World AIDS Day

World AIDS Day
Annie Lennox

It's World AIDS Day today - this is to remember as well as search for a cure. While having HIV does not mean you will contract AIDS and people on medication can live healthy lives thanks to Western Medicine. There are many parts of the world that isn't true.

This day is to remember and never forget those who came before us and were ravaged by the disease and did not have the scientific advances we have today. It is also to know that in some countries it is still and epidemic.

Thus I bring you one if my favorite Divas & Activists Ms. Annie Lennox who works tirelessly to find a cure. Hit the video for he song Sing below that addresses it. 

Remember everyone is going through something, try to be kind to one another...

Annie on IG -
https://www.instagram.com/officialannielennox/?hl=en

Prince Harry, Rocker With A Cause

Wild About Prince Harry

"And we'll never be royals (royals). It don't run in our blood"  - Lorde "Royals"

Honestly I have never really been a follower of the Royal Family, it has never been my thing. That being stated the major exception to that rule was of course Princess Diana. She was the only princess that really crossed over and made a huge impact on the world around her.

Kudos to Prince Harry for keeping his mother's legacy of philanthropy and giving alive. Last night the Prince belted out a tune with the band Coldplay in the backyard of Kensington Palace who was headlining a benefit for his Sentebale Charity which he aided in establishing in 2006. 

The proceeds went to the people of Lesotho in South Africa battling HIV and AIDS.
"Sentebale, meaning forget me not in Sesotho, has helped tens of thousands of children in just over a decade." The Prince stated.

He continued: "What we know is that HIV is a virus that thrives off silence and feeds on stigma. We must follow the example of the young people of Lesotho, and meet one of the great challenges of our generation with optimism, energy, and openness. That's what tonight is all about. When people come together for a purpose we can achieve extraordinary things."

Somewhere Diana is one proud Mama. 
Harry on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/Prince___Harry

Go Into The Judith Light, Danny Pintauro

Judith Light & Danny Pintauro

OK, first off excuse me, I can be a tad irreverent, on second thought, yeah, a lot! That being stated no one in the world could have a better friend an ally than Judith Light.

The LGBTQ community is one lucky bitch for having this awesome woman embrace them. 

Now starring on the show Transparent (with my buddy Ian Harvie) Judith had this to say about Danny Pintauro's recent coming out as HIV + : “I am so proud of him,” she lovingly says  “He’s talking about being HIV positive. He is being incredibly proactive. He now has a wonderful husband named Wil. He’s giving a different face to what is still a disease that has not been handled.”

I used to run into Judith every month where I went for a waxing, yeah I used to wax, not anymore, she went there for skin care. She was always so kind and loving, she is freaking awesome!

We as a community of people appreciate your support Ms. Light. Thank You!

Keep the dialogue flowing via Twitter.

With Danny: https://twitter.com/dannypintauro 

With Judith: https://twitter.com/JudithLight

Colton Ford's Next Chapter

OK, let's get the obvious out of the way and sweep it under the rug. Colton Ford is best known for being a porn star. That's so fifteen years ago...

Since then Colton has become an accomplished singer and actor. He has had hit singles and albums such as Tug of War. His current EP is Next Chapter. He recently starred in the premiere of the play (which I attended) And All The Dead, Lie Down by Harrison David Rivers directed by John Coppola in Los Angeles, CA.

With a portrayal of Sheriff Trout on Here's hit supernatural series The Lair thrown in for good measure, what's next?

It's time to turn the page on Colton's career. Hey, it's all about that falsetto...Let's meet the 2015 model of Colton Ford.

MS: Hey how are you?

CF: I'm driving and eating, it's one of those days where I have to schedule my bathroom breaks. (laughs)

MS: You recently moved back to Los Angeles.

CF: I've been back in LA for a year and a half. I lived in New York seven years prior to that. It was time to move back to LA. I got everything I needed to from New York and I didn't have to be there to do what I was doing. I love New York though and still make trips there.

MS: Obviously I saw you in the play And All The Dead, Lie Down. This was the first time it was done ever, correct?

