While the global community is undertaking initiatives in the areas of scientific development, healthcare and universal access and community organizing in the name of HIV prevention, we must do our own part to be the change that we wish to see in our own lives and around the world.

“World AIDS Day is held on 1 December each year and is an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV, show their support for people living with HIV and to commemorate people who have died. World AIDS Day was the first ever global health day and the first one was held in 1988 (via www.worldaidsday.org).”

In your own spheres of influence, don’t shy away from having conversations about HIV, how it is transmitted, and what measures we can take to prevent transmission. Even in the US, stigma and shame still surround HIV, so it is vital that we play our role in continuing to bring the discussion into public spheres while doing what we can to combat the perceptions that feed into the marginalization of individuals with HIV. You can read a few quick facts about HIV here.

The conversations may not always be easy, but we must educate our youth about HIV and its transmission. According to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS; Only 1 in 3 young people have full knowledge of how HIV is transmitted. Young people between the ages of 15-24 account for 40% of all new infections. And Christians cannot try to convince themselves that this is some type of problem just for ‘those people’ outside their faith when it comes to sex. While I did not see any statistics regarding rates of HIV in relation to religious background, a recent article in Relevant Magazine (issue 53) cited research (from the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy) which found that 80% of young, unmarried Christians have had sex. Out of that percentage, 64% of them have had sex in the last year. Even though many of them are having sex, 76% of evangelicals polled in the study believe that sex outside of marriage is morally wrong. While having discussions about abstinence, we cannot fail to acknowledge the reality of the world that our youth are living in and equip them with the knowledge to make smart decisions and to take cautionary measures. I support Christian ideals of chastity, but also believe that we must prepare ourselves and others as the world may not function according to ideals of perfection like we would prefer it to. Staying in touch with, acknowledging and communicating reality in relation to sexual activity and the prevention of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) does not compromise ideals but rather helps our youth to be aware and function in the world as it actually exists.

And if we engage in sexual relations with another person and do not have absolute certainty about and proof of their status in relation to HIV and other STIs, we must GET TESTED not only for our own health but in the name of prevention of transmitting HIV to another individual. The only shame is in not getting tested and not knowing your status.

If you happen to be in Chicago, the Chicago Department of Public Health offers free, anonymous and confidential HIV testing at the locations listed here. If you are in another city, internet search engines do wonders in locating resources and testing sites. Encourage your friends and family members to get tested and if they are open to it or would like someone to accompany them, go with them.

Much love.

www.themarinfoundation.org

A few days ago the BBC World News featured the work of The Marin Foundation in written and audio form! Above is a screenshot I took of the BBC’s home page on their website… And that’s us as the feature story! It’s been crazy since it went live. We have gotten tons of folks reaching out from all over the world. This impact of our story is being felt! It’s such a humbling thing to have happen, and it’s definitely surreal to know that our bridge building message is getting spread across the globe through the most internationally trusted media company in existence. Just unreal.

You can read the full article here

You can listen to the 30 minutes segment the BBC ran on us here (and you have about 30 days to download it to keep it if you want)

Yesterday I got an email from the BBC and they gave me the following, crazy, update about our stories since they went live:

—Our radio segment (which has also been featured throughout America on NPR) is the most listened to segment of any from the BBC World Service

—Our radio segment is the most downloaded segment of any from the BBC World Service

—Our article is the 2nd most shared article of any story on any of the BBC websites

—Our article is the 3rd most read article on any of the BBC websites

I have to thank Christopher Landau so very much. He was the producer of the segment, as well as the writer of the article. Christopher was the one who fought for this story to be done! Even after some higher-ups said no to his initial proposal, he kept at it over almost 1 full year (!!!!) before they finally said yes. And now look what is happening! Brenda and I first met Christopher while I was speaking in London earlier this year. He had read my book when it first released in 2009 and as he said, “kept it in the back of my head to do a story on it for just this time.”

