As I re-entered the world of singledom, after the South African, some things became disturbingly clear

I realized that I have a post break-up habit.  Some people get a drastic hair cut. Some people gain or even lose 15 lbs. For me, after a relationship ends I tend to become a true believer in free love.   During which I made good use of all of my gentleman’s socializing networks. I could be found chatting with guys at the gym, at work, at home.  I would even travel the length of Manhattan to partake in an extra long lunch break. Just to clarify, this was NOT my prior lunch date.  Within the midst of my newly rejuvenated spurt of free love, there were a couple observations that shocked and confused me. 

Way before the South African existed in my word, I chatted with this handsome Brooklyn Boy. We met on OkCupid and we tried to set up a really real date on a couple different occasions. Unfortunately it never really worked out, so we both just gave up. While on sowing my newly found wild oats, I came across the same Brooklyn Boy, on a slightly different website, Manhunt. We chatted again and this time we were determined finally to make our date happen. Since we were chatting on a site that had the byline of “Get on, Get off” I thought I should come clean with my status. He quickly became excited and he said, “So am I, now you can fuck me raw!” Clearly, I should’ve given him a different nickname with the initials B. B. I politely declined and then literally got off. 

There was another guy, who I chatted with for quite some time.  We talked about everyday random stuff and not just about a mutual love for our freedoms.  Finally, we decided to finally set up a time to meet. Again, because we didn’t meet on Manhunt and I wasn’t sure what his intentions were, I told him my status and lo-and-behold he said he was also poz. Ok, great. There should be no weirdness. Oh, was I wrong. I also told him that I always play safe and he proceeded to tell me that he never uses protection and he basically apologized saying that he hates “rubbers” and he would never have sex with someone who insisted on using them. 

I was baffled. I know I talk a lot about my disappointment and frustration with negative guys who turn me down because of my status, now I was turned down by a positive guy who didn’t date me because I always use a condom! I felt like I had just stepped into some bizzaro universe. 

Now, don’t get me wrong, I completely understand the allure of this particular practice, especially with another positive person.  But forgeting  the personal risk factors involved, I think people tend to forget that there are other STDs out there. I have a hard enough time expressing my status to a prospective date; imagine adding Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, Herpes, or Syphilis to the mix! 

Another thing that completely perplexed me was the amount of people that ask me if I "parTy". I am not that naïve that I am completely unaware of this practice and on prior occasions I have been asked if I "parTy and play". And I would be remiss not to mention I did try meth once. Luckily for me the only addictive substance my body will let me consume is chocolate.  But day after day, I found myself bombarded with that question, “Do you parTy?” No, “Hello.” No, “How are you?” Just “Do you parTy?”

I would respond: “Why yes I do! When my niece turned five, you should have seen me tearing up that Disney karaoke.” 

I love my oral fixations too much to give myself meth mouth and I love my penis way too much to swing it around at every Tom, Dick, and Harry without any protection. You can call me a fuddy-duddy, but I still head the advice given to me Mr. Jiminy Cricket and I always let my conscience by my guide.

Hello again everyone. 

I’m so angry with myself………………2 days following the performances I found myself on the wrong end of a cat fight.

A week ago I woke up early  - it was 7:30 am  - and headed outside with my coffee and cig, and of course the two cats for their morning feeding on grass in the front yard. Yes, this would be Digby and JD that I spoke about in one of my previous blogs.  They both immediately went over to one spot along the fence and I thought they were checking out some dead carcus.  It turned out to be the scent of a female cat that had been in the yard the night before.  JD is fixed whereas Digby is not, this encouraged an outrage towards JD and of course I felt obligated to come to his rescue.

Oops…….I tried to kick Digby off of him and he then turned on my ankle.  I wasn’t thinking too straight at 7:30 in the morning in my robe and slippers.

