Justin B. Terry-Smith has been involved in LGBTQ and HIV Activism since 1999. He is an Air Force 9/11 Disabled Vet. Raised in Silver Spring, MD, he now lives in Albuequerque, New Meixco with his husband Phil. He writes an HIV/STI Advice Column for A&U Magazine, is a Contributing writer for thebody.com, a Life Coach and an Adjunct Professor. He has earned his Doctorate in Public Health with a concentration in Infectious Disease and his Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling.
Justin B Terry-Smith's explains in his HIV advice column Just*in Time in A&U: America's AIDS Magazine why We should NOT stigmatize people who choose to utilize #PrEP.
Question:
Justin—
We have been friends (on Facebook) for a while and we met [as fellow members of] the leather community when you were Mr. Maryland Leather 2010. However, I would appreciate it if you keep my identity secret, seeing as how we are both well known in the leather community as well.
Well, I noticed that there is a spike in syphilis cases among gay men, especially in the leather community. Do you think that has anything to do with pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP)? My next question is about post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP). In your opinion do you think that PEP gives people permission to have sex with others and then go get the pill the next morning? —Old Guard Leather DADDY
For the first time Scientist have now seen its first case of
an individual contracting the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) while being
compliant with taking Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) daily. The HIV strain that they were exposed to is
supposedly a multi-drug resistant strain.
In other words, the strain of HIV that the person who was taking PrEP,
is resistant to many levels of HIV medications.
So this doesn’t surprise me because the strain is HIV drug resistant because
PrEP is 92% effective in preventing HIV transmission, so it isn’t 100% but
neither is using a condom.
Unfortunately,
the only thing that is 100% effective is abstinence and that is farfetched to
try to even preach that message. PrEP has
been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) since July 16, 2012. I would say 4 years of no HIV infections for
those that are compliant with taking PrEP is a huge step for public health in eradicating
the threat of HIV transmission.
A 43-year-old man who has sex with men (MSM) who had been
taking PrEP 24 months before his HIV test provided a positive result. The researchers gave him a blood spot test in
order to determine whether or not he had stayed compliant to PrEP, which it was
inferred that the patient was compliant.
Test also concluded that his HIV medication resistant strain that he was
infected by was indeed from only 1 person and not because of mutation of
another strain of HIV after transmission.
The patient is now being put on Tivicay (dolutegravir), Prezcobix
(darunavir/cobicistat), and Edurant (rilpivirine), and continues to have an
undetectable viral load.
Prep (Truvada) is made up of two medications tenofovir and emtricitabine. In the world right now if someone is infected
with HIV they usually either have resistance to tenofovir or emtricitabine. But they usually almost never have resistance
to both tenofovir and emtricitabine at the same time.
The data was made public knowledge at the 2016 Conference on
Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) in Boston by HIV Specialist
Dr. David Knox
I was on Facebook when I first heard of and saw the
HIV Smart Campaign and became very curious about what was its meaning. As many HIV campaigns have become a part of
social media this HIV campaign is the first of its kind that I’ve seen since
PrEP was created. I attended photoshoots
in Baltimore and in Washington DC, both with good turn outs. The pictures are meant to be shared on all
social media including Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. This campaign raises awareness on how we
mentally see people with HIV and HIV itself.
While the mission is that people think smarter (hence the glasses) about
HIV, it reduces HIV stigma at the same time.
It also makes not only the target population of gay men and MSM but the
general population think about the benefits of PrEP and PEP. Working with photographer Ryan Colford was
amazing and he is amazing.
HIV Smart was created by founder and President Ryan
Colford, “to dispel ignorance because of all the disinformation still being
circulated to the public in an age of technology.
Real facts need to be known, and should be shared.”
HIV Smartis a newly developed nonprofit organization that focuses
on education about preventative methods (PrEP/PEP), education about risk
behaviors, advocating HIV testing and the importance of knowing your status.HIV Smartalso creates awareness about the
serious link between people living with HIV and depression, and last but
definitely not least, places an emphasis on fighting stigma. The heart ofHIV
Smartcampaign is
a social media photo campaign. We encourage everyone to use their pictures
across all forms of social media from Facebook to Instagram to Twitter. The
recognizable imagery will help to raise awareness through increased visibility
and foster real intelligent conversations relaying true facts and dispelling
myths. These conversations will cover the challenges associated with the virus
and stress the importance of treating all people with dignity and compassion.
