. Since1996, she has been featured in some of today’s most prominent publications and television programs that include but are not limited to: Essence Magazine, Ebony Magazine New York Times, POZ Magazine, Seventeen, Heart & Soul, Nickelodeon, MTV, and BET. To her credit, she has also been honored with an American Red Cross Spirit Award and a 1999 Essence Award.

Special Guest: Hydeia Broadbent became known as a teenage AIDS activist. She contracted HIV at birth from her drug addicted biological mother and has battled the disease ever since with the help of her adopted parents, Patricia and Loren Broadbent. She began speaking publicly about the disease while assisting her mother's activism, but eventually she overshadowed her own mother with her effective speaking style. Hydeia Broadbent traveled the country educating people of all ages about the dangers of AIDS and how to protect themselves from contracting it. She has been featured

Marvelyn Brown Shares her story and will talk about her autobiography "The Naked Truth". Marvelyn Brown is an Emmy Award winning AIDS Activist and has even appeared on Oprah and MTV and many other tv shows. The surprisingly hopeful story of how a straight, nonpromiscuous, everyday girl contracted HIV and how she manages to stay upbeat, inspired, and more positive about life than ever before. At nineteen years of age, Marvelyn Brown was lying in a stark white hospital bed at Tennessee Christian Medical Center, feeling hopeless. A former top track and basketball athlete, she was in the best shape of her life, but she was battling a sudden illness in the intensive care unit. Doctors had no idea what was going on. It never occurred to Brown that she might be HIV positive. Having unprotected sex with her Prince Charming had set into swift motion a set of circumstances that not only landed her in the fight of her life, but also alienated her from her community. Rather than give up, however, Brown found a reason to fight and a reason to live. The Naked Truth is an inspirational memoir that shares how an everyday teen refused to give up on herself, even as others would forsake her. More, it's a cautionary tale that every parent, guidance counselor, and young adult should read.

The Queenz of media is THRILLED to announce that Designer, Celebrity, Aids Activist, and Athlete Extraordinaire Jack Mackenroth will be our celebrity guest on Thursday's show at 12:30 midnight eastern. The World came to know Jack Mackenroth when he was one of the leading contenders on Bravo Network's "Project Runway" season four. Jack has also appeared on the cover of many magazines , including..Paper, DNR, Men's Fitness, Men's Journal, Genre, Blue and several others. In 2008 Jack had a cameo in the blockbuster hit movie "Sex and The City" as "hot guy #17". Next week Jack will be hosting The Logo Channels coverage of New York Fashion Week. Jack is also working with fellow "Project Runway" Alumni, Kevin Christiana and a major television network to develop a new design show, that will be announced this spring. Jack's most important work is on behalf of HIV and AIDS awareness. MERCK Pharmaceuticals has signed Jack on to develop a national HIV educational campaign called "Living Positive By Design" (livingpositivebydesign.com) , where he will be touring the nation giving motivational speeches about his LIVING with hiv for the past 20 years. Jack is also an accomplished International Athlete, he has 3 All-American titles to his name and set a national record in the summer of 2006 in the breaststroke leg of the 4 x 50 meter medley relay (swimming). The same summer he finished 12th in the 50 meter breaststroke at the Masters World Championships in Stanford California, and is training for the 2009 Outgames in Copenhagen. Why WE LOVE JACK???? He took the bold step of hiring his good friend and Transsexual Ground Breaker Candis Cayne as his model for his clothing line! in addition to the