The last male cat I had broke out through the living room window and took off for 3 days to do his thing.  And I might add, he would only come back in through the window not the front door.  We’ve had pets for many years……….the difference with Digby is he is afraid to leave the front yard…………again I wasn’t thinking.

Anyhow, I went to emergency but not until the next night, at this point running a temperature. I’ve spent the last week getting antibiotics intravenously, today having been the last one I hope.  I go back to the hospital tomorrow to have it reassessed.

Public Health called earlier in the week to follow up things…………..needless to say Digby will be getting his shots and being fixed soon.  I have to wait out the 2 week period to see if he has rabies.  He’s an indoor cat, afraid to go anywhere, and only goes in the yard when one of us is present. 

Their question to me was did I do anything to provoke the fight?  Well, we’ve had him as a kitten and has never showed his teeth in the past 3 years or longer.  I realize he should have been fixed, however, I don’t allow my cats to freely run the neighbourhood, and unfortunately some people do and that’s what caused all this.  And I don’t think I’m going to provoke a cat fight at 7:30 on a Sunday morning.

The cost for all of this is going to be through the roof for someone on a fixed income, but you do what you gotta do.

 I’m stunned at the cost of having pets, but the humane society keeps on asking people to adopt.  A woman in the neighbourhood spent nearly a thousand dollars to have both her cats taken care of.  I called a vet out of town and it will be nearly 400.00 with taxes for mine.  So there you have it in a nutshell.

********************** 

I spoke with a gentleman walking Sadie in the park today.  He needed someone to talk to obviously……………..most of our 2 hr converstion pertained to the recent 1 yr anniversary of having to put his horse down.  The horse had a spinal disease and caused it to start walking with a dumb leg.  His love for this horse poured out of his soul and he was heading off to the stables to visit his horse's spot.  He had the horse cremated but kept his tail to hang in his stable.  It was a very touching conversation on such a beautiful day in our new Victoria park.  He couldn’t stress enough the importance a horse can have on your life, and animals in general.  His small dog was there with him also…………nearly 15 yrs old. The man hopes he dies naturally.

 *******************************

I need to find topics to talk about.  The Laramie Project had such an overpowering effect on me, and I’m still battling what my next adventure will be to both blog about and entail my life in.

Talk again soon.

Photo by Bob Leahy

 

The city-dwellers among us — and even those who might live outside the city but head to the land of tall buildings on a regular basis — take elevators for granted. We get on, we know what floor we're going to and press the corresponding button and we're off! It is a handy way to get to the upper floors of a building without arriving out of breath. But how closely do you actually look at the elevators you ride? 

It might be because I live in a city that is a strange mix of cultures and traditions, but the elevators here in Montréal can tell a story about a building that can often be quite different from the story told by elevators in a neighbouring building. I'm talking about the numbering of the floors, of course, which really varies widely here. 

Many buildings start with a ground floor (rez-de-chaussée), which will be represented as either G or RC on most elevator panels, but also sometimes 1. That can be a little perturbing in a context in which the next floor up can either be 1 or 2. There's the strange thing I noticed when I first moved here many years ago: the first floor is often one floor up from the ground floor. It's certainly a good motivation to look at the floor indication when boarding an elevator in a building for the first time, just to be able to be sure which floor to return to for the egress. 

The next highly noticeable thing you might see here, if the building is tall enough, is the thirteenth floor. In many buildings, one leaps directly from 12 to 14, presumably because of the superstitions (triskaidekaphobia) of the builder or owner of the building. Not so true here. Many buildings have thirteenth floors and nobody bats an eye at them. I'm not sure that I've seen a thirteenth floor in English Canada. 

Then there are approaches that make the triskaidekaphobia look tame. The number 4 being so very unlucky in Chinese culture that every 4 is eliminated from the elevator pad: no 4, 14, 24, etc. I'm not sure what they do after the floor numbered 39, but I am sure it is likely an inaccurate assessment of how high up you might be. 

