12. More Discussions Upstairs...

Joys and Challenges of the Single Life—this workshop was developed by and is offered at UCSF AIDS Health Project and is introduced in its newsletter thus: “People sometimes feel that if they are single, they have failed, that their lives are ‘less than.’… [However] a single person is more likely than someone in a relationship to feel free to do what he wants when he wants, without being limited by the preferences of the other person. He may also feel greater freedom to more fully develop and appreciate meaningful, long-lasting friendships outside of romance…. The free workshop will focus on the joys of being single, and it will explore the pressures people feel--both from others and from themselves to be in a relationship. It will also look at responding to challenges such as loneliness.” +Positive House will ask AIDS Health Project to guest-host its workshop for us, with expansion of the meaning of “people.”

Effects—intentional or not—of language on our abilities to heal and live healthy lives facilitated discussion group—Topics include effects on us of homophobic labels, the racial derogative “DL,” and straight-hate, “breeder.” (To call a 40-year-old, single, childless woman with AIDS a “breeder” and then explain the term to her is hate.) Topics can include the effects of accepted, unneccessarily dehumanizing descriptions of care, such as promotion of services as though they were for everyone affected when they're not.

Description-kind online connecting workshop—How to be discriminating about what we want, without discriminating. (Just like Stop AIDS Project’s workshop at the LGBT Center except this one is for the whole positive rainbow.) Our workshop will also address awareness of different kinds of power disparities so we don’t hurt each other or get hurt when we don't want to.

Disclosure issues facilitated discussion group—This is not prevention directed. This is just a forum to deal with all our feelings about it.

Effects of closeting—as well as effects of the forces that create the need for closeting—on ALL of us facilitated discussion group.

Sex and Sobriety facillitated workshop--Working toward thoroughly living the lives we want with as much presence as we can.

Transmission risk and decision-making--knowing ourselves and circumstances, and taking care of each other (extended each other).