20. Contradiction Building

+Positive House could violate our policies further by pushing also for one well-facilitated two-day workshop to be offered twice a year (once on a weekend, once during the week) on HIV+ relationship issues for straight (and “straight”) people addressing particular difficulties of sero-sorting without means of finding each other than the Internet (and +Positive House) due to not having a naturally enclosing, high HIV-incidence community like gay men. The workshop should address the particular problems of exploitation of intrinsic power disparities in heterosexual online dating that might be exacerbated by vulnerabilities related to being HIV+. The workshop should also address particular disclosure difficulties of trying to date HIV- straight people, some of whom have never heard of a T-cell. The workshop should be informed by studies on the unspoken impact homophobia and closeting can have on those of us who are not gay, and the effects both homophobia and internalized AIDS-phobia can have on straight positive sexual identity…. +Positive House will be sincerely happy to show already-due recognition somehow to UCSF AIDS Health Project, and the San Francisco AIDS Foundation just as soon as that one support group and two two-day workshops exist, anywhere in the bay area.

19. Contradiction

+Positive House would not, however, reward any agency in San Francisco that provides specialized support groups and workshops at all until there is at least one support group for straight (or straight and bisexual, or straight and non-ID MSM, or straight and heteroflexible) HIV+ people--hosted by any agency somewhere in the bay area. Oakland would be lovely, (although we're magically allocated to serve San Francisco). And it violates our policies to be isolating any HIV+ group.

18. Prospective A+

If +Positive House had a way of honoring specific programs for comprehensive inclusiveness, The Black Coalition on AIDS's peer-designed "Living Now" Program for positive people of all genders, sexual orientations, ethnicities, and histories would be top of the prospect A+ list. The program includes guest speakers who address different issues about living with this virus. [We will begin evaluation of its ten-week course Wednesday, September 26th.]

"Living Now"
10 Wednesdays, 1:00-3:00, beginning Sept. 26
Black Coalition on AIDS
2800 3rd Street @ 24th
Contact: Alfred, (415) 615-9945

Just Discovered: The Black Coalition on AIDS also offers (to all positive people) a + human relationships program. This is a seven-week weekly series beginning at 10:30 Tuesday, October 3. The structured course begins with subjects of relationships of positive people with their friends and family members and ends with subjects of positve sexual and romantic relationships.

Contact: Ben Hayes or Melinda, (415) 615-9945

Two prospective A+'s from this house to BCA.

17. Temptation

+Positive House could partner with or recognize AIDS Service Organizations in San Francisco that serve HIV+ individuals according to their common and/or unique needs—like AIDS Emergency Fund, Project Inform, Project Open Hand, Immune Enhancement Project, Shanti's LIFE Project, PAWS, Positive Resource Center (for the most part), and Positive Pedalers (in spirit)—not because we think there is anything wrong with specialized exclusive services, but just because that’s our thing.

16. Pet Project

+Positive House created its Outside World project to give retired San Francisco activists things to do to keep them from causing problems to fix. Outside World is now focused in a personal way on encouraging San Francisco's international AIDS organizations (Pangea and A.S.P.I.R.E.) to include New Orleans in their outreach by making the case that if New Orleans (with its devastated healthcare system, high HIV incidence, recent funding cuts, and mistrust of medical help) were in Africa, it would be considered part of their agenda.

+Positive House's Outside World project includes an early spring, week-long pilgrimage to the city of New Orleans where positive pilgrims who can and want to will gut and build houses for anyone. Those who can't or don't want to gut and build houses can tour New Orleans neighborhoods with a mobile respite unit or with Loaves and Fishes. We will rent a little shotgun house with a washer and dryer, and in our spare time we can eat and/or dink at participating Dining Out for Life bars and restaurants and check out the comprehensively diverse support groups (together or separately) of their bennefiting agency, NO/AIDS Task Force.

15. End Of Discussion

Reading groups—reading and discussion on any books HIV+ clients choose about anything, and one group to discuss reactions to HIV related articles and publications.

Forbidden Questions about HIV and HIV-care in San Francisco group--questions,not points. [The facillitator was going to give an example but got scared. We'll wait for feedback on what's already here first.]

Ethical Questions--thoughts on ethical issues regarding HIV or AIDS.

Political Action discussion group--Any political involvement of the agency, or representation by the agency will be limited to those issues in which we can say “We positive people,” as a whole, without listing divisions—not even all of them. But the discussion group itself is free and open to debate any HIV+ political topic from any angle. If this is an especially dynamic group, or not dynamic enough, a brave facilitator can be helpful. Actual tasks of political organizing will have to be done elsewhere if not in keeping with the agency’s embrace. (Human beings for marriage equality and adoption rights for human beings are issues in keeping with agency embrace.)

Housekeeping community forum--suggestions and complaints about the house.