Just one more observation that I have to add, a sign of the times There's something that made me reticent to pull out my phone to take a picture of the elevator keypad as I was thinking about this story. Especially, but not only, when there were other people on the elevator I think that thing is an irrational fear of being thought to be doing something wrong, like snapping photos of people you don't know or of machinery that might be the target of….well, you're either with us, or you're with the people who take pictures of things. All of which to say that the photos you see were lifted shamelessly from the web. 

Do you dare to take your own photos of your elevator keypad to prove me right or wrong in my triskaidekaphobia theory? If you're brave enough, I challenge you to share them with PositiveLite.com  on Facebook. Until then, could you press 5 for me?

This article first appeared in The Positive Side, a publication of CATIE.  

Une version française est disponible ici. 

By Diane Peters

It was 1998 and Ian Nelson’s friends were dying. HIV positive for 12 years, he was feeling terrible on a dual therapy of AZT and ddI. “My mind was mush,” recalls the now 51-year-old Vancouverite. His management job for Canada Post involved a 6:30 am start time and intensive problem solving, and the stress and workload were becoming unmanageable. Feeling depressed and convinced that his health was about to seriously falter, Nelson went on disability leave.

At first, he relished spending long days at the beach. But, within months, boredom and depression set in, and he began taking acid and mushrooms, then progressively harder drugs. By 2000 he was addicted to crystal meth and living on government assistance, relying on food banks, yard sales and dumpster diving to eat.

In 2004, he suffered congestive heart failure. After being released from the hospital, Nelson came to the realization that he wanted to live. While doing outpatient physiotherapy, he began attending 12-step meetings and doing volunteer work with the AIDS service organization (ASO) Positive Living BC (formerly BC Persons With AIDS Society). When someone suggested he apply for a part-time job there the following year, his confidence was still so shot that he nearly didn’t go for it. But he found the courage, landed the job and a couple of years later was hired on full time as the ASO’s reception services coordinator.

Now, Nelson hits the gym three times a week, goes to the beach when he can and recently took his first holiday in eight years, to Oregon. He’s also recently restarted a daily regimen of anti-HIV medications. He thrives on the routine of his job, has built up his confidence and enjoys the positive energy of his co-workers and volunteers. “I’m so happy that I’ve met all these wonderful people. They would not be in my daily life if I was at home.”

 Work of ART

Ever since the late 1990s, when the advent of antiretroviral therapy (or ART) offered a means to effectively control the virus, people living with HIV have struggled with incorporating work into their lives. While HIV is no longer a one-way exit out of the workforce, staying employed has its complications. Many people are still simply not well enough to work, while ­others, who feel good and want a job, face barriers.

Even for those who feel good, that feeling of well-being may come and go. Living with HIV comes with periods of poor health when working is difficult or impossible, episodes that can have a serious impact on people’s health and income stability, as was Nelson’s case.

Of the estimated 65,000 people living with HIV in Canada, no one knows precisely how many are in the workforce. Sergio Rueda, director of health research initiatives at the Ontario HIV Treatment Network (OHTN) led a survey of 2,000 people with HIV in Ontario and found that 40 percent of the men and 48 percent of the women were employed. Rueda also analyzed data from a group of 1,525 HIV-positive men in the United States: 41 percent of them were continuously employed over 10 years, 25 percent were unemployed and 20 percent worked on and off.

Illness, fatigue and side effects such as nausea and ­cognitive problems make a 40-hour work week difficult or ­impossible for some people with HIV. Others who feel well find that working full time makes keeping numerous doctors’ appointments a logistical challenge. Depression, particularly for newly diagnosed people, can hold someone back from pursuing work or the education that leads to a career. People new to Canada may be juggling health ­concerns along with learning English and dealing with government paperwork.