I’m not the most trusting person when it comes to media folks… They never seem to quite tell the truth in how they are going to present or edit something. But Christopher did exactly what he said he was going to do. A stand up man. A balanced journalist. And now a person ever so dear to not only my heart, but the millions his work has reached around the world.

Just absolutely amazing what the Lord is doing with this.

No matter the outcome, faithfulness always wins out.

Much love.

www.themarinfoundation.org

The other day I had dinner with a dear friend. I’ve known this man for years and he is oh-so-close to me in all ways of life. I honestly believe God put us together. I write about him in my book, in fact, I dedicated the book to him.

He has AIDS. In fact, he is one of the few living people that has the original strand of AIDS, from when it exploded in the 80s. He often recounts how all of his friends died long ago – and he doesn’t know one person, other than himself, who is still living with that original strand.

My friend, he’s dying. Quickly.

His CD4 count is now under 100. To give you understanding, a normal adult’s CD4 count is around 1,200.

He wanted to meet with me to let me know he is now one cold away from dying; and that he is putting his will and after death plans together because he probably doesn’t have much time left.

When I first met him he had no hope – ready to put a bullet in his head. Years later he’s at peace, knowing he’s loved by God, by me, and by a number of others connected through The Marin Foundation. It’s a strange juxtaposition to see someone on a journey for so many years, come to a place of peace, and then find out he has only a little time left.

He knows what is going to kill him.

No one should know that.

All I want is to be with him, and spend as much time as I can giving love to a man who has irrevocably left his mark on my life. The Lord has given him to me, to us, to this world; and one day soon the Lord will take him away. When that day comes, as is in his Jewish faith (an half of my heritage as well), there is happiness in death because we will finally be reunited with G-d, our loving Creator.

Much love.

www.themarinfoundation.org

Starting today I am flying to Geneva, Switzerland to speak to the United Nations at their International headquarters – specifically through the UNAIDS: Joint United Nations Programme on AIDS. Since May 2010 I have been involved in on-going discussions with UNAIDS surrounding what it means to build bridges with conservative faith communities, as well as on the topics of faith, sexuality and HIV/AIDS.

This past July I took my first trip with UNAIDS to Vienna, Austria where I spoke to a number of world leaders connected through the UN on the broad topic of what it means to seek reconciliation with the ‘other’. It was an unreal experience, and it made me quickly realize that there is a whoooole different and bigger world out there that could care less about faith and how that intersects with anything, really. But it looks like it went so well in Vienna that I got invited out to the UN’s International Headquarters to continue these discussions further.

I am looking forward to this week to meet with and speak to more folks curious about what this bridge building lifestyle looks like. I just pray that I can represent this Movement and you all, to the UN/UNAIDS executives and other leaders from around the world, with honor and dignity in such a way that they will, if nothing else, respect what we’re all about. While I’m out there I’m also excited that I have the opportunity to speak with the heads of the World Council of Churches and the Ecumenical Advocay Alliance.

As always, I will try to blog about my experiences. However my track-record from these types of trips show that probably won’t happen. So in my place I will have The Marin Foundation’s Director of Community Relations, Kevin Harris, and Director of Pastoral Care, Nathan Albert, blog in my place.  Looking forward to talking soon.

Much love.

www.themarinfoundation.org

BREAKING NEWS exclusive to my friend Dr. Warren Throckmorton’s blog, Canyon Ridge Christian Church in Las Vegas, who gave the bulk of financial support (here and here) to Martin Ssempa – the leader of the Anti-Gay Bill in Uganda, has finally cut financial ties with him! This is a huge blow to the sustainability of the legislation. To see Canyon Ridge’s full statement, view here.

Seriously, we all owe Warren Throckmorton so much. He never gave up on being a true and responsible investigative journalist on this; and Canyon Ridge cutting ties with Ssempa is the biggest news to date. As I have just called them, you can thank Canyon Ridge for making the right decision here.

Thanks Warren.

Much love.

www.themarinfoundation.org

Until July 25th I will be in Vienna, Austria for the World AIDS Conference speaking with the United Nations AIDS (UNA), both their global and domestic programs. I don’t know how much time I will have to blog, so no promises… Prayers for this time are appriciated.