Our goals are to create multiple photo events in
each of the 50 states with a large focus on the top 5 states with the highest
transmission rates (New York, Florida, California, Georgia, and Texas). We hope
that each photo event will help educate everyone regardless of status, create
more public awareness that it’s only disease, and reinforce that shame of any
sort should never be associated with HIV. He developed the idea of forming the organization, corresponding
website, and blending it with his talents as a photographer by adding a social
media photo campaign.
In Washington DC the HIV Smart Campaign was
hosted by Mr.
DC Eagle 2016
Being HIV positive I near thought I would have any children at all. We adopted another son when he was 17. I can’t believe I
couldn’t mention before but I believe it was because of legalities. But he is ours. He just turned 18 and wants to learn how to
drive. He had made friends with our
other son when they went to high school together. Well his name is Tavis and he found his way
to our house one day with bags in hand.
We took to him immediately and welcomed him with open arms into our
family. He is gay just like our first
son. Speaking of our first son he has
flown the coup and is now making a way for himself in the real world. It felt like just yesterday I was getting
calls every day from his high school, BUT we nipped that in the bud fairly
quickly. He matured has a boyfriend and
is making his way in the world. All I
can do is hope he becomes a good man, which I’m positive he will. BUT I will say this no two is enough. My husband and I have decided that we are
getting our tubes tides and that’s that.
LOL Anyways we are a happy family and things are going well. LOVE YOU GUYS and COMMENT DOWN BELOW.
One of my favorite places as of right now is Puerto
Rico. I was there because I am currently
in school for my Doctorate in Public Health at Walden University. I had a choice between Puerto Rico or
Tampa. Of course I choose Puerto
Rico. I took my husband Philip and left
the kids at home. We need some time for
a vacation. Honestly when I was diagnosed
with HIV I didn’t expect to live this long or be in school for a Doctoral
degree and I have one more year left. My
husband has really been my rock and inspiration.
We stayed in a cute hotel named the Coral Princess,
not far from the Beach in Condado (Santurce).
Condado (Santurce) is a great place.
It has the population of a little over 6,000 and has a big gay community
It was just an amazing beautiful area.
We also went Boquerón, Cabo Rojo which was amazing. Boquerón is a beach village located in the
city of Cabo Rojo. The village is one of
the main tourist attractions in the southwestern part of the island, which has
an awesome gay community. The population
there is about 5,000. We saw the salt
beaches there and walked along the beach.
We then went to Castillo San Felipe del Morro in Viejo San Juan or Old
San Juan it was so festive and beautiful.
One of my favorite places was El Yunque National Forest. It was my first time being in a Rain Forest
it was absolutely a wondrous time, I felt like a little boy in a candy
store. When then stayed at the Sheraton
in San Juan at the end of our trip.
HIV should not dictate where you can’t go but you can
let it take you to places you’ve never been.
I was so distraught 10 years ago when I was diagnosed, but I turned
around and got back on my feet. I now I know
that I can still go places I can still enjoy life.
The Food and Drug Administration has lifted its ban on blood donations from gay men. The ban has been in place for 32 years. So yeah we can give blood now. Thank you to the FDA. BUT there is a stipulation. To give blood to the FDA you must be abstinent for one year prior to giving blood. Hmmmmmmmm no sex for a year……nope sorry not me. The abstinent rule is also in place in countries such as the United Kingdom and Australia. The ban was put into place during the early years of the AIDS crisis. With medicine and science making strides activist and medical group see the ban as unjustifiable.
Charlie Sheen
announced he is HIV positive. During the
interview with Matt Lauer on NBC’s “Today” shows, saying that he wanted to put
a stop “to this onslaught, this barrage of attacks.”
He had paid
millions to keep people quiet and has faced lawsuits from previous
partners. Sheen said that he will not be
paying anyone any more money after today because he has disclosed publically. The news had already received this story the
day before his disclosure.
The 50 year
old actor admits to hiring prostitutes and extensive drug use, which was made
public by tabloids and newspapers.
This story
proves that HIV is not a gay or black issue.