CF: Yes, it's the first time it was done. The writer, director and my co-star Kila Packett all developed it. It was a great experience!

MS: Kila and yourself had amazing chemistry!

CF: Yeah, we wanted to make it real and we worked hard on that. I really enjoyed it. I haven't had the opportunity to play a drama in quite some time with the things that I've done acting wise. It's usually been more cheeky, or like Sheriff Trout on The Lair stuff along those lines. So it was fun to explore that energy, there were more emotional things happening in this project than what I have been able to play in the other things that I have done.

MS: There was a lot of nudity and free balling in the show, I was told that was in it before I went, but was not expecting as much as there was.

CF: It wasn't supposed to be gratuitous. The whole idea and concept of this was that the audience is a voyeur. Your peeking in the window and watching a couple in their own natural habitat, without them having the knowledge of being watched. When they come out of the shower they take their towel off and they get dressed, when they go to bed and have sex they take their shit off...you know what I mean? It was the way it would be in real life and that's what the playwright & director wanted.

There is a thing about seeing a penis. We know Nicole Kidman was nude on Broadway, but when Daniel Radcliffe was nude we heard a lot more chatter about that. Some people are really taken aback by it and some just accept it as part of what the story is. The director was very cautious and concerned that it not be delivered in a way that was gratuitous.

MS: Mainly the conflict in the show stemmed from one of the couple being HIV + and the other being HIV - what are your thoughts on that?

CF: I think everybody has to figure out how they want to love. I am of the mind set that it would not be an issue for me if I was feeling somebody, and falling in love with somebody. We all should be educated about how you get it and how not to get it. We also have to recognize that we are a species that has to deal with sexually transmitted diseases, I don't care what it is you are at risk even if you practice safe sex. Personally I am not of the mindset that I am going to give someone head with a condom on, it's not for me. I make sure there are no cuts and sores in my mouth and I generally stay away from people cumming in my mouth. Just little things that make my experience safer. If your sexually active and not in a relationship chances are you are going to connect with someone that might be HIV +.

People now have undetectable viral loads, I don't live in fear around it. It certainly does not dictate whether or not I get to know somebody. That's the way that I look at it. The more that you are educated and the more you get to know the dynamic of HIV the less fear based you will be. You will be more open with regard to loving somebody without placing those kinds of conditions on that love.

Photo: Kevin McDermott

MS: Let's talk about your current EP Next Chapter.

CF: OK.

MS: It's more hard R&B and less Electronica than your previous efforts.

CF: My roots are R&B/Soul that's where I have lived all my life. When I was signed with Virgin in the 90's it was straight R&B. I moved into House Music and subsequently EDM. There has always been a thread of soul in my music and certainly in my vocal arrangements, you can tell my roots are in that genre of music. Now that I am in my fifties I want to do music more reflective of where I live and who I am...I certainly love Dance Music. The new stuff I am working on is more R&B/Soul, but it has the ability to be re-mixed into a dance song. That is how I am shifting musically. My next album is definitely going to be more Soul/R&B/Contemporary. Depending on the single release we will have a re-mix package that will give all of the different musical vibes and energies, but the album version will be of the R&B/Soul genre.

MS: I really loved Love is Taking Over which you co-wrote.

CF: Thanks! I co-wrote all of them except for the covers of Yesterday and Something About You.

MS: Sorry I didn't stay and hang out to say Hello after the play. I figured it was OK since I saw you before. (laughs)

CF: No worries I figured you had something to do. (laughs) 

Keep moving forward with Colton at:

https://www.facebook.com/ColtonFordMusic

https://twitter.com/coltonfordmusic

Miley Cyrus, Wants To Talk About Sex...

Before you think this is Miley acting all wild and crazy again to get our attention, well you are sort of correct in that assumption, but not completely...

One of my favorite artists is getting her sex talk on because she's the new face of MAC Cosmetics' iconic Viva Glam campaign. Sales from a hot pink lipstick and lip gloss created by Cyrus benefit the MAC AIDS Fund.

