NEWS FLASH: People Still Die of AIDS
Many people think HIV is not that big of a deal anymore. You just take a pill or two a day and you’ll be fine. This can be true for the most part if all the stars align, you are diagnosed early and you have access and adherence to treatment. However, the CDC estimates that about 15,000 people a year in the U.S. still die of AIDS every year. Many are diagnosed in later stages of AIDS or are part of the under-served, underprivileged communities. That is the real reason I am doing the Braking AIDS® Ride. The three-day, 300 miles ride benefits Housing Works whose mission is to end the dual crises of homelessness and AIDS through relentless advocacy and the provision of lifesaving services.
I have been HIV positive for 25 years, since I was 20, so basically my entire adult life. Statistically I should be dead. I sat by my partner’s bedside as he died from AIDS in 1996. I’ve been to more memorial services than I can count. Yet I survived virtually physically unscathed. For this reason I feel compelled and even obligated to give back to those who are not so lucky. Can you imagine trying to survive in New York city without secure housing and trying to deal with a life threatening illness on top of that?
I am not a cyclist. I am not an experienced fundraiser. But I have passion, dedication and tenacity. Because of lifesaving organizations like Housing Works I also have my health. In the early ’90s I depended on non-profit organizations for medication and help with the basics when I had no money at all. Now it’s my time to repay what was given to me so generously. I only committed to the ride seven weeks ago and pledged to raise $50,000 dollars. I’m 70 percent to my goal with two days left to fundraise. I hope you can help me reach my goal. Every dollar counts and literally changes someone’s life, so you can donate here.
As part of my fundraising campaign I have incorporated two fun incentives. The first is a raffle, which ends tomorrow. If you donate $100 dollars or more, you will be entered into a raffle to win the red Martone bike in the photo worth $1,500 dollars. If you donate $200 dollars you get two entries and so on. Right now you have about a one in 120 chance of winning the bike.
The second incentive is if you donate $250 dollars or more I will tag your name, website or social media handle on my chest and post a nearly naked selfie on all my social media platforms and thank you personally for your generous donation. That will reach 107,000 followers on Twitter, over 250,000 combined followers on Facebook and 20,000 followers on Instagram. For $1000 or more I’ll write it on my ass.
I challenge you to the “no bucket challenge,” where you just donate to charity because it helps others and it feels good and because you are one of the lucky ones. I would be honored to have your support.
I am also part of an amazing team called #TheMackPack and we have a few members who have not met their $3,500 dollar minimum. You can see our kick ass team roster here. They would love your help.
Teeth
I dont see how this is still happening when Queerty tells me that we are all HIV =
CCTR
@Teeth:
Your comment is quite insensitive.
It might be advantageous of you to think about and make sense of what “we are all HIV = ” means. Challenge yourself to make sense of it and find truth in what the campaign is aiming to do.
Maybe it’s not a good idea to simply listen to what Queerty “tells” you about some things especially if you refuse to respectably understand.
I’m just saying
michael mellor
HIV is not fatal in the way it used to be. Lifestyle changes in HIV+ people have ensured that HIV doesn’t destroy the immune system. Better diets, avoiding drugs etc are all known to improve the immune system.
Keep in mind that even if you don’t have HIV, you can still ruin your immune system by using drugs and eating poorly.
tazz602
How are either of those comments helpful in any way. What he is doing is a challenge, it’s a risk, he put himself out there and set a very high bar. Whatever he does, he is giving back to organizations that helped him and to people that need assistance because they ARE having problems getting medication and housing. Whether we are all HIV= or not, whether HIV+ live longer by taking better care of themselves (also with better medication – and honestly – we all live longer by not taking drugs and taking care of ourselves) So tell your friends and give $5 – give more if you can – just give to a worthy cause. And you don’t even have to pour an ice bucket of water over your head to do it, Jack and his team are doing all the hard work by riding their bikes for 300 miles.
Cobalt Blue
There are a bunch of gay men that promote bareback sex as a ‘new trend ‘, something really cool, very modern and a real prove that they are open-minded and ahead of all others. These ‘others’ are seen as ‘old queens’, ‘ sanctimonious bitches’, ‘ church ladies that clutch their pearls ‘,etc. I’ve seen this tendency growing in gay magazines, sites and blogs. Nowadays sex industry is all about bareback and companies that use condoms are in minority. It’s a sick, ignorant and disappointing environment to promote safe sex practices and ‘safe use of drugs ‘ as if this later would be possible. Some gay men are so addict of this unhealth practices ( and so addict to gay sex…) that all aspects of their lives turn around this and even when in treatment they deny the deleterious effects of the drugs and its undesired consequences that still exist.
michael mellor
Cobalt blue,
Anal sex does not cause HIV. Two healthy people can have bareback anal. They won’t catch HIV from it.
