Beware the Pure Spirit, Let the Flesh Instruct the Mind

I, like many other homophiles will frequent chat rooms and other venues for the homosexually inclined. Seeing as how I live in an area nearly destitute of same sex opportunity structures, it helps me chat and keep in touch with other link minded folks. It serves to remind me that I live in a largely homophobic area and there aren’t easy ways of meeting and socializing. Unfortunately, many of us have internalized homophobic and HIV-related negative attitudes from those around us and it often shows in how we treat our queer brothers in our online interactions. There is a general lack of manners when dealing with each other online. Call it homophobic, racist, haters, or just being vicious and catty – the results are still the same. It certainly makes our detractors (insert title here… too many to list) happy because they don’t have to beat up on us when we will do it ourselves. What did Jesus supposedly say about a house divided against itself? Sad but true so many times in that we “eat...

My thoughts to my class this week:  I’m always reading. Whether for class or enjoyment, I bury myself in books. Maybe I don’t lead an interesting life. But I love big books and I cannot lie… Well anyways, I was reading through some HIV related material the other night when I found something that was in its own way related to our class, more specifically to our folks who presented on Santeria this week.  I’m fascinated by this belief system in how Africans who were sold into slavery brought their beliefs with them to the Americas and found a way to incorporate their beliefs alongside the beliefs of their masters / tormenters.  The symbolism changed but it was still very much their own and of their own making. It was something they could hold onto, something from their own heritage. Santeria lives on. I’ve seen some of their altars; specifically I have a good friend who at the time had a beautiful altar in his home.  Offerings of food and liquor, cigars and cand...

My doctor and I have embarked on a medical treatment plan that involves the use of testosterone. I’m middle aged, I get that. Things change, the body is definitely different place than it was in my 20-30’s.  Energy levels, libido and mental capacity have changed. I’m also anemic. A previous doctor back around 2000 noted I was low on the testosterone scale. My current doctor concurs with this, and now apparently they measure these levels in a different way than before. That is, they not only measure the T levels in your blood, but more importantly, the monitor the amount of bio-available T you have.  So after months of begging (literally), he has agreed to start this course of treatment. Oh, and by the way, a side effect of this therapy is increased red blood cell production. A definite win-win for me. Started yesterday. This consists of a gel application in the morning under my arms . Go figure. Perhaps there are certain receptors there that are more easily accessed than s...

To my class this week: Well there you have it, those identifying as Jehovah Witness do not have a death wish.  They don’t want to be martyrs for their faith. They love life and want to live. Contrary to what many of us might have thought beforehand.  I enjoy hearing from these folks in our class. They come well prepared and you can tell that they want you to have specific information relating to health care practices. Good questions from you as well. It was so nice to hear about life from their perspective.   “Health care is effective when the spiritual and cultural traditions of the patient are addressed.”   We come from many diverse perspectives, beliefs, and practices.   “E pluribus unum ~out of many, one.”   What I hope you are taking away from our class lectures, Ereadings, activities, and speakers is that although it can be a challenge at times, cultural diversity and competency can also be a blessing to us as well. We better understand Others...

          Acts of transgression that threatens the “mythic, stable family” o    The family at the heart of AIDS commentary is an ideological unit, as yet supposedly unaffected but held to be threatened by the “leakage” of HIV infection , which like nuclear fallout, is widely and erroneously perceived to be everywhere about us, a deadly miasma of contagion and death o    The normalizing optic of the mythic family gained momentum during the Reagan era. Reaganism, the signature of an alliance backlash politics, was characterized by the revival of a conservative patriotism generated and legitimated around bodies and a related series of racist, anti-gay anti-feminist, pro nuclear family, prolife, anti-social welfare, and anti affirmative action positions.  Under Reagan, America’s economic and social problems were to a great extent, attributed to the breakdown of the nuclear family and the moral fabric of society. 

Something’s been brewing in the back of my mind for a bit. I hesitate to write it out, as it is sure to be misinterpreted and misunderstood by some. And yet, write I must.  I’ll do my best to write as clearly as I know how. However, words and I do this dance and success is not guaranteed. I’m in the midst of giving birth to my dissertation. Not an easy pregnancy but I am close to bring this baby to term. A tough topic for sure but one that has meaning and one that must be told. It does have a life of its own and I’m doing my best to articulate and explore. The process has been transformative for me on a personal level. However, I recently noticed something. I had an epiphany of sorts. And now processing this new insight, I find a new awareness and something that needs to be challenged. So here goes… When did relationships and/or sex between men become primarily reduced to issues of viral risk? Of viral transmission? What happened to intimacy or sexuality?  The assumpti...