"I think the way sex has been made to be seen as bad or guilty, I think it's just opening up that conversation that's saying if you're doing it, protect yourself. And I think young people need to be talking," She states.

Miley visited the Los Angeles LGBT Center's Youth Center to meet homeless youth and to educate herself more on HIV prevention. 

She shared that when you walk in, there is a bowl of condoms right there. You didn't have to ask.

Ms. Cyrus is proud to be part of the Viva Glam campaign because it isn't about profit, it's about giving back

"You don't see me kind of doing this stuff very often," She notes.. "I'm not the person to go out and say, 'Buy my lipstick,' or 'Buy my this, or, 'Buy my that.' This was something I obviously didn't mind saying...and kind of shamelessly plugging because it's going towards such an amazing thing. Every penny of it! It's not halfway going to help and halfway paying someone's salary. It's a hundred percent!"

Miley, I think you're awesome! 

Viva Miley! at: https://www.macaidsfund.org/

Do It Clean With Jack Mackenroth

Jack Mackenroth Does It Clean

"I've got a handful of this, What do I do with it
I've got a barrel of this, What do I do with it 
I do it clean" - "Do It Clean" Echo & The Bunnymen

Project Runway star and HIV activist, Jack Mackenroth is her to help you clean up your act!

His latest campaign in the fight against HIV stigma is "The HIV Shower Selfie Challenge" with hashtag #weareALLclean bit.ly/CUREAIDS and it’s going viral and has already been translated into 7 different languages and counting.

It's a sexy, selfie crusade of sorts. You contribute an image of yourself in the shower or bath—and hopefully donating to an amazing cause.

So grab your bar of soap and let's be clean and show that we are all equal regardless of our HIV status!!

MS: You've had HIV for a long time; at what age did you contract it?

JM: I was diagnosed when I was twenty-one, but my sero-conversion happened when I was nineteen or twenty. I've had it my whole adult life.

MS: Does the length of time you've had it inform the way you present yourself as an activist to people? It's not flippant in any way, but you have a sense of humor, also your videos are very friendly and accessible.

JM: Yeah, I've been through enough of shaming and discrimination, all of that BS. Negativity doesn't really work and certainly doesn’t make people feel good. Critics have gotten on my case saying: You're trying to glamorize HIV, or that I’m not taking it seriously enough. Well you know what? I know my truth and fear-based education does not work. What do you tell these kids today? I'm like, listen, you don't want it, above all protect yourself, but try not to live in shame and denial if you do become HIV positive. For EVERYONE the priority is to get educated and get tested because now we have PrEP, which is a great tool against HIV. There is also PEP (like the morning after pill for HIV if you think you have been exposed in the last 48 hours. There's tons of promising information out there, but if were not talking about HIV and the stigma, fear and discrimination are going to keep people from not doing what they need to do to keep themselves and the community healthy. 

There are a lot of HIV positive people who reach out to me that are freaking out and I always tell them "You're probably going to be fine, just go to the doctor and get on a treatment that works for you." If you catch HIV early and you take your medication like you are supposed to, statistically you prognosis is excellent. The other good news is we now know that if you do take your meds and your viral load is undetectable, or you are virally suppressed, that you are also not contagious.  

                                                           "You've Got This"

MS: Early detection and taking your medication is important. If you do both everything will be fine.

JM: Well I credit my long-term survival to luck and intuition and taking early action. I come from a medical family. My dad was a doctor and my mom was a nurse and we always had a pill for every malady. When I was first diagnosed there was only AZT, which was fairly toxic for many people, but I liked the feeling and empowerment of taking something that might work. Back then a lot of people were waiting and not taking the meds available because they thought they were poison - the doctors recommended that you wait until your T-cells fell below 250 and then you would go on the meds. They now know in retrospect that was a bad idea. When your immune system is that depleted it’s very difficult to rebound. Where as if you catch it quickly and go on effective medication you can expect to live a normal life span.

MS: What your doing is great; it really is designed to make people feel comfortable.