HIV is a global public health issue.
By disclosing on his own I hope this gives him empowerment and
inspiration to help others in the future with their HIV diagnosis. Currently Sheen is on a four pill a day HIV
medication regimen and is currently undetectable.
When asked
whether he would stop drinking, Mr. Sheen said that “perhaps the freedom of
today may lead to that as well.”
My hopes for
Sheen is that he lives a long healthy life and to let him know that now you are
a part of community that can empower you to be the best Charlie Sheen you can
be. I back Charlie Sheen.
On the Oprah:
Where Are The Now? 39 years old former child star of the show Who's the Boss? Danny Pintauro, came out
this past weekend as HIV positive. It
turns out that Pintauro has been living with HIV for 12 years. One the show Who’s the Boss? Pintauro
played the role of Johnathan. When
Pintauro was 17 he came out as gay while attending Stanford University. A tabloid forced him to come out because they
were going to run with the story about his sexuality whether he liked it or
not. Pintauro stated this about the
forced outing, "I missed the opportunity to be a beacon of light for gay
kids who were going through what I was going through because I was outed; it
wasn't by choice,” This time Pintauro is
coming out as HIV positive and wanted to do it when he was ready. When learning about his HIV status Pintauro
said this, "You've spent so much time terrified that you're going to get
it," he says, "and then you have it, and you don't have to be
terrified anymore."
Pintauro is now happily married to Wil Tabares. The
couple married in 2014.
2015 marked the beginning of a new era in the evolution of HIV. Of the estimated 1.2 million Americans with HIV, one-thirdare over 50 years old; within 2015, half of the total HIV-positive population will be over 50 years old.[i]
The exhibit, curated in collaboration with Walgreens and The Graying of AIDS, focuses on the challenges and triumphs of this aging HIV community through captivating portraits and insightful testimonials.
The Well Beyond HIV art exhibit will be on public display September 10th an 11th from 11am-6pm at the Carnegie Library – Literary Hall, 801 K Street NW, Washington, DC 20001 – We encourage you to stop by if you have a chance.
If interested we ask that you also encourage your followers to:
It is official I’ve earned my Master’s in Public Health. Now I can officially say I’m a Public Health
professional. After 2 ½ years of school
work I’ve accomplished what I set out to accomplished. It was a big goal for me to finally get this
obstacle out of way. Having HIV I want
you all to know you cannot let it get in your way.
REACH YOUR GOAL AND MAKE YOUR DREAMS COME
TRUE.
People need to understand that HIV
is NOT the end of your life. You need to
keep moving and live your life to the best of your abilities. When I
found out I had HIV school was the furthest thing from my mind. But now it has helped me get a new job that
is amazing. I am now a Global Public
Health Analyst. As a present my loving
husband bought me a new car. He is an
amazing man and has stuck by me through my Associates and Bachelor’s degree as
well.
GRADUATION IS IN JULY IN BALTIMORE!!
But most of you know I can’t stop there I will be attempting
to earn my Doctorate in Public Health.
I
got a notification on my phone from my Grindr application so I click on it to
check the message. This guy immediately
started with, “Really Justin?” I then didn't understand what he was referring to, so I replied, “Really what?” He then went on to say that he was disappointed
in me for having my HIV status at the bottom of my Grindr profile and that I
was once his hero and etc. I just couldn't believe this. All I could do was block
the immaturity out and off my phone.
1)There are people on Grindr that don’t even say their status
2)One of the first things I put is that I’m married and that
my husband knows I have this application on my phone
3)It’s really none of your business what I’m doing in my own
bedroom but I’m open about my HIV status to all sexual partners – FYI.
4)If the basis of me not being your role model HIV positive
activist is that my status is at the bottom of my Grindr profile than find
another HIV activist to follow because you've been following me for the wrong
reasons.
The article
below can be found on Baltimore Gay Life Newspaper:
Many
people this holiday season will get what they want and what they don’t want. My
gift to you this year, dear reader, is the gift of purity. Many of us think of
the word purity and automatically think of virginity. I am by no means a
virgin, and neither are the majority of you reading this column. With that idea
in mind, I ask – why on earth do we engage in slut shaming?