Rules for getting and staying on income and medical support programs can also hold people back from taking a job. Many people feel programs such as the Canada Pension Plan Disability Benefits Program or private long-term disability plans are not flexible enough to take into account episodic bouts of illness and wellness. “Often you’re either in, or you’re out,” says Don Phaneuf, director of employment and volunteer services for the AIDS Committee of Toronto (ACT).

Figuring out if it’s worth it to stop a program and begin work, particularly part time, can be complex. ASOs spend a great deal of time helping clients decipher the rules. Programs usually reduce benefits, potentially also medical benefits, when other income is made. “There’s little incentive for people to work under these programs,” Phaneuf says. The result: Many stay unemployed (sometimes giving back through volunteer work) or find work for which they can get paid under the table.

 Work it out

Theresie Nuwimana is still exploring what it’s like to work and live with HIV in Canada. The 43-year-old knew of her status when she emigrated from Rwanda to Toronto in 2005. When she first arrived, she focused on learning ­English and then enrolled in a program to train to be a personal support worker. Once she began doing home care ­visits, however, she found commuting and working long hours to be too much. “I was exhausted by the end of the day. It ­wasn’t good for my health.” So Nuwimana went back to school and graduated this past autumn from a counselling and advocacy program at George Brown College.

However, her last placement at a women’s shelter also proved a challenge. Since she sometimes needed to start late to work around doctors’ appointments, she felt it wise to disclose her status to her supervisor, who was understanding and supportive. She did not want to disclose to any other staff, though it was hard to avoid their curiosity. Because Nuwimana worked shifts, she was constantly teamed with new co-workers, some who didn’t necessarily understand her need to work flexible hours or why she had yet another appointment. “I want to work in a smaller place,” she says. “What I really want to do is work in an HIV organization, where my co-workers will understand the reason I might have several doctors’ appointments in one month.”

No one starts a job knowing everything about it, and discovering what you need once you’re on the job is not uncommon. “It’s important for people to understand their tolerance for a bit of uncertainty,” says Melissa Popiel, coordinator of HIV and Episodic Disabilities Initiatives for the Canadian Working Group on HIV and Rehabilitation (CWGHR). “For example, you may not know in advance what your ­benefits plan will be like, or what the workplace culture will be.”

And not all jobs suit people with HIV. Many tend to avoid high-stress jobs and physical work that involves heavy lifting. Shift work can wreak havoc on sleep and med schedules. Those who experience cognitive side effects from their meds also have to take that into account when looking for work.

As well, an HIV-positive person may need the workplace to be accommodating in certain ways. “[People with HIV] should know that they have a right to be treated without discrimination in the workplace. That’s one thing,” says Renée Lang, staff lawyer at the HIV & AIDS Legal Clinic Ontario (HALCO), “but you also have a right to accommodation because of your disability.” Except for jobs under federal law (such as working for the Canadian government), the specifics of those rights fall under provincial labour standards and human rights legislation. “Most of the time, what clients are asking for is quite reasonable,” Lang says—access to a private bathroom, a place to store meds or a quiet room for naps or downtime. Most commonly, people are requesting flexible hours, like starting an hour later some days.

“Workplace accommodation is a process,” Popiel says. People taking on a new job should be sure they can do the core tasks—the accommodation would make small changes to the work environment so the job is accessible and not unhealthy for someone with a disability. While employees have the right to these changes, employers have rights too, and the law protects companies from making accommodations that would affect the success of their businesses.

Employees should be prepared to discuss options with their employer and know that if there are a number of appropriate options, employers can choose the one that best fits the needs of the organization. “If an accommodation isn’t working well, employees should talk with their employer immediately, so that the problem doesn’t become a performance issue,” Popiel advises.

To set up the right accommodation, people with HIV have to speak up at work. However, that does not necessarily mean disclosing their HIV status. In fact, most jobs in Canada do not require disclosure, and privacy and human rights law protects your right to not disclose.