Cobalt Blue
@michael mellor: Correct, but not all gay men are disease free.
buffnightwing
@Cobalt Blue: I find your comment offensive, especially in light of the topic at hand. This person is out doing something proactive and helping others. What are YOU doing? Sitting in your underwear and ripping off little snide comments on a website.
I can’t believe you can live with yourself for saying things like that.
I feel sorry for you. What a shame.
Same goes for they Teeth guy as well.
QJ201
On a different topic…so now whoring is part of charity work
Donate and I’ll send you an almost nude selfie?
How about donating because you give a damn and participating in a charity event without the self promotion.
Cobalt Blue
@buffnightwing: I don’t see things like you place them. I’m not here to be nasty or malicious. My intention was to focus on what is happening in the background while others are trying things like this campaign.
vive
@Cobalt Blue. “and so addict to gay sex…”
Uh, I’m not sure if you realize how that sounds. There is nothing wrong with gay sex. And there is nothing wrong with having lots of sex.
Teeth
Please. I fight HIV by taking it seriously, and not turning it into some banal bumper sticker phraseology. I’ve lost people, including one that I loved very, very much. I provided health care when most nurses were wearing chemo gowns just to deliver lunch. And all these things– the work, the loss, the personal changes, are why I am so offended at “HIV =”, and so snarky about it. Riding bikes doesn’t prevent HIV. Pretending that we are all = doesn’t prevent HIV. Get your head out of your ass and show some respect for how serious the disease (still) is.
pressuredrop
@Cobalt Blue:
“Deleterous”?
Your comment is deleterous. Whatever that means.
pressuredrop
Oh, deleterious.
My bad.
pressuredrop
Actually, your comment was also slightly deleterious, at least in the sense that you are generalizing the idea of bareback sex as a trend. I don’t understand how it is seen as a “modern” or “open-minded” thing to do. I’ve never noticed it being presented in this way.
My first comment, on the other hand, was “deleterous”. As in, it deserves to be deleted.
Cam
So apparently HIV = didn’t do so well so they’ve moved on to something else.
Amazing that Queerty will ignore and remove posts that two of the largest organized churches in the nation just signed briefs to the Supreme Court asking them to keep gay marriage illegal but will continually give this guy endless press.
vive
I’m just amazed at what anabolic drugs can do for people nowadays. I mean, countering AIDS wasting (which isn’t even a problem for most HAART patients nowadays) was one thing. Using HIV as an excuse for taking drugs to attain this hugely exaggerated muscularity is quite something else.
Stache99
@Cobalt Blue: Pay no attention to this nasty ass troll people.
PetroNYC
@QJ201: Jealous? Are you sexually frustrated? Do you feel like you have to degrade others because you’re so powerless to do anything about it or help the way Jack is helping? Here’s a reality check for you – sex sells and if posting half-naked pics of himself with donor names on it brings in more cash, what do you care? What are you doing to help raise money to fight HIV/AIDS?
PetroNYC
@Teeth: I’m very sorry for your loss and can’t imagine what it must’ve been like to go through it on the forefront of the epidemic as you seemingly have. That being said, you obviously miss the point of both the HIV= campaign and the charity ride.
First, the point of HIV= is to remove the stigma of being HIV+ which I’m sure you’re quite familiar with having dealt with nurses not wanting to serve lunch unless they were wearing a chemo gown. How degrading that must’ve made you and your loved one feel…if you assume everyone is the same status (positive), then you act accordingly and instead of shaming and making people feel less than yourself, maybe we can learn to love and respect one another enough to know that anyone can get HIV for any number of reasons. I may be negative, but I treat everyone as though they were positive and expect them to treat me the same and take appropriate steps to safeguard against any possible infection until a cure or vaccine is proven effective!
Second, brakingAIDS is a civil rights march on wheels! I’m PROUD to be part of this ride! 285 miles is nothing to sneeze at, nor is the minimum fundraising requirement for those of us not of a celebrity status! And the communities we ride through bring education and awareness to otherwise sleepy towns and villages! You of all people should know that Silence=Death, and we ride to break the silence!