At
the recent Mr. Maryland Leather contest one of the contestants gave a speech
about slut shaming in the gay community and I was truly touched. He talked
about how two of his friends had committed suicide because of the constant slut
shaming (which is another form of bullying) they endured from their so-called
friends.
As
I do every year, I took the stage with all the former Mr. Maryland Leathers,
and as my name was being called I heard the words, “Whore” being yelled at me.
I stopped and realized that this was not right because to look on my husband’s
face was the look of embarrassment and shame. When the contest was over, I
marched up to those three people and told them to stop slut shaming me. The
whole time I thought to myself this doesn’t just affect me but it affects my
husband. If they don’t have any respect for me at least respect my husband and
in turn respect my marriage. I really didn’t deserve it, neither did my husband
or my son.
For
HIV negative people, slut shaming can lead to a lowered self-esteem, which
could make them at greater risk of contracting HIV. Having people shame you
because of your sexual appetites only leads you to keep them secret and pushes
them back into the closet. This also can be said for people who use
preventative measure like Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP). People think because
you are on PrEP means that you do not use a condom and you have promiscuous sex,
which is not the case at all because this is a form of HIV prevention.
People
will do with their own bodies as they would like and it is not up to us to tell
them what to do. It takes two (sometimes more) to tango and if it’s consensual
then who the hell are you to tell them what they cannot do.
I suggest to all of you reading this column to keep that in mind before
you shame someone into thinking that what they do sexually is wrong. People
need to wake up to the ways of the world and get their head out of their
behinds and other people’s personal lives; because frankly it’s none of your
damn slut shaming business
Friend and fellow HIV Activist Jack Mackenroth has come up with an amazing way to combat HIV Stigma.
In social media and dating sites (especially in the gay community) we hear, "I'm clean" meaning I don't have HIV and I'm STI (Sexually Transmitted Infection) free. These words, "I'm clean" only further stigmatized people living with HIV. "I'm clean" gives the perception that people living with HIV are somehow dirty. This is an awesome HIV Campaign and I'm very proud to participate. Here are INSTRUCTIONS on how you can become apart of his movement.
INSTRUCTIONS:
1) Take a selfie or Vine video of yourself in the shower.** NO EXPLICIT NUDITY**
2) Post your photo on Moovz and all social media platforms with the
caption "Take HIV Shower Selfie Challenge raise $$ for AIDS cure bit.ly/CUREAIDS#weareALLclean"
3) Challenge 3 or more other people to participate!
4) (Optional) DONATE!! Please consider a small donation if you are able. Every penny counts! bit.ly/CUREAIDS
5) On World AIDS Day: Monday, December 1st, please change all your
social media profile pix to your shower selfie photo and spread the
word!!
For more information contact: Jack MackenrothJackmax2@gmail.com
Justin's HIV Journal was very happy to help out in the HIV Equal Campaign along side the DC Center and Whitman Walker Health.
The point of this campaign is to show that YES we ALL have an HIV status...Do you know yours? HIV Equal is an international multimedia campaign that aims to end HIV stigma and promote HIV testing by creating a social art movement that changes the way people think about HIV and which reopens the national dialogue about HIV.
My son Lundyn was very proud to participate.
He knows how important it is for one to know their HIV Status
ANNOUNCEMENT: Looking for South African participants for HIV Campaign. They can be HIV negative or positive. Looking for a very diverse group of people of all walks of life and languages. Apply from within (meaning send me a private message on Facebook or to my e-mail jsmithco98@hotmail.com). PLEASE SHARE!!
Joan Rivers died on September 4th, 2014 at the age
of 81 Many of you do not know that Joan Rivers wasn’t just a comedian, but she
was an HIV/AIDS activist.She would
distribute food to HIV/AIDS patients in the NYC area, for a non-profit called
God’s Love We Deliver.In 2009 when
Rivers won The Celebrity Apprentice in 2009 her prize money bought 56,000
meals, since then it’s grown to other cities such as Detroit, Chicago and San
Francisco.
Joan River’s God’s
Love We Deliver Video
Joan River’s One Day
a children’s AIDS foundation Video
BUT this woman was so funny that we have to celebrate her
life in this entry as well so I’ve attached her Uncensored Comedy Roast.Now let the tears dry up and let the laughs
begin!!
