More to Me Than HIV

moretomethanhiv.life Read more

More to Me Than HIV

First published in Gscene July 2020 For last years World AIDS Day I put together a public project of work joining other people living with an HIV+ diagnoses at Jubilee library.For last years World AIDS Day I put together a public project of work joining other people living with an HIV+ diagnoses at Jubilee library. For the project I spoke openly about my journey having being           Read more

More to Me Than HIV: GScene post Aug 2020

More to Me Than HIV is a project that aims to breakdown the stigma that has historically been attached to this virus.  When I saw my piece in last months Gscene to promote the More to Me Than HIV project, I was extremely proud, but a small part of me was filled with anxiety; but why should I feel this way? I have been on effective antiretroviral therapy since the Read more

More to Me Than HIV: first published in GScene July 2020

For last years World AIDS Day I put together a public project of work joining other people living with an HIV+ diagnoses at Jubilee library. For the project I spoke openly about my journey having being             diagnosed HIV+ 32 years previous. Back then there was no treatment and a lot of fear and misinformation concerning how HIV was transmitted. As such stigma was rife, Read more

Remembering….

Maurice, Ann and Peter, Hankie Quilt Project

 

Today I saw a message on Facebook from Maurice, one of the founders of the Hankie Quilt Project, reminding us that it has been a year since the launch of this brilliant idea. HIV isn’t just about on World AIDS Day, it’s here 365 days of the year, and so are the memories of the people we have all lost to AIDS; here is my memory of one of those people, my lovely friend, M.

When I was twenty years old, I ran away to sea; well I got a job on the newly refurbished QE2 and2013-04-24 13.09.20

joined the ship in Germany. On my first, night, while sharing a small cabin with three straight men, I began to wonder if I was the only gay on board, when I heard someone shout, “M’s in the corridor and he’s wearing a dress!” My heart leapt as I ran out to see my saviour in sequins!

M and I became friends instantly and I quickly packed my belongings and swapped cabins with a straight guy (both of us were greatly relived) and moved in with M and two other gay men.

Apart from having to wake up in shifts to shower and avoid any squabbles over the one mirror in the cabin, sharing that cramped space was filled with much fun and laughter.

During our time at sea, M said he wanted to put together a drag revue show for the staff party. M’s passion for the show saw him enrol our cabin mates and we became The Ruby Sisters. M was the type of person who made things happen; he gained us a budget for our drag and wigs (which we bought in New York) had our dance routine put together by two of the women from the Peter Gordino dance troupe and our wigs where back combed to heavenly heights and make-up thickly applied by the prestigious Steiner Salon hairdressers/beauticians.

2013-04-24 12.42.42

The show went down so well, we were asked to perform it again that same night for the customers. Just as we had brought the house down for the staff do, as we came dancing down the sweeping stair case to “We Are What We Are”, the effect was even greater when our customers suddenly twigged that their professional stewards, who had given them a five star service in the restaurant for breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner, were now transformed into glamorous drag queens. The show was such a successes, that we performed it for next few transatlantic crossings.

M and I worked together, played together and shared a cabin 24/7 for eight months, then we both came back to dry land. M and I stayed very close, with me visiting him in London or him coming down for a weekend in Brighton and even doing a few ad-hoc shows for friends and one memorable alcohol fuelled show in a London bar.

The months flew by with so many laughs and boozy nights out, we thought it would be like that forever; then one day I had a call to say that M had been taken ill.

AIDS swallowed M too quickly. Within a month he was taken into the Mildmay Hospital. M was defiant to the end, propped up in bed, cigarette poised just above his left shoulder, delivering his ever cutting wit, but it was obvious I would never see him alive again.

At his funeral he had a flower tribute of the QE2 on his coffin and a pair of red high heels, while his favourite song, ‘Cabaret’ played as his body  was brought in.

Even after all these years I still miss M a lot. I guess I just want to say. ‘Thank you’ to Maurice and Peter for creating the Hankie Quilt Project, it has been a privilege to make a panel for M, a lovely, lovely, man who will never be forgotten.  

Posted on by admin in HIV/AIDS, LGBT Leave a comment

World Book Night

World Book NightIt’s that time of year again when I, along with 20,000 other volunteers will be hitting the streets tonight to give away 400,000  book titles to random strangers in the bid to get more people reading fiction that they would not normally consider, or to get people who don’t normally get stuck into a novel.

This year I will be giving away Bernhard Shclink’s thought provoking novel, The Reader.