I hope you realize how far removed from our asses our heads are and hope you can support us in a cause that is obviously very dear to your heart!
onthemark
@PetroNYC: Yes – Jack offers the “incentive” of a “nearly naked selfie” of himself.
Right after that he declares, sanctimoniously, that we should ignore the “ice bucket challenge” hoopla because it’s a silly-ass stunt and we should “just donate to charity because it helps others and feels good.” (!)
Apparently the silly-ass stunt is in the eye of the beholder? 🙂
Stache99
@PetroNYC: Exactly. I don’t feel that I’ve done enough for charity. Whether I agree or disagree I’m sure as hell not going to put someone down who’s put himself out there.
Paco
@vive: Testosterone deficiency is common in HIV+ men, even with successful treatment with HAART. I know a few guys on hormone replacement but none of them look very muscular.
PetroNYC
@onthemark: Excuse you? Where exactly does he say, ” it’s a silly-ass stunt?” Are you projecting your feelings of inadequacy onto a sincere request for support? I think you’re way off the mark on that one!
onthemark
@PetroNYC: I didn’t put silly-ass stunt in quotes; I just thought it was amusing that Jack was so prissy and sanctimonious about the ice buckets, of all things, when he thinks it’s perfectly normal to send out nearly naked selfies as an incentive for donations. That’s pretty funny. But either one is fine with me! Whatever works.
PetroNYC
My bad – I’m still not seeing what you’re seeing…but exactly – if it gets people to donate money to a good cause, all the better!
lykeitiz
@Cobalt Blue: They can deny it all they want. It doesn’t make your words any less true. Same with @Teeth: ‘s words. The trolls may troll, but they’re delusional. To echo @Stache99: , ignore them.
vive
@Paco, “Testosterone deficiency is common in HIV+ men, even with successful treatment with HAART. I know a few guys on hormone replacement but none of them look very muscular.”
Yes. But it depends on the dose – this is not hormone “replacement” I was making an observation about. 🙂
Tackle
Funny thing that some posters are complimenting Jack, and saying what a good thing he is doing, by putting himself out there. I get the impression that Jack is putting himself out there for Jack. Trying to keep himself relevant and in the spotlight, under the guise of doing it for charity. It’s an age old Hollywood gimmick.
Guess he needs to do something. Haven’t heard much about him as a fashion designer or his clothing line. You don’t hear anything about that diastraious and ill- conceive, HIV= campaign. Not sure how his online sex site for HIV positive men is doing.
And a few posters pointed out about his semi nude selfi. Well it seems that almost everything he does promotion wise evolves around sex.
tazz602
#smh at the idiocy in here – OK – he takes nearly naked selfies and uses his rocking body to promote his fundraising. It’s called marketing bitches and sex sells, always has and always will, especially to gay men. So get off your high horses, donate, or click on the next Tom Daly post of the week and read something else.
tazz602
And I say all of that as someone who HAS donated money towards his ride.
michael mellor
HIV is not as bad as what it used to be.
Tackle
No! Sex will always sell to stupid superficial immature gay men. And that’s why I’m not buying it. Or donating. ..
Cam
@tazz602:
Sex sells when there isn’t a lot of substance to what you are trying to get the donations for. i.e. HIV Equals.
I don’t recall AIDS hospices or Cancer research putting out naked selfies to try to get people to donate.
PetroNYC
@Cam: What a sad, insecure little man you are! The donations go to Housing Works, an organization that helps homeless and low-income people living with HIV/AIDS. He is but one of over 100 people raising money for the organization for this particular event. Why does it bother you so much how he raises money! How much have you raised for any charity?
Cam
@PetroNYC:
Please point out the exact portion of my post that you are referring to. I was pointing out that sex sells if there isn’t as much substance (As with HIV Equals). Since that isn’t the charity you are referencing your post and your name calling seems not just off base but a little crazy.
As for bothering me, funny, when somebody posts an opinion and somebody else posts a discussion point that has a different opinion that is usually called…..a discussion. Interesting that you seem to think that anybody who isn’t some odd little fangurl agreeing with everything this guy does is “Bothered”.
But please, by all means continue stamping your foot and sticking your tongue out at everybody….no really, it makes you so interesting.