While many worry that ill treatment of HIV-positive people in workplaces is common, Lang says  that, in fact, such cases rarely come up. “Frankly, we see more concerns about stigma and discrimination than we see it playing out.” (Discrimination on the job?  has more information about your options if you feel you are facing discrimination because of your HIV status.)

There are few occupations that explicitly exclude HIV-positive people, and even these vary across the country. For example, in Ontario, the only job that a person with HIV is not permitted to do is that of emergency medical technician (EMT, also known as a paramedic). Alberta has no guidelines around HIV status and this occupation. Physicians must disclose their status to their professional college but not to their employer or patients, and they can safely do their jobs thanks to universal precautions. (This was tested within the legal system after a Quebec pediatric surgeon’s HIV status was revealed following her death in 2003. The Canadian Medical Association stated that she had no obligation to disclose.)

People with HIV must reveal their condition to an employer’s health insurance company but even that is private. For instance, if human resources asks you to fill out a medical form and hand it to them, you can request to send it to the insurer directly. Lang says it’s important to never lie on questionnaires that ask if you’re taking medication or have underlying health issues. Just tick off “yes,” and use the comment section to say that your condition will not affect your work.

To get accommodation, a person must provide a doctor’s note, but that can state that you suffer from fatigue or nausea without revealing the underlying cause. By law, your employer can’t probe for more details.

Working freelance is an option that avoids dealing with an employer and a workplace, and it seems like the perfect job: work from home while running your own business. No office politics to stress you out, no rigid start time to interfere with sleep and meds, and no commute. Many people with HIV thrive as freelancers and find it’s the only way they can work and stay well. Others find challenges in this career path.

Such as John Smith. For years he was a successful self-employed retail consultant. But the stress of his HIV diagnosis in 2010 and feeling unwell made it impossible to work for a few months. Being at home alone, letting his business slide, did not help: “It made me reclusive and isolated.” Freelancers can lack the kind of social support those with traditional jobs often find at work. They don’t have access to company benefits plans. And the worry that comes with business fluctuating doesn’t help stress levels.

Smith soon got his health back on track and worked with Employment Action in Toronto to rebuild his resumé and find a full-time job. Going out every day, seeing other people and keeping busy has done a lot for him. “It gives me something to distract me,” he says. “I feel good about myself rather than staying at home and worrying about my illness.”

Positive payback

For people with HIV who do manage to get around the challenges and either continue working or return to work, the value is huge. In a recent survey study, OHTN’s Rueda looked at 18 previous studies charting workplace status and health. These reports revealed that working is not just associated with good health—since, of course, healthier people are more likely to work—but also that “these findings suggest causation,” Rueda says. “Employment leads to better health.” He also discovered in this study that losing a job can put a dent in your health, but going back to work later on can bump it back up again.

A paying job gives you money, which allows you to eat well, find a good home and, like Ian Nelson, enjoy healthful perks like gym memberships and vacations. In a 2011 survey of people with HIV in Ontario led by Rueda, people said the most important thing a job gave them was a sense of identity. “Work lets you be defined by what you do, not just by your illness,” says André Samson, professor in the department of counselling at the University of Ottawa. “Working is the normal experience during adult life. It is our main activity, it’s how we express ourselves and are a part of society.” As well, jobs can offer a social network to lean on when times are tough.

To capitalize on these benefits, some organizations are trying to remove return-to-work obstacles at the government and workplace levels. And not just for people with HIV: Arthritis, mental illness and some cancers—conditions that affect millions of Canadians—are also episodic disabilities that can affect a person’s ability to work full time. Organizations such as CWGHR are working with governments to change social support rules and educating workplaces about discrimination, accommodation and episodic illnesses. Their work is having an effect. For instance, when Popiel began speaking to human resources professionals four years ago, only a few had heard of the term “episodic disabilities.” These days half the room knows the term.