Much love.

www.themarinfoundation.org

Over the last few months Warren Throckmorton (and I, part time) have been covering the Anti-Homosexual Bill in Uganda. Warren has been the world’s best investigative reporter on this, from interviewing Doug Coe (the head of The Family) to now, breaking news that an American church, Canyon Ridge Christian Church in Las Vegas, NV, has gone on record as being the only church that actually admits they financially support Martin Ssempa – the man in Uganda leading the charge to get this Kill the Gays legislation passed.

Over the past few months, every church that Warren or I have contacted that had previously had financial ties to Ssempa have either cut those ties, or denied they fund him. Well, Canyon Ridge is the first to actually tell us (Warren, in fact, via email) that they do financially support Ssempa and still think it’s a good idea.

For the full article with all of the details, see here.

This is not right.

Much love.

www.themarinfoundation.org

This morning I got to speak at Wheaton College for Mosaic Initiative’s World AIDS Day breakfast. Here are a few thoughts I brought up:

Within broader culture there needs to be both micro and macro pushes by the Christian community to make a culturally relevant impact on individual people as well as larger people groups.  When we are willing to step out and do something different, miracles happen.  But just how far are we willing to step?  In today’s church culture one of the hottest topics gaining a lot of momentum is AIDS in Africa.  A good friend of mine, Dr. Becky Kuhn who is an HIV/AIDS physician and President of Global Life Works, always says

“Churches can’t handle the AIDS issue unless they are willing to breach the topic of gay sexuality first.”

This has never been more applicable for the church because in our nation’s capital, Washington DC, the per capita rate of AIDS (5%, or 1 out of every 20 people) is higher than or comparable to 27 African countries including Kenya, Rwanda, Senegal, Ghana, Ethiopia, Tanzania – and is not far off from the 6.1% estimated rate for all of the Sub-Saharan region of Africa! 

In February 2008 Matt Foreman, the outgoing executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, said at the National Conference on Lesbian-Gay-Bisexual-Transgender Equality that HIV is “a gay disease” in the United States as “men who have sex with men account for nearly three quarters of men living with HIV.”  Although scientific data can quantify numbers, it can’t quantify how shame, stigma, isolation and political agendas each perpetuate the exploding growth of this spreading disease in our own country.

As wild as this may sound, I strongly believe that when it comes to HIV/AIDS in the GLBT community, Christians can stop the spread of this pandemic.  Faith can stop the spread of HIV/AIDS by helping make a new culture by positively influencing the GLBT-religious relationship. 

If religious shame is replaced by Christians who know how to productively bridge the GLBT community, and cultural stigma is replaced with a loving Church that provides eternal hope wherever the person is at, I am convinced that high risk sexual behaviors will also die alongside the isolation and pain felt by gay men and lesbian women who can only feel the negativity and clash of the pervasive cultural issues that dominate and overwhelm their entire existence.  

The problem is that the Churches’ exodus to Africa to treat a disease that devastatingly affects the one community that already feels ostracized by the church has left many in the GLBT community wondering why Christians continue to go across the world and ignore what’s at home. 

They feel the only answer is that it is easier to deal with people who are helpless rather than work hard enough to reach and understand the “enemy.”  Is that true?  The direct connectivity from HIV/AIDS to the GLBT community in America once again advances the cultural stigma that they already feel because Christians have cast off their disease as abhorrent, and Africa’s as worthwhile for the sole reason that the #1 infector is not through gay men.  I am not saying that churches should stop doing great things in Africa.  But as Brad Oglvie, a colleague of mine and a gay man living with HIV as the executive director of an HIV prevention organization called the Mosaic Initiative says,

“AIDS work doesn’t have to mean either/or, but rather an and.” 

The issue is that churches have made it an either/or; except the “or” never seems to include tangibly learning how to productively build bridges with GLBT community for Christ.  Now is the time for Christians to begin to lessen the stigma, and change GLBT culture by making culture.

Much love.

www.themarinfoundation.org