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Are you an ally?
Have you ever had the experience of hearing a friend, a coworker, a religious leader, a politician, or even a stranger in line with you at the checkout of the supermarket say something derogatory about LGBTQ+ people, or just homophobic, and thought to yourself ‘I don’t agree with that at all?’ Seen on the news…
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Today is my annHIVersary
To tell you this story, I first must introduce you to Paul and Martin. For much of the 90s, Paul was my wingman. Along with Martin, we were the “three amigos” of the LA gay scene. The three of us met in the seminary as undergraduates when we were all Conventual Franciscans studying philosophy. Paul…
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A journey of a thousand miles
Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu taught that “a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” in his work the Tao Te Ching. Today, I am taking the first step on my new journey. I have my first appointment with an oncologist. I have a lot to learn. But this is not unfamiliar territory.…
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Act II, Scene III
I have called everything in my life since AIDS tried to kill me in 2006 my “second act.” And now, I’m beginning to see how Act II has passed through several “scenes.” Scene I was retiring from Technicolor and moving to my house in the Mountain Gate neighborhood of Palm Springs. Scene II was realizing…
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From TaxPoodles to Maltipoos
The wonderful thing about TiggersIs Tiggers are wonderful things!Their tops are made out of rubberTheir bottoms are made out of springs!They’re bouncy, trouncy, flouncy, pouncyFun, fun, fun, fun, fun!But the most wonderful thing about Tiggers isI’m the only one That’s “The Wonderful Thing About Tiggers,” the theme song and personal anthem of Tigger, whom we…
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Hundred
Strike up the band. Cue the fireworks. This is the 100th post of my blog. Sunday, when I posted about ICE, I noticed it was the 99th post to my blog. The wheels in my head started turning. My first thought was the next post had better be something really special to mark this milestone. …
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Ice Ice Baby
Any cold war spy novel or movie worth your time will eventually mention East Germany’s secret police known as the Stasi, officially called the “Ministry for State Security” (Ministerium für Staatssicherheit in German), which operated from 1950 to 1990 and was among the most hated and feared institutions of any of the cold war communist…
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What is a desert?
In my last post, I talked about how I live in “the” desert and it is hot here. Those things are both true, this time of year. But six months from now, it will be lovely during the day and so cold at night you wouldn’t want to be caught out without a jacket for…
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Too hot to handle
I moved to the desert on December 26, 2007. Literally. I decided to spend Christmas with my mom and dad that year, then head out for my new life as a disabled person. So when I arrived here, if you know anything about Palm Springs, it was beautiful. Bright, crisp days, endless sunshine. And temperatures…
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IMINUBU
I have wanted to write a tribute to Ken for some time, and as we celebrate Disability Pride Month this July, now seemed like the right time. Longtime readers of my blog will recognize the name from my coming out story or from my retelling of when and how I first heard about HIV/AIDS. I…
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