Services for HIV-positive people seeking work are also growing. People in Toronto can turn to ACT’s Employment Action to talk about career issues, spruce up their resumes and find jobs. Across Canada, people with HIV and anyone with a chronic illness can access CWGHR’s newly launched Episodic Disabilities Employment Network  (EDEN), a web-based peer support portal.

These changes are not yet enough to get every HIV-positive person who wants a job out there working for a regular paycheque. But they’re a start toward enabling people to build a future for themselves and showing the work world that HIV does not have to stop someone from contributing. People with HIV or other episodic disabilities have both a right to work and a great deal to offer to our society and economy.

**************************************

Diane Peters is a Toronto-based freelance writer and teacher. She writes about health, business, parenting and other issues. This article was researched with funding assistance from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).

 Illustrations by Raymond Biesinger

Hot topics in HIV & work

Newcomers – Many HIV-positive immigrants face unique challenges, including language and cultural barriers and a lack of understanding of how to navigate the Canadian job market—on top of the day-to-day struggles of living with HIV.

Retirement – Many HIV-positive people contemplating retirement face a big question about how to access drug and health benefits after retiring. As more and more people with HIV move toward retirement, this issue will become even bigger.

Policy changes – Finally, employers need help to understand the implications of new and upcoming policies designed to help protect people with disabilities in the workforce. In 2010, Canada ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with ­Disabilities (CRPD). As well, Ontario is in the process of implementing the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) and other provinces are looking at similar laws. Holding governments and employers accountable for putting these standards into action will help people with HIV enter and stay in the workforce.

Discrimination on the job?

If you’re being discriminated against on the job, or if you get fired—you suspect—because of your HIV status, there are ways to seek justice. If you’ve been at a job for a few years, it might be worthwhile to pursue fair severance through the courts with the help of a lawyer. Or, if you haven’t worked at a job for long, or you’ve experienced serious discrimination, you might seek damages through your province’s human rights commission. If you were seriously wronged, you could get an apology or even a monetary settlement.

But be forewarned: Seeking justice is not an easy process. It takes time and your previous employer might say some pretty nasty, even untrue, things. “If you put in a complaint,” says HALCO’s Renée Lang, “you’re going to hear stuff back that you don’t want to hear.”

Work tools

The following resources provide information or ­support on employment issues for people with HIV. To find support in your area, visit www.aso411.ca  for an AIDS service organization close to you. Or call CATIE at 1-800-263-1638 and we can direct you to a local organization.

Episodic Disabilities Employment Network (EDEN) 

Canadian Working Group on HIV and Rehabilitation (CWGHR) (check out Information for People Living with HIV)

Resources from Interagency Coalition on AIDS and Development (ICAD)  (search for the term “disability”)

Fact sheets on HIV and work from AIDS Calgary (on the Publications page)

Employment Action (a program of the AIDS Committee of Toronto) (serves the Greater Toronto Area only, but check out the Working and HIV/AIDS section)

Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network 

HIV & AIDS Legal Clinic Ontario (HALCO) (serves Ontario only)

This information was provided by CATIE (Canadian AIDS Treatment Information Exchange). For more information, contact CATIE at 1-800-263-1638 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

CATIE also maintains a blog on PositiveLite.com which you can find here.

I am still waaaaaay behind the current technology but I have made a couple of steps forward. I now have a phone that I can text; with the plan I have it's much cheaper to text than talk. A while ago I bought myself a netbook for when I am out of town at workshops or conferences. It’s great but there were times when I couldn't get online at some of the places I was staying.

One of the biggest problems I am having with these new gadgets is learning to be a two-finger or two thumbpecker. The keypads are just too small for me. Back when I was in high school, I learned to type the right way. I use the home row on the keypad and I prefer the full size normal one. I can type fairly fast, a lot faster now than I was able to in high school but I quit during my second year. I went three decades without ever typing again until my kids had computers and introduced me to the internet. Like riding a bike, it all came back. 

