What publishing this novel has taught me...

The publication of this Sally Field Can Play The Transsexual, Or I Was Cursed By Polly Holiday has taught me a lot. After an absence, I am returning to regular blogging to tell you about those lessons today. More is to come.

Mostly the experience has taught me that as far as we have come on Transgender rights in recent years, we still have a long way to go. On my tour, I learned that I live in a rarified bubble that surrounds transgender issues. In spite, of Chaz Bono, Laverne Cox, Caitlyn Jenner and hundred of other public Transgender figures, the seemingly collective celebration of their bravery, and the media’s portrayal of their journey as normal, there are more Americans than not who still have an incredible fear of trans topics.

How Brian Williams and Jessica Williams Are Related

In the past few weeks, both Brian Williams and Jessica Williams have made headlines for their relationship to “fake” news. The NBC news correspondent is rapidly falling from grace, and The Daily Show correspondent is rising to a new level of fame.

Why A.S.S. is about so much more that just Survivor's Guilt.

It was unimaginably awful, that moment when I realized my crippling depression was due to the fact that I had a long and healthy life ahead of me. I had spent my life living in acceptance of HIV’s terminal effect on life. I had held that foremost truth in all my life choices. But the rules had changed. I had to live. At least that’s how it felt to me. I had to live a long life. Not I get to, not I want to. I had to.

The Unexamined Cost of Reduced AIDS Activism.

Last week on a sex site, I got a message from a twenty-four year old, that said, “I just read your profile. You have AIDS. You don’t have a chance,” —I assumed he meant a chance with him. I had not attempted to hit on this young man; he offered this message of his own volition, without solicitation. Over the past decade, my experience of comments like this has become increasingly frequent, and this is among the more reasonable unsolicited rejections.

AIDS, Community Debates, politicsLeslie SmithFebruary 9, 2015endaids, stophiv Comments

Steve Anderson - More Sad Than Vile. Who Knew That Was Possible?

If I wasn’t too busy laughing at him, I might get really upset about Steve Anderson’s incredibly vile and homophobic remarks that suggest an AIDS-free America might be possible if all the gay people were murdered before Christmas. He has single handy given a whole new operational tact to the AIDS Free Generation movement.

politics, Community Debates, AIDS Free Generation, AIDSLeslie SmithDecember 4, 2014Homophobia, endaids, AIDS, Religion, Steve AndersonComment

Regarding the "End of AIDS" Debate

Have we looked deeply enough into our motives?

First, this blog entry is meant as an explanation of questions that have haunted me for many years. Even before the current "End of AIDS" debate began, I wondered about the questions I pose here. I skirted with the subject briefly in my novel, but I did not delve as deeply into it as I will here. I want to be very clear that this is an exploration of a personal fears, and some doubts I have about the motives behind much of the debates we see in our community. It is not a suggestion of any one individual's or movement's actual motives.

AIDS Free Generation, AIDS, Community DebatesLeslie SmithNovember 20, 2014MyFabDisease, AIDS, endaids, stophiv, zacheryquintoComment

Among other things, Leslie sometimes writes thoughtful stuff!

Have we looked deeply enough into our motives?