Mental Health

Yes you read the title correctly; this is my coming out story. I have recently come to the realization and acceptance that I am indeed bisexual and I’m excited to share this new part of my life with all of you. For years I have had both romantic, sexual feelings, and experiences with those of the same and opposite sex. Up until this moment I have identified as heterosexual because I was still in the process of exploration, discovery, and acceptance of what these feelings and experiences mea

Ontario's Regulatory Registry Regulation - LGIC Proposed Amendments to Ontario Regulation 201/96 made under the Ontario Drug Benefit Act Regulation Number(s): O. Reg. 201/96 Bill or Act: Ontario Drug Benefit Act  Summary of Proposal: As part of the 2017 Budget and the government's ongoing commitment to provide better and faster access to high-quality health services, Ontario is proposing to create OHIP+: Children and Youth Pharmacare Program. Under the program, the province would, as

It is coursing through our veins, sustaining life and fighting disease, and yet we fear it. The sight of a few drops can make an adult faint. A bucket of it in a movie is the very definition of horror. Even as Donald Trump contributes his perverted, sexist new layer of blood revulsion (through a history of insults that include journalist Megyn Kelly’s bloody “whatever” and his most recent fabrication about a “bleeding” face lift that cable news anchor Mika Brzezinski never had)

Some of the activists who are part of the campaign   -Photos by Rise Up To HIV Over a dozen Zambian youths living with HIV and those who are passionate about fighting the spread of the virus have taken to social media to launch a campaign dubbed ‘Team No Shame About HIV+.’ The youths aim to raise awareness about their HIV status and inspire others to come out in the open and live positive lives. In a country where being HIV positive is sometimes associated with bad behaviour, these ac

"Is it true I am HIV positive?" I asked the lady in the white lab coat. "As per the test, it shows you are HIV positive." She replied.  I left the place immediately immediately. I had no interest in further discussion or counselling. I had drawn my own conclusions and I would decide my next course of action without influence from anybody. This was my life, though it wasn't life anymore, and I had a mandate to do what best suited me in my new condition. Suicide! Suicide! Suicide! Suicide!

Medical evidence has shown that people living with HIV and who are on effective treatment cannot pass on the virus. However, a major new survey by Terrence Higgins Trust has shown that only 9% of the British public are aware of this fact, which has been evidenced by scientific research. Meanwhile around one in three (32%) adults would feel uncomfortable giving first aid to someone living with HIV who is on effective treatment, according to the YouGov survey of 2,022 adults. And nearly 40% o

On June 15, 2017 the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network held a symposium in Toronto, Ontario, Rethinking Justice: the 7th Symposium on HIV Law and Human Rights. The symposium focused on unjust HIV criminal legislation in Canada. Canada unfortunately has one of the worst records in the world for the overly broad use of criminal laws to address HIV nondisclosure. Panels of experts and those with lived experience of HIV criminalization presented their research and experiences. The legal experts di

Detail from Rotimi Fani-Kayode’s “Untitled,” courtesy of Autograph, London In thirty years of HIV work alongside black advocates, I have rarely written on the topic of race. It makes me uncomfortable, or perhaps I feel unequipped, unqualified. But it’s that very hesitancy, according to black gay academic Charles Stephens, that only makes racism worse. Charles, the founder of the Counter Narrative Project in Atlanta, proved to be the perfect person with whom to chat about race (and

One in five people living with HIV in a European study reported a decline in everyday functioning as a result of cognitive problems such as memory loss, difficulties in solving problems, poor concentration or reduced attention span, researchers from the CIPHER study group report in the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes. But, researchers say, people who reported these problems were also more likely to have comorbid conditions, to be depressed or anxious, to be unemployed and e

HIV has taught me several things. I actually believe that HIV changed my life forever with a mix of sad and beautiful memories of fighting for my life, after receiving a “death sentence” back in the late 1980s. I mean this literally, I was told over the phone that I had, at the most “6 months to a year to live”. Getting a death sentence is probably one of the most terrifying things I have ever confronted so far. The bleak circumstances surrounding my death sentence were very poignan

People living with HIV (PLWH) who receive government disability checks have previously received that income without going through reviews. As of March 1, the Social Security Administration (SSA) began requiring that PLWH prove they are still disabled. Like others receiving disability payments, they will have to go through a Continuing Disability Review (CDR). These are conducted every one to seven years. There are exceptions. Not subjected to a CDR are those with HIV who have Multicentr

On Friday, June 30, 2017 from 1:00 – 3:00 pm ET, the Office of HIV/AIDS and Infectious Disease Policy will host a community led “Community Response to the Effects of HIV Treatment and Viral Suppression on Transmission” webinar. To register CLICK HERE In the last year, compelling new evidence has demonstrated that HIV treatment significantly reduces sexual transmission of HIV. In addition, this research found no cases of HIV that were transmitted sexually by individuals with a suppress

Although advances in medication mean that people with HIV can now live long and healthy lives medically, they still face stigma and discrimination, which can lead to isolation and low self-esteem. Nearly 60 per cent of people with HIV in Scotland have experienced low self-esteem, and a quarter have felt suicidal. [1] Now, Peer Support Scotland, funded by the Big Lottery Fund Scotland, will bring together people living with HIV to share their experiences, knowledge and advice, to support other

Last January, my partner and I flew to Mexico for a vacation. On Day 1, out of the blue, I was stung by stigma. While swimming in the Pacific Ocean, I put my foot down, expecting to feel the soft sand, and instead stepped on a stingray, which spurred an excruciating sting and deep wound. At the local clinic, I considered disclosing my HIV status, but this was a small Catholic town and I didn’t want to face people’s judgment or, worse, not be treated at all. So I decided against it. The do

I can get by even if I have no money. It matters, but it’s not everything. I am used to problems because I’ve had enough of them already and I’ve been at my lowest. I can endure a single day without food because I know how it feels to have no food to eat for almost a week. I can sleep in any house without complaint because I’ve experienced sleeping in the streets. I can go out without having to worry about what brand my clothes are because I only had one uniform in college that I bare