PetroNYC
“I don’t recall AIDS hospices or Cancer research putting out naked selfies to try to get people to donate.” This is obviously a reference to the fact that Jack is posting selfies to get donations for the Braking AIDS Ride, which supports Housing Works. If I am wrong and that comment was not in reference to the above, then I sincerely apologize for my misinterpretation of your comment. However, if I am not, then your comment is way off base anyway, since this article and Jack’s solicitations for donations have nothing to with with HIV Equals.
You’re obviously “bothered” by his means of soliciting donations or you would not have bothered to comment so snidely. Way to deflect and not answer my questions regarding how much you’ve raised for any charity! You’re more than entitled to your opinion, like anyone else. I just don’t have to have to respect it, since it’s clearly made with your head up your arse!
Teresa Minks
@QJ201: Even if it’s for a good cause, who in his right mind wants a ‘social media handle’ personalized ~erotic selfie of this mannequin?
Cam
@PetroNYC:
My comment directly mentioned HIV Equals so to say you did not know what I was referencing seems a bit of a stretch, especially when your next paragraph attacks, name calls and again sounds like a spoiled child.
Oh, here is the sentence I posted that you claim you did not realize dealt with HIV Equals……””Sex sells when there isn’t a lot of substance to what you are trying to get the donations for. i.e. HIV Equals.””
Wow, mentioned it RIGHT there in the sentence, Certainly seems like it would have been tough to miss doesn’t it? Unless of course you are just some little troll on here defending your little fangurl obsession.
Please keep on doing what you’re doing, it’s fun when people think they are helping and instead just make the subject of their defense look even more foolish.
PetroNYC
Again, you deflect! Your rebuke is disingenuous, as you have not denied that the second sentence of your original comment was in reference to the article or the fact that Jack is using the selfies to solicit donations for the ride to support Housing Works. At best, your comment in its entirety is disjointed. At worst, it’s completely irrelevant to the article and it would seem that you are the one who is trolling! I am merely defending a friend and fellow rider who has given generously of his time and talents. I doubt anyone could say the same for you! I stand by my original assessment – you are a sad, insecure little man!
Cam
@PetroNYC:
Look, if you’re going to openly lie then just go back to your origionally level of name calling and acting like a spoiled child.
You claimed at first not to know that I was referencing HIV equal in my statement, then I pointed out that my comment SPECIFICALLY mentioned HIV Equal, and now you are scrambling to avoid dealing with that comment by making other claims.
The fact of your post however that shows where your actions and agenda come from is the sentence stating….”I am merely defending a friend and fellow rider who has given generously of his time and talents.”
Funny how you failed to mention that he was a friend of yours at first isn’t it.
But thank you for making it clear that to defend this he needs his friends to come in and try to attack anybody that questions methods and the way the HIV Equal situation was rolled out.
You would have done him a much bigger favor by not admitting that your behavior is simply because he is a friend of yours.
Oh, and your name calling says far more about you then anybody you aim it at. But again, thanks for providing entertainment.
PetroNYC
Just keep on deflecting because you know your arguments have no merit! Why are you even mentioning HIV Equal? It has nothing to do with this article; as I said, your comment is irrelevant and I am finished wasting my time and energy on the likes of you! I have more important things to do, like raise money and awareness to fight HIV/AIDS!
Cam
@PetroNYC:
Yes yes yes, we get it, he is your friend, and anything anybody says about anything he does means they are terrible evil people and blah blah blah blah.
Funny at first you pretended not to know I mentioned HIV Equal and apologized for the mistake, then attacked me for mentioning it.
But thanks again for trying to claim maturity (You have more important things to do than wasting energy on the likes of me) Really? Because you certainly have wasted an awful lot of time changing your story, calling people names, and attacking others.
Or do you mean that starting NOW you have more important things to do? Well if that is the case, thank you for wasting that time an energy with us earlier. It certainly was fun to watch you change your story, twist in the wind, and name call all supposedly to support an effort that you really seemed not at all interested in.
And to answer your question about why I brought up HIV Equal….actually many people on here brought it up mostly because it was an obvious vanity project intended to raise the level of exposure of the person forming it while basically doing nothing for people afflicted with AIDS, additionally it had as an early publicity getter a person who was anti-gay and anybody who brought that up was attacked right here on Queerty by your buddy Jack.
But hey, you don’t need to hear about that, as you have much more important things to do than to waste time on here dealing with people like me right? 😉