Glenn Stevens, ready for World Book Night

Glenn Stevens, ready for World Book Night

Read more

Posted on by admin in Brighton & Hove, Fiction & Books, film, Leisure, Literature Leave a comment

Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are

Jodie Foster, Golden Globes[1]Earlier this year, I watched Jodie Foster’s rambling speech as she kind of told the world that she was gay. Although for many, such news about Foster’s sexuality has been an open secret; for Foster, being in the public eye from a very young age, she has been fiercely protective over her private life, seeing it as the one thing she has full control off. Of course, there is also the added factor that Foster grew up in a time when homosexuality, particularly in Hollywood, was not celebrated in quite the same way it is today. With this in mind, I imagine when Foster left that stage, a great weight had been lifted off her shoulders, or at least I hope so.

            In my lifetime I have met men who have kept their sexuality a secret from either their families or work colleagues for any number of reasons, from fear of being rejected, or thought of as not a real man, whatever that may mean. Read more

Posted on by admin in film, Gscene, LGBT Leave a comment

Blood, Gore and Movie Metaphore

Although horror is often seen as mere pulp fiction, to dismiss the horror genre in such a way is giving this style of creative work a disservice. The dore_lucifer_hell[1]bible is filled with works of horror which in turn influenced, Dante Alighieri to create his epic poem, the Divine Comedy which includes the truly horrifying, Nine Gates of Hell. Such stories have been told to keep us on the straight and narrow, while more modern day classics have tapped into our primal fears, including: Bram Stokers, Dracula, Mary Shelley’s, Frankenstein and Robert Louis Stevenson’s, Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Read more

Posted on by admin in film Leave a comment

Role Models & The New Normal….

For all of us, when growing up, regardless of our sexuality, we seek role models in a variety of ways, the most obvious place to start is with our parents or guardians and then our wider family and the friends we choose to be with. Beyond that we turn to the media, be it famous people in magazines pop stars or actors and personalities on the television, or world leaders, people in power….personally, with very few gay role models around when I was growing up, I settled on Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones as my perfect male icon.

Harrison-Ford-Indiana-Jones[1]

Thankfully, television and those that make the programs happen, have been more willing to embrace peoples differences; admittedly it has taken years, but at least this media is moving in the right direction.     Read more

Posted on by admin in Leisure, LGBT Leave a comment

Peers in Action

PA logoBack in April 2010, Richard Generway, along with Paul Harrington and Steve. A discussed the lack of a HIV+ social support group, specifically for men in the 45 year old and above age group. Although there were the very successful groups run by THT South and other independent run groups like, Lunch Positive and Outdoor Positive whose aim has been to to break down the isolation and bringing together all those affected by HIV, the team behind Peer Action were keen to find out if there was enough enthusiasm for a social peer led group that could compliment what was already being offered. By talking to existing service users of these groups, the message that came back loud and clear was yes, there was very much a need.

 I have used the other HIV groups, but was interested in what Peer Action had to offer, particularly through their social outings. Since then I have become very much involved, I now help run their website and have organised some of the theatre outings. Along the way my partner and I have made new friends and got a lot of support from everyone who use Peer Action.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Jimmy. Peer Action 

Read more

Posted on by admin in Brighton & Hove, Gscene, HIV/AIDS, Leisure Leave a comment

Bear Patrol

Focus on Bear-Patrol (First published in Positive Nation, December 2012.)

Bear-Patrol is the brainchild of local Brightonian, Danny Dwyer who initially formed the group as a way of getting a group of like minded people together for social gatherings.Danny D

I created a homepage so I could keep in touch with everyone more easily rather than texting to tell them where we would be starting out on a Saturday night; that was back in 2008/9 around the same time Facebook and the whole social media concept was coming into its own. From there the social meetings quickly grew which inspired me to create the social group Bear- Patrol which is open to everybody (you don’t need to be a bear to join) and we started organising trips out.

Danny Dwyer. Read more

Posted on by admin in Brighton & Hove, Health, HIV/AIDS, LGBT, Outdoors, Zhoosh Leave a comment

Movember Update.

 

Glenn’s tach, 16 days later

16 days later and my tach is taking some shape…I’m even considering not growing my beard back. At the beginning of this project I wanted to raise £100, I’m getting close to that goal with £68.00 raised so far.

As fun as it has been to cultivate the hair on my lip for the last couple of weeks, I also wanted to highlight the reason why I, along with thousands of other men and their supporters are doing this…

Read more

Posted on by admin in Health Leave a comment

……….Movember: 7 days later

7 Days later and my tach is beginning to look a little like a caterpillar. If truth be known I was hoping to have something more to twiddle by now…

Read more

Posted on by admin in Health Leave a comment

Ground Level Gay Pioneers

Last month I had the privilege of being involved with a project run by City Books, who have been getting the town to read the 1950’s Brighton based novel: My Policeman, By Bethan Roberts. The story explores a time and place where many gay men lived in fear of arrest or persecution for loving someone of the same sex. Read more

Posted on by admin in Brighton & Hove, Gscene, LGBT Leave a comment