JM: Thanks I appreciate that. I think the HIV community gets enough negative messaging from others. We here things like "Shame on you. You should know better. How can you get HIV at your age? Use a condom!” and I think, "Fuck you!" We haven't done anything you probably haven’t done. I’d like to shake the hand of someone who has used a condom EVERY SINGLE TIME they had ANY kind of sexual contact. Keep your stones to yourself. 

MS: There seems to be less of a stigma than there used to be.

JM: I disagree. In some communities/areas I think that may be true, But HIV stigma is alive and well. Often it depends on where you live and whom you are around. It’s very easy to live with HIV in secrecy now. Only visibility changes public opinion. I could never keep it in. It felt like I was in the closet all over again. That's just not me I'm horrible at keeping a personal secret anyway. So I went big and told everyone on national TV when I did it on Project Runway. (laughs) Now I don’t ever have to have that awkward conversation ever again. 

#weareALLclean

MS: So talk about your current project The HIV Shower Selfie Challenge.

JM: I literally just launched Monday - that's why I said OMG I need a break and called you. I'm working with this gay social media app called MOOVZ and they're very big in Asia and Latin America. It's sort of like Twitter meets Facebook though I'm not very good at it yet. It’s fairly new in the US but growing quickly. Their corporate offices are six hours ahead of me, and the other promoter involved is a model actor and singer, Chris Salvatore. He lives in Los Angeles so he is three hours ahead of me, so putting this all together is challenging. A bit of a cluster fuck. Please don’t print that!  (laughs). 

MS: Yeah I know about those cluster fuck type things. (laughs)

JM: So I had this idea, I thought: why isn't there an ALS ice bucket challenge for HIV? There should be. I've worked in non-profits and HIV activism for a long time and have done different fundraisers; it's really hard to raise money for HIV/AIDS now because nobody sees the urgency anymore. People are not getting sick like they used to and unfortunately that is what really motivated people in the 80s and 90s. I decided to figure out an HIV challenge that was media savvy and celebrities would be like: Another excuse for KK to show her ass, and would possibly have the legs to catch on. I posted my photo at noon on Monday and it's blown up already, my twitter feed is exploding! Queerty, Instinct Magazine, The Huffington Post, BuzzFeed, FrontiersLA, Towleroad, PinkNewsUK, TheBody.com have all covered it. That's in the first 48 hours so I am hoping that's a good sign. 

MS: Taking a shower selfie and using it to fund a cure for HIV is a fun idea! I saw some negative comments already on Queerty about using sex to raise money. Fuck that, there is nothing wrong with it, it sells and it works.

JM: Queerty is notorious for their negative commenters. I don't listen to the negativity unless it is really a constructive suggestion. I just keep trying to out good work. I always wonder what the haters are doing to help their community. Very little I suspect. Unless you are a sex addict and it becomes a problem in your life, having sex is healthy. We all know sex sells. Why not leverage it for a good cause?

MS: Where is the money going that you raise from the HIV Shower Selfie Challenge?

JM: Right now the beneficiary is Housing Works—a New York based agency that combats HIV/AIDS and homelessness but has global influence. I approached—and am still working on getting some larger, global organizations involved, which I think would help the campaign a lot.

So far the fundraising call to action has not really taken off. There are now over 2000 #weareALLclean  shower selfies online but less than one percent of those people have actually donated money. And I want to reiterate that 100% of the proceeds go to charity. A commenter on Queerty implied that some of the money was going to line my pockets. That’s insulting and ludicrous. The money goes directly to non-profits. I don’t see a penny. That’s not what this is about. If I wanted to get rich I wouldn’t be working in HIV activism. It’s not a lucrative field. 

Regardless if you are male or female, young or old, straight or LGBTQ—please join Jack and thousands of others from around the world and be one of the first to take the HIV Shower Selfie Challenge. And if you don't want to soap up in the shower you can always just donate to show support. I did!


Find out how to participate or donate at the link below:

bit.ly/CUREAIDS

Find out more about Jack at: http://www.jackmackenroth.com/