Today

I'm not big on p.r. stunts like World AIDS Day. I remember my old friend Patrick once saying he would die of red ribbons before he died of AIDS. But he died of AIDS. He was 31. In many parts of the world today, 31 is an achievement for people with HIV. Please give to HIV/AIDS charities, support research, defuse stigma (remove the federal travel ban on HIV-positive foreigners!), and work for better diagnosis and treatment. I'd say that Africa is indeed a valid priority. But many African-Americans in American cities are no better off than some people with HIV in Africa. Charity begins at home. And stigma sometimes has to be conquered before charity is even possible.

But know this also if you are caught in this web: HIV need not be the end of your life. This is my 13th year of living with it. And I've never felt as alive. If you have this virus, face it, own it, beat it. It can be done. And there is great spiritual blessing to be found in such fear and pain if you pray hard enough.