I can be all thumbs with a lot of things but when I text I want accuracy so I am forever going back to correct something. It got so frustrating that I went and bought a stylus which seems to do the job most of the time but still, not much speed for getting the message out, so I keep pecking away with two thumbs. 

A couple of weeks ago my computer had an issue. It decided it wasn't going to work for me. It had been running sooooo slooooow for a while but I ignored it. I would defrag it each week, did some virus scans and it would be good for a day or so but then it was back to slow. It was kind of like me, two speeds - slow and stop. It got to stop before I did. Lucky for me I had the netbook and my cell so I could stay online and in touch. Talk about panic attack or maybe it was withdrawal. I tried to hook up the external hard drive to the netbook but I couldn't access anything, I wanted to transfer the pictures from my camera.

Only one thing to do and I hate it. I shut down the computer and went to do a system recovery which took everything back to factory settings. I should kick myself for not having transferred all files to the external hard drive weekly, just in case, or I wouldn't have lost as much as I did. So for the better part of five hours, I had to download all the search engines, messengers, everything I was using. For most of the week I have had to put up with "updates", about 400 of them. 

Now that I have it all back, it’s running fast and smooooooooth, but now the mouse is choking up. It’s a wireless, it takes batteries and those things run out of power fast. I have another one that plugs in but it chokes as well, that’s why it was replaced. It’s getting nuts trying to move the cursor around, even as I'm typing this. If I had more hair I'd be pulling it out. I learned the rechargeable batteries are better, I should have known that too. Why me? 

Every time I get a new gadget I tell myself “this is all I need, nothing else”, then I find that maybe I could get one more thing………… Who knows, maybe I’ll get one of them smart phones one day. I just don’t want to get app-dicted. 

I don't know why I'm whining about all of this. It’s a real different world now, we need these things to communicate today. Through social media, I’m meeting people from around the world on the internet and it’s so much cheaper to text, email or use social media to stay in touch.

For people I see on a regular basis, I prefer to talk to them in person. Thats the way it should be. If there is a way to get together and talk, then we should do it. Some just have to leave the gadgets behind or put them on silent and enjoy the company of their family member or friends.

 

Totally outRIGHT is a sexual health leadership program for young gay/bi/queer guys who are 18 – 26 years old.

The program is designed by young men and for young men who are from a diversity of ethno-specific backgrounds, trans identities or HIV statuses and interested in becoming healthy, smart and sexy trendsetters in Toronto.

If you’re older than 26 but younger than 30 and interested in coming give us a call! We might be able to fit you in! 

Totally outRIGHT is being organized by the AIDS Committee of Toronto (ACT) over a series of four all-day sessions on Saturdays, June 2, 9, 16 and 23.

 Attendance is free!  

 Get on the list!  We take care of the rest!

 Register by Monday, May 14, 2012.

Contact: Rui Pires, Gay Men's Community Education Coordinator  

416-340-8484 ext. 264

For More Info on Totally outRIGHT:

Presentations: We might be able to go out and talk to your group! Drop Sean Uyeda our Peer Facilitator a line at his email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Our Web Site: http://www.actoronto.org/to 

What past participants are saying:

About the Program:

"I am so happy I have attended this program. I have felt so comfortable and accepted in this group." 

"I found it very hard to select an “issue in the community” for this project, as I didn’t feel like I was really part of the gay community (it’s hard to pick a community issue for a community you are unconnected to). But I feel more encouraged to stay connected to the community now, and working with a group helped me to come up with a topic I felt passionate about." 

"Gay men AMEN! Thank the highest heavens for giving us the courage to push boundaries and create our own unique, fascinating worlds that facilitates the creation of beautiful relationships of all kinds."

About the Speakers:

"Great community and excellent speakers." 

"LOVED this presentation. Great to know that something like this exists for the LGBT community." 

"His recount of the historic events was absolutely riveting and breathtaking! THANK YOU for such a wonderful opportunity to partake in learning such valuable history."